George W. Bush to speak at Judson University
To inaugurate their first World Leaders Forum, officials at Judson University wanted to snag a keynote speaker who had a background in entrepreneurship yet enough name recognition to attract a broad audience.
They settled on a former oilman and baseball executive who later spent 14 years in state and federal government.
His name? George W. Bush.
That's right: the 43rd president of the United States will be the keynote speaker at Judson's first World Leaders Forum on April 13 at the Robert D. Lindner Fitness Center.
Judson is an Evangelical Christian university in Elgin that has about 1,250 students. U.S. News and World Report recently named Judson among the 20 Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest.
The team of university officials, alumni and students planning the forum first reached out to the former president in the spring. It took about six months to iron out the details of Bush's visit, according to Tory Gum, vice president of external relations at Judson.
“We understand the importance of having someone of his stature, Gum said. “We really believe it's a worthy investment for our students. Yes, we have to pay for the speaker, but our goal is to generate revenue for the endowment.
Gum declined to say how much the university is paying Bush to appear but said Bush's fee will go toward construction of his presidential library in Dallas and that ticket sales will more than offset the speaker fee.
Bush is scheduled to speak for 30 minutes on free enterprise and entrepreneurship before fielding questions for another 30 minutes.
If you want to see the former president, you'll have to pay. Tickets start at $225 for Judson students and run to $2,500 for a VIP ticket, which includes hors d'oeuvres, parking and a photo opportunity with Bush.
The World Leaders Forum is a fundraiser for an Entrepreneurial Studies Program Judson hopes to launch in the fall of 2011, Gum said. The program will be offered as a minor to undergraduates. Besides relying on the existing business faculty, the program would also include a visiting professor from the business world, Gum said.
“We see this as an opportunity for a business program that's already reputable, to add to the strength of that program, Gum said.
University officials hope to raise $2 million to fund an endowment that will support the first phase of the program. They are also seeking corporate sponsors.
The World Leaders Forum will also include a panel on entrepreneurship and other speakers, but the university has not confirmed the rest of the speaker list yet. Judson hopes to make the forum an annual affair.