I hope no one attends much less opts for a photo op.
So much for PSU, being a "working kids" school, but that was long ago and far away days ago when some of us went there.

The real question may be not how much is she being paid but who is paying her. Speaking fees for such high-profile politicos are often paid for by "school donors". Donors do not have to reveal how much they give to a school so the fee can remain a mystery to the general public.

Does Ms. Rice have any big fans at PSU? Or in greater Portlandia, for that matter?

At least we know they're not naming a building after her.

PSU may pay Ms Rice to speak but Stanford took her back after her Bushleague years. Perhaps her Hoov' sinecure has encouraged her to disagree publicly with Cheney; more likely, she feels it necessary to cover her own derrière. She has never been one to refuse a check.

When you said "free floor show", I thought of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMNRIbwQlB8

worth every penny!

If they ever do name a building after her, it should be a museum of photographs of the history of decisions made while she was National Security Advisor and Secretary of State...
photographs of Gitmo, waterboarding, Iraq war and what happened to their country and the people...and then also photographs of several aspects of American life during that period, the military families and sadness of loss, war protests that were essentially ignored by the press and images illustrating lifestyle of many Americans oblivious to our country being at war, and then how those wars continued showing a photograph of President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace prize and the irony of more death/wars under his administration. As they exit the museum, they should be handed the stats of the cost of all of this, money and debt of our country and the loss of lives.

"...her post-political life won't be entirely Stanford-centric. Her plans include writing books, making lecture appearances and pursuing philanthropic and business activities. She recently signed a deal with the William Morris Agency for representation.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/january28/condiweb-012809.html

On the education of the young:

"It's just not the case that there are any perfect policies. You're always trying to balance complicated factors; you're trying to balance competing interests. You're doing it under time pressure. Very often you're doing it with very imperfect information. I found before that the best way to communicate that was to have students participate in simulated decision-making. I expect that any course I teach I would do that.

How hypothetical are those decision simulations?

I did one in 1997 or '98 on Kosovo and Kosovo independence, then I got to participate in bringing Kosovo to independence as secretary of state. So they're not really theoretical at all. I really try to draw from cases that are likely to occur or sometimes go back and actually use a historical case. But I prefer to challenge students with cases that might come on to the horizon."

Wow. Tensky.... Condi as a dominatrix. Wonder who she got to waterboard.

That photo of her is frightening.
What makes a person turn out this way?

http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ow-Sh/Rice-Condoleezza.html

...Rice's mother, Angelena, was a teacher and church organist. Angelena loved opera, and so named her only child after an Italian-language term, con dolcezza. It is used in musical notation and means "to play with sweetness."...

Re: "What makes a person turn out this way?"

clinamen,

"In a letter to faculty, PSU President Wim Wiewel defended the choice of Rice 'largely because of her personal story' and rise from humble beginnings."
http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-18013-murmurs_condoleezzas_speaking_fee_and_illegal_wastewater_dumping.html

Apparently, Mr Wiewel likes her just the way she is. Perhaps she fulfills his image of the so-called American dream? But surely there are people at PSU whose stories are much more compelling and inspiring than that of inveterate shopper and probable war criminal Rice?

While awaiting a response from the PSU academic community, attention turns to NYC, where the late Kurt Cobain has been invoked: "The duty of youth is to challenge corruption"
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/gallery/protest_on_ny_brooklyn_bridge?pg=13