Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will visit the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus March 8 for a special event alongside CNN anchor Chris Wallace.
The hourlong talk between Whitmer and Wallace will begin at 6 p.m. at Rackham Auditorium, and will focus on politics, public service and the media, with opening remarks by President Santa J. Ono.
This public event is part of the series “Democracy in crisis: Views from the press,” an ongoing partnership of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Wallace House Center for Journalists, and U-M Democracy & Debate. The series features newsmakers and award-winning journalists to share their insights into the forces threatening and protecting American democratic structures and systems.
The event will offer limited in-person attendance, and will be available to U-M students, faculty and staff through a ticketing system. The public may view it via livestream from the Ford School or Wallace House websites.
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Whitmer was a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School in 2015. Reflecting on that time, she told U-M’s 2019 commencement audience, “I experienced my own version of the Michigan Difference.”
During her visit, Whitmer will meet with a small group of students to talk about policy challenges and opportunities facing the state of Michigan and beyond.
“It will be a truly meaningful opportunity for our students to hear from the governor about her path to leadership and her thoughts about the power of public service as they go on to build their own careers of impact,” said Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Ford School interim dean and co-lead of U-M Democracy & Debate.
While on campus, Whitmer will film an interview with Wallace that will air in March on his CNN and HBO Max show, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” The weekly program features Wallace in conversation with newsmakers across politics, business, world affairs and culture.
