Local Universities among Four Finalists to Hosts the Obama Presidential Library
Following a somewhat long, wait for word on which universities would be chosen to move forward with their bid to host the Barack Obama Presidential Library, The Barack Obama Foundation on Monday announced the issuance for a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University, and the University of Hawaii, all of which submitted their qualifications to host the future Obama Presidential Library earlier this year.
“We were amazed by the quality of responses to our Request for Qualifications and we are grateful to every institution that expressed interest in carrying President Obama’s legacy forward,” said Barack Obama Foundation Board Chair Martin Nesbitt. “These four potential partners have come the farthest in meeting our criteria and have each demonstrated a strong vision for the future Obama Presidential Library. We look forward to working with each institution to further refine their proposals over the coming months, and to presenting our recommendations to the President and First Lady early next year.”
About 13 groups and universities submitted proposals this year.
The Foundation’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ), released in March, laid out a vision and set of guiding lines for the future Obama Presidential Library, and solicited plans from interested parties for locating, designing, developing, constructing and operating the facility.
Some of the key criteria highlighted in the RFQ included transportation and accessibility, economic development, the ability to deliver a world-class project, community engagement and overall support from community partners.
“Today’s news affirms our strong belief that the library could be transformative for the heart of the South Side, bringing new economic and cultural opportunities to all of Chicago,” said University of Chicago President, Robert Zimmer. “We will move forward with a bid that honors the rich history and traditions of the South Side and the promising future of our city.”
The RFQ process was designed to narrow the field to a short-list of potential partner institutions, which will now be asked to respond to an RFP with formal proposals and qualifications.
The RFP, available on the Foundation’s website, asks the four potential partners to submit a formal proposal that includes detail on the proposed management and organization of the project, site development plans, and community partnerships, potential for academic collaboration, marketing and attraction strategy, and information about any financial and other commitments from the host or other partners.
The Foundation has asked for RFP responses by December 11, 2014. In early 2015, the Board of Directors expects to share recommendations with the President and First Lady, who will then make the final decision.
For more information about the Foundation and the future Obama Presidential Library, visit http://obamapresidentialfoundation.org or follow @44Foundation on Twitter.
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