A controversy no more.
Southern Methodist University to House Bush Presidential LibraryBy Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 22, 2008; 3:49 PM
Representatives of President Bush announced this afternoon that Southern Methodist University in Dallas will be the home of the library housing his presidential papers and a public policy institute.
The announcement follows months of negotiations with SMU and signals the beginning of efforts to raise the tens of millions of dollars necessary to bring the project to fruition.
"Today's announcement marks the beginning of an exciting project," said a statement from Mark Langdale, the president of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation.
Langdale said the foundation would be building "a facility that will serve scholars studying the Bush presidency, provide the public a place to learn more about our 43rd President and the times in which he served, and offer a forum for world leaders, historians, and experts to discuss, debate, and advance public policy ideas."
SMU, the alma mater of first lady Laura Bush, was chosen over several other institutions to house the library, including Baylor University, the West Texas Coalition, the City of Arlington, Texas A&M, the University of Texas, and the University of Dallas.
Bush has been close to settling on SMU for roughly a year, but it has taken time to work out the details. There's also been controversy over the presidential project in Dallas, with some Methodist leaders opposing the project and some faculty members complaining about the university identifying itself too closely with the Bush presidency.
In a letter today to the SMU president released by his foundation, President Bush expressed satisfaction about the project, saying he looks "forward to the day when both the general public and scholars come and explore the important and challenging issues our Nation has faced during my presidency -- from economic and homeland security to fighting terrorism and promoting freedom and democracy."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022201816.html
