Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Mitt Romney will speak at Tufts tomorrow afternoon as part of President Emeritus John DiBiaggio's course on Leadership for Active Citizenship. The former president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) will discuss his experiences planning the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and the need for active engagement in leadership in a lecture open to all students and faculty.
DiBiaggio said Romney was not necessarily coming as a candidate. "He's coming as a leader and a person who did an excellent job as the security coordinator for the Olympics," he said.
Romney, 55, entered the race for Governor on March 19 just hours after Republican candidate and Acting Governor Jane Swift announced she was terminating her candidacy. His role on the SLOC included solving a $379 million operating deficit and overseeing one of the largest security operations to date.
DiBiaggio said he was thrilled to find that Romney's schedule enabled him to visit campus. A connection between the Republican candidate and Tufts was discovered in the process. "When it became clear that he was going to be a candidate, we corresponded with his office and it turned out that there was a Tufts graduate working there," DiBiaggio said. "When I explained the class that I was teaching, he wanted to get involved."
Leadership for Active Citizenship, a course offered through the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS), examines a variety of leadership styles and relates them to community issues. The class has welcomed several speakers this year, including Democratic gubernatorial candidates Steve Grossman, Robert Reich, and Warren Tolman.
"We have a class where people are engaged in volunteer leadership, political leadership, and corporate leadership," DiBiaggio said. "Mr. Romney has participated in all these fields, plus we wanted to represent all political sides."
Following the event, students enrolled in the course will meet privately with Romney.
Before presiding over the SLOC, Romney founded Bain Capital, a Boston-based multibillion-dollar holding company. In 1994, he unsuccessfully challenged Democrat Edward Kennedy for his seat in the US Senate.
Romney graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971 with highest honors. In 1975, he received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives with his wife Ann and has five grown sons.
Romney will speak at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in the ASEAN Auditorium at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
