Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card to speak at UF

October 30, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Andrew H. Card, former White House chief of staff, is scheduled to speak at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1, in the O’Connell Center. Card’s appearance, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by ACCENT Speakers Bureau.

As the second-longest serving White House chief of staff, Card has worked in the administrations of two former presidents. He was appointed chief of staff for President George W. Bush in November 2000. During his time with the Bush administration, Card became well-known for whispering in the President’s ear of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, at Emma E. Booker Elementary School.

Card’s record also includes serving as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President George H. Bush in 1992. Later that year, Card was requested by President Bush to coordinate the administration’s disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Andrew, and he also directed the transition from the Bush administration to the Clinton administration. In 1988, Card served as assistant to the President and deputy chief of staff for President Bush’s administration.

Most recently, Card has been mentioned in the book “State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III” in which author Bob Woodard comments on the reasoning behind Card’s April 2006 resignation.

ACCENT Speaker’s Bureau, the largest student-run speakers bureau in the nation, has been sponsoring prominent speakers at the University of Florida since the 1960s. ACCENT strives to bring controversial and influential speakers to the university, with the intent of further educating the student body, outside of the classroom, on current topics and controversies. Past speakers include presidents and prime ministers, and entertainment, media, business and sports legends.

For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, contact (352) 392-1663, ext. 302 or (352)392-2567 (TDD). E-mail accommodate@sg.ufl.edu or contact the Florida Relay System at 1-800-955-8771 at least 72 hours before the event. Real Time Transcription will be provided. For more information, call ACCENT at (352) 392-1665, ext. 306 or the information line at ext. 411. Visit the Web at http://www.sg.ufl.edu/accent/ or e-mail ACCENT at accent@sg.ufl.edu.