Arkansas Business

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will speak at the University of Arkansas on March 5 as part of the school's Distinguished Lecture Series.

Rice will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 at Barnhill Arena. The lecture is free and open to the public. The Razorback men's basketball team will play in nearby Bud Walton Arena the same night, so the doors to Barnhill will open at 5:30 for those who want to arrive early.

Rice was secretary of state under President George W. Bush from 2005-2009. She was the 66th person to serve in that capacity, and just the second woman and first African-American woman to do so.

Rice also served the Bush adminsitration as national security advisor from 2001 to 2005 and was the first woman to hold the position.

"We are very excited to have Dr. Rice speaking on campus," said Tyler Priest, co-chair of the Distinguished Lecture Series committee. "We know there is a great deal of interest among students as well as throughout the community. We want to be sure that everyone who wants to hear her speak is able to, so we are working hard to make it as easy and convenient as possible to attend this important event."

Rice teaches at Stanford University, where she is a professor of political science and also the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy in the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a former provost and chief budget and academic officer at the school.