Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner will kick off a daylong visit to Elmhurst this Saturday, March 7, by speaking at the 45th Annual Elmhurst College President’s Community Breakfast.

Governor Rauner will address the group of invited guests at the breakfast before heading over to the Elmhurst 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where he will serve as this year’s grand marshal.

The President’s Community Breakfast is a yearly celebration of the partnership between Elmhurst College and the larger community. The tradition began with Elmhurst College’s 11th president, Ivan Frick. Guests at the breakfast typically include faculty and staff from the College, as well as government, business, community and civic leaders from Elmhurst and beyond.

At this year’s event, Elmhurst College’s 13th president, Dr. S. Alan Ray, will talk about the College’s accomplishments during a generally difficult time for higher education across the country, and about the relationships between the College and other institutions and organizations that have contributed significantly toward those successes. Dr. Ray will be leaving the College in June, after serving as president for the past seven years.

Besides Governor Rauner, guests at the President’s Community Breakfast will include Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, Illinois State Rep. Patti Bellock and Regional Transit Authority Chairman Kirk Dillard.

Rauner’s last visit to Elmhurst College was in June of 2013, only two days after formally announcing his candidacy for governor of Illinois. He came to campus as the first speaker in “Fixing Illinois,” the College’s lecture series about the challenges facing our state and what citizens can do to help address those challenges and move the state forward.