KELLY BARRETT / EAGLE FILE PHOTO Barack Obama at AU in January 2008.

President Barack Obama will deliver a speech about immigration reform to an invitation-only crowd in the new SIS building Thursday, the White House announced Tuesday.

The visit is Obama’s first as president. He previously held a rally before thousands in a packed Bender Arena during his presidential campaign in January 2008. The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., endorsed the then-junior senator from Illinois at the event.

AU officials advise those interested in Obama’s speech to watch online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

For a full report of the president’s visit, be sure to check theeagleonline.com on Thursday.

Update: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will attend Thursday’s speech, The Wall Street Journal reports.