– Eight years ago, then-Sen. Barack Obama delivered remarks at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he laid out his philosophy that economic growth starts from the “middle-out.”

Now as president — five years after the financial crisis and following recession, Obama is set to return to Knox College to pivot back to that message – and is scheduled to deliver one in a series of campaign style speeches on the issue at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Wednesday.

“Since day one, the President has had one clear economic philosophy — that the American economy works best when it grows from the middle-out, not the top down,” the White House said in an email to reporters previewing the remarks. “[H]e will lay out his vision for rebuilding an economy that puts the middle class and those fighting to join it front and center.”

The speech is set to echo the “rise together” tones that have been a constant in Obama’s rhetoric, including a speech given in 2012 in Osawatomie, Kansas, near Kansas City, where he focused on economic inequality.

Obama is expected to be joined by Sen. Claire McCaskill and Gov. Jay Nixon, both Democrats. Nixon, who announced he would be joining Obama in a statement on Saturday, used the occasion to tout UCM’s status as the first “Innovation Campus” in Missouri, a program he touts as offering “students accelerated degree programs and apprenticeships in high-demand fields, reducing the time it takes to earn a degree and cutting student debt.”

Rep. Vicky Hartlzer, the Republican who represents Warrensburg, is not expected to be in attendance. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, has scheduled a pre-buttle conference call with reporters for early Wednesday afternoon.