FRACKVILLE, Pa. — A man serving life in prison for the killing of a Philadelphia police officer in 1981 has been selected as a commencement speaker at his Vermont alma mater.

Goddard College, a liberal arts college in Plainfield with 600 students, says on its website that Mumia Abu-Jamal’s recorded remarks will be played Sunday at a commencement, along with a video about him.

Bob Kenny, the school’s interim president, is quoted on the website as saying the graduates’ selection of Abu-Jamal reflects “their freedom to engage and think radically and critically in a world that often sets up barriers to do just that.”

Abu-Jamal was originally sentenced to death for killing Officer Daniel Faulkner, but he was resentenced to life in 2012. He graduated from Goddard in 1996.

His claims that he’s been victimized by a racist justice system have attracted global support. Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther; the officer was white.

The Vermont Troopers’ Association called the selection “an absolute disregard” for Faulkner’s family.

Goddard holds 20 commencement ceremonies every year, so students in each degree program can choose their speaker.