First Lady to speak at Hill Auditorium April 28

EDITORS: Details for media credentials, parking and other arrangements will follow.

ANN ARBOR—First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will visit the University of Michigan campus April 28. The First Lady’s speech at 2 p.m. at Hill Auditorium celebrates the U-M’s 1997-98 Year of Humanities and Arts (YoHA) and especially the Arts of Citizenship Program. Clinton’s appearance is sponsored by the University and YoHA, a set of programs that celebrate the arts and humanities by encouraging experimentation and exploration. YoHA has been organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research under the direction of Julie Ellison, associate vice president for research and professor of English. The Year of Humanities and Arts opened last fall with a celebratory symposium following the inauguration of U-M President Lee C. Bollinger. The First Lady’s speech marks the culmination of a successful year of programs and events, and recognizes the energy and university-public-private collaborations that have been given a jump-start by YoHA.

One of the key YoHA initiatives is the Arts of Citizenship, directed by U-M Prof. David Scobey. The Arts of Citizenship is a group of linked programs that explore the role of the humanities and arts in sustaining a vibrant public culture, and the responsibility of a democratic culture to sustain the arts and humanities through community projects and intellectual conversations. The Arts of Citizenship “Talking Bridges” series has included the free community premiere of the PBS documentary, “Porgy and Bess: An American Voice,” and lectures by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass and Dwight Pitcaithley, chief historian for the National Park Service.

The “Students on Site” program involves U-M faculty with teachers from Mack Elementary School and Community High School to capitalize on a rich historic and cultural area of Ann Arbor in the development of innovative projects that address student writing skills. The project is supported in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council.

The White House Millennium Program is a multi-year initiative that will celebrate the accomplishments of this American century, recognize and initiate projects, and engage every sector of society in conveying our rich heritage to future generations. Led by the First Lady and directed by Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, the Millennium Program will plan ways for the White House by “honoring the past and imagining the future.” The program includes the “Millennium Evenings,” a lecture series at the White House. The first lectures were given by historian Bernard Bailyn of Harvard University and physicist Stephen Hawking of Cambridge University.

Other federal agencies, from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to NASA, the National Archives, and the Peace Corps, will participate in the Millennium Program with initiatives of their own. For example, the NEA is providing nearly $5.9 million in funds for “Millennium” projects throughout the country. The projects will include a photographic survey of the United States at the turn of the century and a program by the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C., to commission new jazz and dance works.

Clinton’s appearance at Hill Auditorium is free, but tickets will be required. Information about ticket distribution and availability will be released at a later date. For further information, call (734) 764-1185, send e-mail to HRClinton-speech@umich.edu, or check the YoHA Web site at http://www.yoha.umich.edu.

click hereOffice of the Vice President for ResearchDavid ScobeyWhite House Millennium ProgramNational Endowment for the ArtsHRClinton-speech@umich.eduU-M News and Information Services