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Spitz ethics lecture?!

Harvard University is casting aside Eliot Spitzer’s moral lapses and has invited the scandal-scarred former governor to do a star turn as a speaker today — for the school’s highly esteemed ethics center.

“Client No. 9” will be lecturing as part of a series of talks which aim to “promote philosophical reflection on some of the most challenging ethical issues in public life,” according to the Web site for the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics.

Spitzer’s talk will focus on Uncle Sam’s role on Wall Street.

The idea of the steamy steamroller at an ethics forum has some Ivy Leaguers seeing crimson.

“It’s unbelievably hypocritical,” fumed one Harvard Business school alum yesterday at the Harvard Club of New York. “He should find the deepest hole in Manhattan and crawl back into it. Unfortunately, there’s no sense of shame anymore. Shame died with the Clinton era.”

The foundation’s director, Lawrence Lessig, said he asked Spitzer to be part of the series of lectures addressing “institutional corruption” because of his unique perspective.

“We chose him because his experiences and perspective would be valuable to the study we’re conducting,” said Lessig.

Spitzer’s well-publicized fall from grace — in which he was forced to resign from office after admitting he frequented hookers — wasn’t a factor in determining whether he should speak, said Lessig.

“We don’t have a moral test for listening to people’s perspectives,” said Lessig.

Spitzer, whose daughter attends the Cambridge school, declined comment.

Several Harvard alumni and students were stunned at the decision to have the disgraced pol address an ethics forum.

“He has an ethics problem himself,” said Harvard alum Brad Balding. “What he has to say in a broader context may be fine and make sense, but it’s surprising that he’s addressing an ethics forum.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld said he understands why Spitzer would be invited to speak.

“Eliot Spitzer knows more about the role of government in the markets and what the possible permutations are than anyone I can think of,” said Weld.

Harvard freshman Chris Devine groused, “He’s not exactly one to be talking about ethics.”

Additional reporting by Jeff Cutler in Cambridge, Mass.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com