Karl Rove, a former White House Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff, will appear before the UCSB student body next month for a pointed political discussion, courtesy of the UCSB College Republicans.

Rove, the right-wing political consultant and analyst made infamous for his work shepherding George W. Bush through his gubernatorial and presidential elections, will address the typically left-leaning UCSB student body on Feb. 25 with his insights on conservative issues and politics of today. Rove’s visit is scheduled to be just prior to the release of his latest book, Courage and Consequence, a collection of memoirs from his deep involvement within the Bush administration.

While the logistics remain tentative, UCSB College Republicans event coordinator Ryan McNicholas said, the event — which will most likely be free for students — is set to take place in Campbell Hall to accommodate large student interest in the political figure.

“On a college campus, controversy sells a lot better than complacency,” McNicholas said. “Other prominent conservatives like Mark Levin just don’t have the pizzazz to attract the student body.”

Approximately half of the $25,000 price tag for the event was funded through allocations from both Associated Students Finance Board and Legislative Council. The remaining $12,067 required to put on the lecture was attained through private donations and the UCSB College Republicans’ fundraising efforts.

A.S. Internal Vice President Chris Wendle echoed McNicholas’ sentiment that students will be attracted to the event due to its controversial nature, and added that Rove’s right-wing politics will be a refreshing topic of discussion in a relatively left-wing campus.

“[McNicholas] approached us and, after much deliberation, we decided to provide the funding they needed for Rove,” Wendle said. “The council decided that the event would be controversial and offer a viewpoint that was not agreed upon by most students on campus.”

Similarly, McNicholas said he hopes Rove will propagate ideas not traditionally accepted by the overwhelmingly liberal student body.

“Typically, students do not engage in conservative discussions with professors,” McNicholas said. “We wanted to provide a speaker able to discuss the conservative side of pertinent issues.”