Bill Clinton To Speak, Receive Award At Michigan State
EAST LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Former President Bill Clinton is visiting Michigan State University to deliver a speech at an event on public service.
Clinton is the first recipient of the Spartan Statesmanship Award for Distinguished Public Service. He's set to speak Wednesday night at the Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center on the school's East Lansing campus.
The former Michigan governor and his wife, Janet, donated $1 million to Michigan State to create the award and forum. Blanchard said the program honors distinguished leaders in politics, diplomacy, public service and journalism, and gives MSU students and others "a chance to meet them and be energized by them."
"The goal of this lecture series is to provide generations of students, faculty and people in the MSU community with the opportunity to hear and learn from national and international political leaders and others," Blanchard, said in a statement.
Blanchard earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the university. He was U.S. ambassador to Canada during the Clinton administration after serving two terms as governor.
"Under President Clinton's leadership, the country enjoyed the strongest economy in a generation and the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs," Blanchard said. "His public service in politics, followed by his excellent work through the Clinton Foundation, is exactly the type of dedication and inspiring story we hoped to bring through the Blanchard Forum."
On Tuesday, the school announced it's joining the Clinton Global Initiative University and offering a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.
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