Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman, and Karl Rove, former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, will debate current events at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Macky Auditorium.

Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. for the event, which will be moderated by CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. CU-Boulder's student-run Distinguished Speakers Board is sponsoring the event.

Rove and Dean will debate topics including health care and education reform. Questions addressed to both speakers during the debate will be randomly selected from e-mail suggestions sent to the Distinguished Speakers Board at cudsb@colorado.edu.

"As a student group funded through the University of Colorado Student Union, we specifically chose Howard Dean and Karl Rove to address timely issues important to CU students such as health care and education reform," said Juliet Kroll, chair of the Distinguished Speakers Board. "This is our first event with two speakers, and we are excited to provide insight from both sides of the political spectrum to encourage discussion and debate, which is central to a university environment."

Ticket information is available at http://castle.colorado.edu/dsb. If the event sells out, a live, free broadcast will be shown in the UMC's Glenn Miller Ballroom. Tickets for the broadcast also will be required and will be available the night of the event at Macky Auditorium or in front of the Glenn Miller Ballroom.

"Our goal is to bring in speakers who will intellectually stimulate the university community and inspire students outside of the classroom," said Taylor Coughlin, secretary of the Distinguished Speakers Board. "Karl Rove and Howard Dean will offer unique perspectives, and we hope the student body and community will be able to absorb a better understanding of each political figure. We hope that guests will walk away from this lively debate with a broader perspective and a newfound appreciation of a different perspective."

Dean served as governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. While chairman he created and employed the 50-state strategy with the goal of making Democrats competitive in usually conservative states. A physician with a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dean also made an unsuccessful run for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.

A longtime Republican political strategist, Rove is often credited with helping in the successful presidential campaigns of 2004 and 2008. He also is credited with helping guide Bush to a win in the 1994 Texas gubernatorial election. Since leaving the White House in 2007, Rove has worked as a commentator and contributor for several media outlets, including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. His book "Courage and Consequence" is scheduled for publication in March.

For more information, contact the Distinguished Speakers Board at 303-735-6653 or visit http://castle.colorado.edu/dsb.