Albright named spring speaker

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright will speak at Penn's Irvine Auditorium this April, representatives from the Social Planning and Events Committee Connaissance announced yesterday. Albright, who made history as the first female appointed U.S. secretary of state, will discuss her own past and the nation's future on April 3 at 8 p.m. "I think that, coming right off the Clinton administration, there's going to be a lot of interest in what [Albright] has to say," Connaissance co-Director Andrea Zawerczuk said. Connaissance brings two high-profile speakers to Penn each year. Past speakers have included former White House aide George Stephanopoulos, talk show host Conan O'Brien and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Albright was sworn in as Secretary of State in 1997, as the first woman to hold the position and the highest-ranking female ever to hold U.S. office. Prior to her appointment, Albright was the U.S. representative to the United Nations and served on the National Security Council. According to students, Albright will fill the seats that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- last semester's Connaissance speaker -- left empty. The former basketball star and social activist drew only 200 students to Irvine Auditorium, which seats 1,100. "[Albright] is probably one of the better speakers to come to Penn this year," College freshman William Podurgiel said. "I think it would be interesting to hear what she has to say." Albright's address will be jointly sponsored by the Provost's Spotlight Series. Connaissance chose Albright from a number of potential candidates, most of whom hold political office. Co-director Nishchay Maskay cited the timing of the changing presidential administrations as part of the reasoning behind choosing Albright. "Albright has done a lot of really interesting work during her term, everything from the Mideast to Kosovo," Maskay said. "The Bush administration is planning on making substantial changes to foreign policy," he added. Due to her stature both in foreign policy and as role model to politically-minded women and immigrants, students from all points on the political spectrum said they intend to hear Albright speak. "I certainly think she's quite an accomplished Secretary of State," Penn College Republicans Chairman Phil Bartlett said. "I wouldn't agree with all of the policies she has implemented, but I am interested in hearing what she has to say about her foreign policy," he added. Like all speakers brought by Connaissance, Albright will hold a question-and-answer session following her 45-minute address. While scheduled to last for 30 minutes, past speakers -- like Ellen DeGeneres -- have drawn the session out to over two hours. Tickets to hear Albright will cost $10 and go on sale in mid-March. PennCard holders may buy up to two tickets through an online lottery system.