First lady to speak at Hill Auditorium

Hillary Rodham Clinton will visit the campus at the end of the month to conclude the Year of the Humanities and Arts - the theme for the 1997-98 school year that promotes the exploration of the humanities and arts.

Clinton will speak on April 28 at Hill Auditorium to celebrate the success of YoHA and, in particular, its Arts of Citizenship Program.

"We are delighted the First Lady saw YoHA and the University as a chance to discuss arts and humanities in public culture," said history and American culture Prof. David Scobey, director of the Arts of Citizenship Program. "We kept our fingers cross

Clinton

ed and it was worth the long shot."

The event will be free to the public, but tickets will be required. A large block of tickets will be set aside for students, but information has not been released regarding how and when these tickets will be available.

The Arts of Citizenship Program, which is a partnership between the University and the City of Ann Arbor, has brought a series of nationally renowned artists and cultural advocates to campus to speak about the role of arts and humanities in public life. The program also has initiated the "Students on Site" project, which pairs University faculty with teachers from Mack Elementary School and Community High School.

YoHA director Julie Ellison said Clinton's visit is timely in that it not only signifies the end of YoHA, but also the beginning of the formal implementation of the "Students on Site" program.

"It symbolizes the end of the year of humanities and arts, but the beginning of the years of humanities and arts," Ellison said. "It's great that she's coming when we're really beginning to launch some of these community projects."

The University sent a letter to the White House this past July asking the first lady to visit campus.

"It was a long process and we followed up with some phone calls, and basically said, come any time in the winter term," Ellison said. "And then it became clear to be more concrete, in terms of dates, and that certainly helped more with the planning. We were always optimistic, though."

Scobey said Clinton's involvement with the White House Millennium Program, a project that celebrates the country's past achievements and promotes future accomplishments, led him to believe she would be interested in speaking for YoHA.

"The first lady was right at the top of our list because she has spoken a lot about the need for public support for arts and humanities," Scobey said.

While the specific content of Clinton's speech is not yet known, Scobey said he hopes she will address the importance of arts and humanities.

"I hope she will stress not only the need for public support for arts and humanities, but also the need for partnerships between universities and cultural organizations," Scobey said.

Ellison said Clinton is likely to address the themes of the White House Millennium Program.

"Looking towards collaborative initiative and community-based initiative - I'm sure the first lady will address those themes," Ellison said. The president and first lady have been very clear that we need public support for cultural institutions."

Jean Magnano Bollinger, honorary co-chair of the Arts of Citizenship Program, said YoHA has done a "remarkable job pulling the University together in very important ways." She said Clinton's visit will stress this even more.

"I think she'll bring a tremendous amount of notice to what's going on with YoHA," Bollinger said. "The experience and the sense of community she has will really come through, I'm sure. She is a strong speaker for these kinds of issues."

Ellison said she is eager to meet the first lady and is anticipating a successful event.

"We are all just elated, and we just think that this is going to bring people together," Ellison. "This event will generate new partnerships as well."

04-08-98