David Letterman will return to campus next month to host a conversation with MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow.
The conversation between Ball State's most famous alumnus and Maddow will be Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. in the John R. Emens Auditorium as part of the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series.
Lori Byers, associate dean of the College of Communication, Information and Media, said the university has been in the talks with Letterman to bring Maddow in for about two months. She said each year, Letterman suggests names of people he has good relationships with and who he thinks would be a good fit for the series.
Byers said she was blown away by Letterman's conversation with Stone last year, and she is expecting people to be just as impressed by his conversation with Maddow this year.
"They have really good chemistry, if you saw her on his show, it was really entertaining," she said. "So my guess is he picks people he has really good chemistry with and who interest him, and so because of that, we're guaranteed an interesting show."
The conversation with Maddow will mark Letterman's second visit to campus for the series. He hosted a conversation with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone in September 2010.
Tom Taylor, vice president for Enrollment, Marketing and Communications, said Letterman wants to be involved with the series to help make it successful.
"Dave wants this to be a very valuable experience for students, so last year he really came through in his efforts to get Biz Stone here," Taylor said. "I thought it was a remarkable success. We still hear people talk about what a great experience it was to have both Dave and Biz here, and I think Dave had a very positive experience when he came, so he was looking for another opportunity to come this year."
Taylor said after Maddow was a guest on The Late Show, he thought she would be a good fit for the series.
Maddow plans to broadcast "The Rachel Maddow Show" live from Ball State's campus during the conversation, Taylor said.
Taylor said when the university and Letterman were trying to find a date, they were looking at Fridays since "Late Show" doesn't film then, but Maddow would have had to find a guest host for her show. That's when Ball State suggested broadcasting her show from campus since the university has television production capabilities.
"It's going to be interesting to see if we can pull this off," Taylor said. "[Maddow] was apparently very interested in the idea, so at least at the moment, that's the plan."
Maddow's show usually features her views on big news and political stories, but her visit to Ball State will likely emphasize politics and how the media plays a role in the political arena, Taylor said.
Similar to Letterman's conversation with Stone last year, students will be able to submit questions via Twitter, and the university is considering other ways and websites to submit questions.
Tickets are free, but must be secured in advance and will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will be available starting at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Emens Box Office. Tickets are limited to two per person and will continue to be distributed at the box office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, while supplies last.
Taylor said he expects Emens to fill up for Letterman and Maddow's conversation, especially since the university has more time this year to organize the event.
"I think when you can bring those types of people to campus, and let our students engage face to face with them, it's just a great opportunity for our students," he said. "I think it's reassuring for students to be like, ‘Wow, that's a super star in my field, and they're people like us.'"