Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter will speak at Georgia Southern University’s Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. The remarks will be a part of GSU’s Leadership Lecture Series, designed to provide its students with an opportunity to hear from influential leaders throughout the world. This will be the first time that the former president and first lady have spoken at GSU.
    Carter served as president from 1977 to 1981, but he may be most notable for his admirable humanitarian efforts following his presidency. In 1982, he founded The Carter Center, a nonpartisan and nonprofit center that addresses national and international issues of public policy. On Dec. 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Carter “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
    Rosalynn Carter has worked for more than three decades to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Today, she is an advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood immunization, human rights and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center.
    Mrs. Carter has received numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. She has written five books and continues to travel and speak throughout the world. A mother of four, she has maintained a lifelong dedication to issues affecting women and children.
    The Carters volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and other countries renovate and build homes for themselves. Together, the Carters co-wrote the book “Everything to Gain,” which describes their work for Habitat. Carter also teaches Sunday school, and both serve as deacons at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains.
    Carter will be the second president to speak at GSU, and the visit will mark the first time a president and first lady have visited together. Former President George W. Bush spoke on campus in 2006.

GSU's Performing Arts Center to host a romantic adventure, Broadway play this month

    Georgia Southern University will be hosting two major shows this month at its Performing Arts Center.
    On Saturday, Feb. 9, one of the most famous romantic adventures in the world, "Cyrano de Bergerac," will take the stage. This superb play immediately thrust the dramatist Edmond Rostand to prominence and led "Cyrano" to become one of the most famous French plays of the late 19th century. The story, based on a true historical figure, is a beautifully funny, poignant and often heart-wrenching play. Performed by the Aquila Theatre, with their trademark attention to movement and the visual arts, "Cyrano" promises to be a wonderful evening of live theater.
    On Monday, Feb. 18, GSU will host the popular Broadway musical "Hooray for Hollywood." Take a nostalgic journey through the most popular musicals of the last 50 years with this production, which features a cast of 14 singers and dancers, a six-piece band and more than 300 costume changes. Enjoy film clips of your favorite movies, from "Singing in the Rain" and "The Glen Miller Story" to "Grease," "Dirty Dancing" and "Titanic."
    Tickets for "Cyrano de Bergerac" are $20 for general admission and $10 for students with an Eagle ID. "Hooray for Hollywood" tickets are $26. To purchase tickets for one or both shows and to find more information, click here or contact the box office during the week at 912.478.7999.