CU Distinguised Speaker Series Hosts Debate Between Carl Rove & Howard Dean

[Theresa Collins]

Former Bush administration mastermind Karl Rove (right) and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will face each other in Boulder next month, debating a range of topics, such as education and health-care reform.

The event will be held February 15 on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, and Chancellor Philip DiStefano will attempt to moderate the discussion, notes The Huffington Post.

The pairing is being hailed as one that brings some right-leaning balance to CU’s Distinguished Speakers series (past speakers include Madeleine Albright, Thomas Friedman, and Desmond Tutu).

In recent years, CU’s Board of Regents has fretted over whether there is ideological balance among the speakers, who are paid using student fees. Regent Tom Lucero, a Republican, tells the Daily Camera, “I appreciate that they are being responsive to the desires of the board and the administration and trying to achieve some diversity of thought on campus with the speakers they invite.”

Taylor Coughlin, secretary of the Distinguished Speakers Board, says in a CU press release, “Karl Rove and Howard Dean will offer unique perspectives, and we hope the student body and community will be able to absorb a better understanding of each political figure. We hope that guests will walk away from this lively debate with a broader perspective and a newfound appreciation of a different perspective.”

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