Clinton to Speak at Glendale Community College Next Week

President Clinton will speak at Glendale Community College next Tuesday on a national tour combining campaign politics and college appearances.

The president will address students, faculty and staff members during a stop that will be closed to the public, Merry Shelburne, a spokeswoman for the college, said Thursday.

Clinton’s trip to California has been planned for some time, but Glendale was added to the itinerary at the last moment.

Shelburne said college officials were unsure why their school was chosen or what Clinton would discuss, but they expected to learn more about the visit today.

Whatever the circumstances, the college was delighted, she said. “He chose us out of all the community colleges in Southern California.”

The Glendale stop ends a string of appearances by Clinton at four colleges nationwide, the White House said. He gave commencement speeches at Penn State, Princeton and the Coast Guard Academy.

The president wanted a community college in the lineup to demonstrate his commitment to lower-cost education, White House sources said, although the visit does not coincide with the school’s commencement. The theme of his speech is expected to be “social issues and family values,” the sources said.

Clinton’s West Coast swing will also take him to Las Vegas, San Francisco and San Diego.

The trip, which reflects Clinton’s continued courtship of California’s 54 electoral votes in an election year, will include a number of fund-raising events for other Democratic candidates, and an appearance at a Los Angeles “saxophone club” event for under-25 Democrats.