Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean is speaking at 7 p.m. today in Emens Auditorium about the importance of student participation in politics and government. The event is free and open to the public.
Dean came to campus Tuesday night to talk with Honors College students and spend the night in DeHority Complex. Dean will have lunch with Student Affairs directors and give a smaller presentation to political science majors, among meeting with other groups.
"There's been a good buzz about it on campus," Mitch Isaacs, director of student life, said. "He's meeting with quite a few different student groups. I love that our students get that kind of access."
Ball State University signed a contract with Dean for $18,000, which is $10,000 less than his normal speaking fee.
The event also marks the one-year anniversity of the election of Barack Obama and the first time Indiana voted Democrat in 40 years. But, Dean said that played no part in why he is speaking at Ball State today.
"I enjoy Indiana a lot," Dean said during an interview with Ball State student media. "I spent a lot of time in Indiana during the campaign because we did believe we could win in Indiana, so it'll be a delight to be back, but that didn't have an effect on my choosing Ball State."
THE SPEECH
Isaacs said the majority of Dean's time at Emens will be a question and answer session with students. Dean likes interacting with students, so he could speak as little as a half hour, leaving one hour for questions, Isaacs said.
Since the event is in Emens, he said the event could draw upwards of about 1,500 people, but he didn't want to predict how full the auditorium will be.
"Predicting attendance for things like this is like predicting the weather," he said. "You just never know."
WHO's HOWARD DEAN?
Howard Dean was a the one-time Vermont governor, former Democratic national committee chairman and a candidate for president in 2004.
Many consider Obama's victory a result of Dean's 50-state strategy that put resources in historically Republican states in an attempt to turn them Democrat on Election Day.
Despite not holding any official national position, Dean remains a newsmaker, a powerful voice in national politics and in the healthcare reform debate.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
