Obama to receive award, give speech at University of Illinois
Former President Barack Obama moderates a roundtable discussion at the South Shore Cultural Center about the Obama Presidential Center on May 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
URBANA, Ill. (AP) - Former President Barack Obama will speak at the University of Illinois, where he'll also receive an award for ethics in government.
The university says Obama will speak at 11 a.m. Friday at Foellinger Auditorium in Urbana. Tickets will be distributed to university students and are not available to the public.
The university's Institute of Government and Public Affairs will honor Obama with the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. A national selection committee chooses the recipient of the award.
Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill tells The News-Gazette Obama's speech will "offer new thoughts on this moment and what it requires from the American people." She says he'll also encourage people to vote.
The award honors the legacy of Douglas, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1949 to 1967.
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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com