Former Press Secretary Mike McCurry will speak on campus later this month, College Democrats announced Thursday.

McCurry, the former press secretary for President Clinton, handled issues such as the Monica Lewinsky scandal during his tenure in the White House.

“(McCurry) was the most well-known and well-respected lecturer we could get,” said Ted Haller, vice president of College Democrats. “He is known for speaking quickly on his feet and for taking the edge off of negative stories about Clinton in order to woo the media in his favor.”

Group officials do not know the topic of McCurry’s speech yet, but he is known for entertaining audiences, said Haller, a Medill junior.

“McCurry explains complex political issues with a sense of humor and wit,” he said. “He’s someone you can learn something from because he’s such an articulate and quick-minded person.”

McCurry lectured at NU several years ago when the Medill School of Journalism invited him to speak, so Haller said bringing McCurry to campus again was not difficult.

College Democrats’ biggest speaker of the year usually comes during Fall Quarter, but the group invites a prominent politician Winter Quarter as well. Last Winter Quarter, the group brought Sandy Berger, Clinton’s national security adviser.

Tickets to hear McCurry speak are free and will be available at the Norris University Center Box Office next week.

The political science department and Medill’s Broadcast Journalism Department are co-sponsoring the event, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. in Coon Forum.