Former President William Jefferson Clinton will speak at Tufts in mid-March, sources at Clinton's Harlem, New York office confirmed Thursday evening.
The two-term president will give an address focused on "our shared future and globalization in the 21st century," a Clinton spokeswoman told the Daily. "Mr. Clinton looks forward to coming to Tufts."
Clinton's office could not confirm the exact date of the event, nor whether it would come as part of the annual Issam M. Fares lectures series. Last night, University spokeswoman Siobhan Houton declined to release the identity of the Fares speaker, or where the event would be held.
The Fares lecture, held annually and traditionally during the fall semester, focuses on issues related to the Middle East, and has featured such political heavyweights as now-Secretary of State Colin Powell, former President George H. Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and former Secretary of State James Baker.
The series is sponsored by Issam M. Fares, the deputy prime minister of Lebanon, and once a Tufts trustee. Beyond the gift of the lecture series, Fares, who received an honorary degree at last year's lecture, donated significantly to the Tisch Library and has committed $5.7 million over five years to Tufts Eastern Mediterranean Studies Center.
Clinton opened offices in Harlem last July and now works with non-profit organizations to "promote economic opportunity in our back yard, in our country, and around the world." He also names revitalizing Harlem and seeking global support in the fights against poverty and AIDS among his goals.
Powell's visit to Tufts in November 2000 sparked national controversy after he was named Secretary of State by President George W. Bush. The Jerusalem Post reported that Fares paid Powell $200,000 for the lecture. Critics charged it was improper for Powell to accept money and then return to work in government where Fares' influence could sway national policy. Powell, then a retired general turned circuit speaker, adamantly denied the report. His financial disclosure statement to the Senate during confirmation hearings revealed that Fares paid him $59,500, his normal college rate.
