Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headlines Anderson Lecture

Former U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be this year's speaker for the Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series presented by Miami University's Farmer School of Business. Her lecture will be held at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, March 31, in Millett Hall. Admission is free of charge.

Rice played two very visible roles in the administration of George W. Bush, serving as national security adviser during Bush’s first term, and as secretary of state during his second term. She was closely involved with developing the administration’s counter-terrorism policies and, as secretary of state, championed the expansion of democratic governments.

Rice came to government service from academia. A specialist on the Soviet Union, she was on the political science faculty at Stanford University from 1981 to 1993, when she was named the university’s provost. At the conclusion of the Bush administration, Rice returned to Stanford, where she is now a professor of political science and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Even during her early academic career, Rice’s knowledge of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe made her a valuable consultant to the federal government. She took a two-year leave of absence from Stanford from 1989 to 1991 to serve as the first President Bush’s director, and then senior director, of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council, and as special assistant to the president for national security affairs.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Rice moved to Denver, Colo., where she attended high school. She earned her bachelor’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Denver, and her master of arts at the University of Notre Dame. She is an accomplished pianist and performs occasionally at public events, including diplomatic functions. Her recent autobiography, Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me, describes her Southern upbringing, formative experiences, and career prior to the inauguration of George W. Bush.

Through a generous endowment established by Jack (Miami ’41) and Rose Marie Anderson, the Farmer School brings world leaders and prominent thought leaders to campus each year to share their perspectives on timely topics. Since its founding in 2000, the Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series has presented Gen. Colin Powell, former British Prime Minister John Major, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, author and columnist Thomas J. Friedman, and prize-winning historian David McCullough.

For further information on Rice’s March 31 lecture, contact Mary Cooper at 529-6114 or e-mail coopermt@muohio.edu.