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Obama inauguration shown live in Miller Auditorium

Jan. 6, 2009

KALAMAZOO--Miller Auditorium at Western Michigan University will be open Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for viewing live PBS coverage of the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th president of the United States. The event is open to the public free of charge, and no tickets or reservations are needed.

Preliminary activities for the inauguration begin at 10 a.m., and the inaugural ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. The new president will take the oath of office at noon, after which, he will deliver his inaugural address.

The purpose in opening the 3,500-seat Miller Auditorium is to provide a single venue for members of the campus community to share this historic event. Faculty members are encouraged to bring classes or groups to the broadcast and to integrate the event into courses. Sample questions for discussion and reflection will be available.

Advisors from WMU's Career and Student Employment Services will be at Miller Auditorium with information about careers and internships in government through the Student Educational Employment Program and Student Career Experience Program, as well as AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and other vehicles for employment and civic engagement.

Career and Student Employment Services, which is sponsoring the Miller Auditorium program, received a grant from the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, D.C., to promote federal employment as a career option for WMU students. Throughout spring semester, career services staff will be available to help students navigate the USAjobs.gov Web services and prepare federal applications.

Members of WMU's Young Black Male Support Network, a student organization, and other volunteers will serve as ushers for the event.

The inauguration coincides with the community's multi-week MLK Celebration. A full list of MLK events can be found at wmich.edu/mlk.

For more information contact Lynn Kelly-Albertson, Career and Student Employment Services, at lynn.kelly-albertson@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2745.

Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu

WMU News
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