It's one of those things that makes you proud to study at Ball State, one of those occasions when we're not so jealous of our friends at Indiana University and Purdue University.
They might enjoy the life of a larger city and better guest entertainers. But we'll settle for Muncie, and we'll cherish the opportunities we have — like tomorrow's conversation between alumnus David Letterman and MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow.
We'd dare anyone to top that.
Letterman has showed us plenty of love over the years: setting up a scholarship program, dedicating a building, setting up a lecture series in his name and giving us multiple shout-outs on his late night talk show — the latest being #BSUpop.
It was one thing to donate money toward a campus building. But Letterman took his support for Ball State a little further — and if he's just faking it, well, he's a good actor.
It was a big deal when he brought the co-founder of Twitter to campus last fall. President Jo Ann Gora made us all crack a smile during her introduction, when she encouraged students to use their cellphones during the conversation, instead of put them away.
We tweeted up a storm, and we'll do it again tomorrow night. It's a common resource for those of us who want to share their experiences in real time.
But tomorrow night is not about social media. We're not even sure exactly what they'll talk about; we just know it's worth listening.
They could talk about the significance of media in politics, specifically in the next year as we move toward the presidential election.
In 2008, if the writers' strike hadn't affected Letterman's show, he could've made jokes about then presidential hopefuls Sen. John McCain and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Those jokes could have made a difference.
This year, we have a chance to see that difference. It shows that it's not just Maddow and Glen Beck who are making the political statements. It's everyone from Conan O'Brien to Jimmy Fallon.
We can't wait to see what these influential, but equally different, figures will bring to the conversation.
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