BLACKSBURG, Va., March 15, 2005 – James Carville and Mary Matalin, perhaps America's best known politically polarized couple, will give Virginia Tech's Cutchins Distinguished Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in Burruss Auditorium.
Their joint presentation, "All's Fair: Love, War, and Politics," will give audiences an entertaining and enlightening look at today's most important political issues and current events in Washington and is expected to feature the quick-witted repartee for which they are both renowned. Their lecture is sponsored by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Rice Center for Leader Development in the Pamplin College of Business and is open to the public at no charge. No tickets are required.
Co-authors of the national best-seller All's Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, Democratic strategist Carville and Republican strategist Matalin have been key players on the national political stage for more than two decades.
Carville, co-host of CNN's Crossfire, "has managed more campaigns than any political consultant in America and around the world," according to his publicity materials. He co-starred in "K Street," an HBO docudrama/political reality show, and "The War Room," the Academy Award-nominated documentary about President Clinton's first presidential campaign. Carville's latest book, Had Enough?, is billed as "a handbook for taking back Congress, the White House, and the country."
Matalin served concurrently as counselor to Vice President Cheney and assistant to President George W. Bush. She was deputy campaign manager of President George H.W. Bush's 1988 re-election bid. A popular TV political commentator, Matalin has co-hosted "Crossfire" and CNBC's "Equal Time" and appeared with her husband on "K Street." She is the author of Letters to My Daughters.
The VTCC Rice Center for Leader Development at Virginia Tech aims to educate students about leadership and prepare them to be leaders of integrity and ability. The center is named in honor of W. Thomas Rice (class of '34, civil engineering), a retired railroad industry executive and former rector of the board of visitors. The Cutchins Distinguished Lecture series is named for the late Clifford A. Cutchins III (class of '44, accounting), a former bank chairman and rector of the board of visitors.
Virginia Tech's nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of leadership skills and ethical values and the integration of technology in the academic curriculum, and prepares students for global business challenges through faculty-led study abroad programs. A member of the college's marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college's other research centers focus on business leadership, electronic commerce, and organizational performance. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students.