Dear students:

It is our pleasure to share the news that former President Barack Obama will accept the 2018 Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government from the U of I System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) on Friday, September 7.

The Douglas Award, which will be presented during an appearance on the Urbana-Champaign university campus, is given annually to public officials who have dedicated their careers to the highest ideals of ethics, fair play and service to country.

President Obama also will speak at 11 a.m. at the historic Foellinger Auditorium on the Main Quad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The event will be student-focused and the audience will include students from across the U of I System.

Students attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may request a ticket by completing the form at go.illinois.edu/Obama between noon on Thursday, August 30, and 5 p.m. on Friday, August 31. Students will be emailed on Tuesday, September 4, if they have been randomly selected to receive a ticket to attend.

The speech also will be available to all via livestream at go.illinois.edu/live.

It is an honor to host the former president, and we are grateful for his commitment to our nation and its youth – a goal that has been deeply ingrained in the U of I System’s core mission since our land-grant founding.

Sincerely,

Tim Killeen, President, University of Illinois System

Barbara J. Wilson, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of Illinois System

Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Jon S. Davis, Interim Director, Institute of Government and Public Affairs