The unprecedented national and various states’ economic crises have morphed concern about the future of public higher education into worry.

As questions of quality, access and affordability grow, the implications for families, communities, the economy and our democracy become clearer and more threatening. Is the model of the great public university in America sustainable?

 On Thursday, May 6th, University of Illinois President Stanley O. Ikenberry (left) will address this question and the search for solutions when he delivers the Seventh Annual Craig S. Bazzani Lecture in Public Affairs, sponsored by the University’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. The program will be held at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Boulevard, and will begin at 4 p.m.

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Immediately following Ikenberry’s presentation, Mary Sue Coleman, the president of the University of Michigan, will react and present her own perspective about the future of public universities.

"Stan Ikenberry is one of the nation's most respected leaders in higher education," said Robert F. Rich, director of IGPA. "We're now at a point in higher education financing and policy where it is really important to develop a new compact between higher education and society. President Ikenberry will describe his vision for where public higher education is headed, and we have the great fortune to also have Mary Sue Coleman react and provide her vision for the future."

Ikenberry was selected by the U of I Board of Trustees last fall to serve as interim president, returning to a post he held for 16 years, from 1979-1995. After leaving the presidency, Ikenberry served for five years as president of the American Council on Education. He returned to the U of I in 2001 to teach higher education policy and leadership. He holds appointments in the College of Education and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

President Coleman (right) has led the University of Michigan since August 2002. She is highly regarded as a national spokesperson on the value of diverse perspectives in the classroom. She has served on the Association of American Universities Executive Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Directors. She came to Michigan after seven years as president of the University of Iowa.

The Craig S. Bazzani Lecture Series honors a long-time University of Illinois vice president and controller. The series began in 2003 and brings to the University of Illinois leading researchers and commentators on the most important political and policy issues facing Illinois and the nation.