Colleges Begin Courting New Obama Library Foundation

By Lawrence Biemiller. Friday’s announcement that President Obama has created a foundation to pick a site for his presidential library set off a new round of speculation over where the facility might end up, with universities in Chicago, New York, Hawaii, and California expressing interest. The University of Chicago’s president, Robert J. Zimmer, immediately released a statement saying that his institution “is committed to working in partnership with the City of Chicago, our neighbors, civic leaders, and cultural and educational institutions” to locate the library on the city’s South Side. Accompanying the statement is an FAQ laying out a “Rationale for Chicago” and describing what the university’s role would be. More...