With Eagleton Institute's Spring Lineup of Speakers, ‘It’s All Politics’

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers’ Eagleton Institute of Politics kicks off the spring segment of the “It’s All Politics” lecture series Thursday, April 1 with former presidential press secretaries Mike McCurry and Dana Perino sharing tips on “The Art of Taking Heat, Dodging Bullets and Telling the Truth … as the President Sees It.”

McCurry, who served Bill Clinton, and Perino, George W. Bush’s daily liaison to the White House press corps, will field questions from moderator David Greenberg, professor in the departments of History, and Journalism and Media Studies at 7:15 p.m. in Room 101 of Hickman Hall, 89 George Street on the Douglass Campus.

Chuck Hagel, former longtime Republican U.S. Senator from Nebraska, will visit Rutgers

Thursday, April 8 as the Clifford P. Case Professor of Public Affairs to discuss his new book, America: Our Next Chapter – Tough Questions, Straight Answers. The lecture and book signing begin 7:30 p.m. in the Douglass Campus Center, 100 George Street.

An expert on defense, international policy, banking and business, Hagel represented Nebraska from 1997 to 2009. He is a Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The Clifford P. Case Professorship of Public Affairs honors the memory of Sen. Clifford P. Case, who represented New Jersey for 34 years. During his tenure, Case was known to consistently put principle and integrity above politics. The Case Professorship is presented by the Eagleton Institute under the auspices of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Gail Collins, New York Times op-ed columnist and author, will speak about her book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, Monday, April 12. The program, which includes a book signing, starts 7:30 p.m. in the Douglass Campus Center.

Collins joined The Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board. In 2001, she began a six-year stint as the newspaper’s first female editorial page editor.

Calvin Trillin – journalist, novelist, satirist and poet – will deliver his unique take on the political scene Tuesday, April 27 when he delivers “The Rhyme and Meter of Politics.” The presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton Street, on the College Avenue Campus. A reception begins at 6 p.m.

A prolific writer for magazines including Time, The New Yorker and The Nation, where Trillin is a verse columnist, his books have included three comic novels, and a collection of short stories, a travel book and an account of the desegregation of the University of Georgia.

In 2004, Trillin wrote, Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme. A sequel, A Heckuva Job, was published in 2006. Both were New York Times best-sellers. He also is the author of Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Election in Rhyme.

General admission to all the programs is free, although there is a $20 advance preferred seating fee for Gail Collins’ appearance. RSVP to all lectures by calling 732-932-9384, ext. 331, or visiting Eagleton's website.

Major support for Eagleton Institute’s “It’s All Politics” lecture series has been provided through the generosity of the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.