The White House has selected its official representative for the Dole Institute of Politics dedication ceremony Tuesday.

Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser, plans to attend the dedication, which is at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“The White House feels it’s important for someone to be here because of their high regard for Senator Dole, and they want to join in the salute to World War II vets,” said Richard Norton Smith, the institute’s director.

Smith said Rice planned to attend only the formal dedication ceremony. Dedication events begin Saturday.

Rice’s Lawrence appearance comes as she’s spending more time than usual in the national spotlight. In the past week, she’s defended President Bush’s State of the Union claim that Iraq tried to purchase uranium in Africa. She has said the statement was “indeed accurate” because Bush cited British intelligence sources, though the British evidence “did not meet the standards we use for the president.”

She also has been involved in discussions on U.S. involvement in Liberia, and she has been a center of attention during the fight against terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Rice is the latest in well-known political figures who plan to attend the events. Others include former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former senators Jack Kemp and George McGovern.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and his wife, current Sen. Elizabeth Dole, will attend. Tom Brokaw, who has written three books on the World War II era, also will be in Lawrence.

The remainder of the anticipated VIP list looks like a “who’s who” in Kansas Republican politics and Kansas University Endowment Association donors. The list includes most of the state Congressional delegation; former KU chancellors Gene Budig and Archie Dykes; alumni and benefactors Robert Eaton, John Hadl and Jim Hershberger; politicos Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall-Steckline and former House Speaker Kent Glasscock; and former basketball standout Danny Manning.