President Mary McAleese is to be awarded an honorary degree at an American university during a tour of the United States and Canada.
The Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree will be bestowed on the her at a ceremony at Villanova University in Philadelphia.
Some of the university's past alumni include sporting legends Sonia O'Sullivan, Ron Delaney and Eamonn Coghlan.
The President will meet Irish studies students at the university after the honorary degree ceremony on Sunday.
Mrs McAleese will be accompanied by her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, and Michael Ahern, Minister of State at the Trade Department, as she heads off today for her 12th official trip to the United States.
The entourage will be visiting Philadelphia and Seattle, as well as Vancouver in Canada.
In Seattle, she is due to deliver the keynote address to the World Affairs Council, as well as visiting the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funds HIV/AIDs programmes, and the Matt Talbot Centre, a drugs and alcohol treatment centre.
A trade delegation of 29 companies from the aeronautical and hi-tech sectors will accompany Mrs McAleese on her visit to the west coast city, at which she will attend a number of business events from the Enterprise Ireland Seattle Trade Alliance.
Mrs McAleese will also be presented with the Woman of the Year Award at a lunch hosted by the Irish Women's Network in Vancouver, Canada on May 27th.