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Distinguished Speaker Series DSS History Ticket Information:
Nadine Strossen vs. Pat Buchanan Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - September 19, 20, 21 Nadine Strossen Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law at New York Law School, has written, lectured and practiced extensively in the areas of constitutional law, civil liberties and international human rights. Since 1991, she has served as President of the American Civil Liberties Union, the first woman to head the nation's largest and oldest civil liberties organization. (Because the ACLU Presidency is a non-paid, volunteer post, Strossen continues in her faculty position as well.) The National Law Journal has twice named Strossen one of "The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America." In 1996, Working Woman Magazine listed her among the "350 Women Who Changed the World 1976-1996." In 1997, Upside Magazine included Strossen in the "Elite 100: 100 Executives Leading The Digital Revolution." In 1998, Vanity Fair Magazine included Strossen in "America's 200 Most Influential Women." In 1999, Ladies Home Journal included Strossen in "America's 100 Most Important Women." Since becoming ACLU President, Strossen has made more than 200 public presentations per year before diverse audiences, including on more than 500 campuses and in many foreign countries. She comments frequently on legal issues in the national media, having appeared on virtually every national news program. In October, 2001, Strossen made her professional theater debut as the guest star in Eve Ensler's award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues, during a week-long run at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. Strossen's writings have been published in many scholarly and general interest publications (more than 250 published works). Her book, Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's Rights (Scribner 1995), was named by the New York Times a "notable book" of 1995 and was republished in October 2000 by NYU Press, with a new Introduction by the author. Her co-authored book, Speaking of Race, Speaking of Sex: Hate Speech, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties (N.Y.U. Press 1995), was named an "outstanding book" by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America. In 1986, Strossen became one of the first three women to receive the U.S. Jaycees' "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" Award; she was also the first American woman to win the Jaycees International's "The Outstanding Young Persons Of the World" Award. Strossen has received Honorary Doctor of Law Degrees from the University of Rhode Island, the University of Vermont, San Joaquin College of Law, Rocky Mountain College, the Massachusetts School of Law, and Mt. Holyoke College. Other awards include: the "Women of Distinction" award from the Women's League for Conservative Judaism, The Media Institute's Freedom of Speech Award, the Free Speech Coalition's "Freedom Isn't Free Award," and the National Council of Jewish Women’s “Women Who Dared” award. Strossen is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Strossen graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College (1972) and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School (1975), where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before becoming a law professor, she practiced law for nine years in Minneapolis (her hometown) and New York City. Strossen is married to Eli M. Noam, Professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business and Founding Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele- Information. They have residences in Manhattan and Kent Lakes, New York.
Nadine Strossen vs. Pat Buchanan Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - September 19, 20, 21 Pat Buchanan Patrick Buchanan is a leading political analyst, commentator, and former Director of Communications for the Reagan White House. In 1992, he challenged George Bush for the Republican nomination and almost upset the President in the New Hampshire primary. In 1996, he won the New Hampshire primary, and went on to finish second to Senator Bob Dole, having received three million Republican votes. A journalist by profession, Buchanan writes a syndicated column of political and social commentary. He also has been the co-host of Crossfire, a nightly interview program on the Cable News Network, and a panelist on the weekly news programs The McLaughlin Group and The Capital Gang. In 1993, he formed The American Cause foundation, which addresses both political and cultural issues. Buchanan co-hosted the Buchanan-Braden Program, a three-hour daily radio show with liberal columnist Tom Braden, and delivered daily commentary on the NBC radio network from 1978 to 1984. In 1965, Buchanan served as the executive assistant for the Nixon, Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander, and Mitchell law offices in New York City. Additionally, Buchanan traveled with former Vice President Nixon throughout the campaigns of 1966 and 1968, and in 1967 he accompanied Nixon to Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in the immediate aftermath of the Six-Day War. In 1969, Buchanan was named Special Assistant to the President. This entailed writing speeches both for the President and Vice President, developing political strategy, publishing the President's Daily News Summary, and preparing the foreign and domestic briefing books for the presidential news conferences. Buchanan remained in this position throughout the Nixon Presidency. Buchanan was a member of the 15-person official delegations to the People's Republic of China in 1972, and accompanied President Nixon to the final summit in Moscow, Yalta, and Minsk in the summer of 1974. In addition to his syndicated column, Buchanan has authored a number of books including the New York Times best seller, A Republic Not an Empire, and a Washington Post bestseller about growing up in the nation's capital, Right From the Beginning, and his newest book Where The Right Went Wrong. Other popular books authored by Pat Buchanan include Death of the West, The New Majority; Conservative Votes, Liberal Victories; Right From The Beginning; and The Great Betrayal: How American Sovereignty and Social Justice are Being Sacrificed to the Gods of the Global Economy. He also has written for over two decades for the Nation, Rolling Stone, National Review, Conservative Digest, Skeptic, and American Spectator. Buchanan is an honors graduate in English and Philosophy from Georgetown University, as well as the winner of the 1975 Freedom Foundation's George Washington Medal and the 1977 Morality in Media Award. In 1974 he was named one of the nation's 200 future leaders in a Time magazine cover story. He is married to the former Shelley Ann Scarney, who was a member of the White House Staff from 1969 to 1975.
General Richard Myers Monday, October 9, 2006 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - October 3, 4, 5 In his term as the fifteenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers led the United States military through four years of tumultuous change on the international and domestic stage. From our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan to the military’s heroic role following Hurricane Katrina, Myers was the principal military advisor to the president, the defense secretary, and the National Security Council in his role as Joint Chiefs chairman. In his presentation, Myers offers analysis on military, security, and preparedness matters at home and abroad. A native of Kansas, Myers is a 1965 graduate of Kansas State University and received a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University. Entering the Air Force following his graduation from Kansas State, Myers’s military education included the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Myers has served the U.S. Air Force throughout the world in many capacities. He was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and his career includes operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and joint assignments. General Myers is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours. In 1998, he became commander-in-chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. In this role, General Myers was responsible for defending America through space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations. As the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs from March 2000 to September 2001, General Myers served as the chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, vice chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the chairman in all aspects of the planning, programming, and budgeting system, including participation in the Defense Resources Board.
Jeff Corwin Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - October 17, 18, 19 Emmy winner Jeff Corwin has been working for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the world since he was a teenager. Animal Planet audiences best know Jeff as host of The Jeff Corwin Experience, one of the most popular shows on cable television. The series reaches over 13 million viewers in the United States, and is viewed in more than 70 countries worldwide. TV viewers now get to see Jeff in Corwin's Quest, which debuted in June 2005. In this adventurous series, filmed over many months in five continents, Jeff explores several themes or sensory qualities of animal behavior, including sound, smell, diet, defense, attack, and survival. Since 2000, Jeff has partnered with Animal Planet and Discovery Communications as host and executive producer of The Jeff Corwin Experience. He also serves as the executive producer of Corwin's Quest. His first book, Living on the Edge: Amazing Relationships in the Natural World is now available in paperback. When not in the field, Jeff lectures on wildlife, ecology, and conservation to audiences across the United States. He has also established an interactive museum and environmental education center called the EcoZone. Based in Norwell, Massachusetts, the town where Jeff spent his childhood, the goal of the EcoZone is to build awareness of the wildlife and ecology unique to the wetlands of southeastern Massachusetts. Now an expert in rainforest animals, Jeff was first introduced to the tropical rain forests in 1984, while on an expedition to Belize. The experience fueled his interest in the study and conservation of these ecological marvels. In 1993, Jeff addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regarding the need to conserve neotropical rain forests. By 1994, he had served as expedition naturalist for The Jason Project, the acclaimed documentary series produced by National Geographic and EDS under the direction of Robert Ballard. Jeff has bachelor of science degrees in biology and anthropology from Bridgewater State College, and a master of science degree in wildlife and fisheries conservation from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In 1999, Bridgewater State College honored Jeff with a doctorate in public education for his work in communicating about the need for a sustainable approach to using natural resources and the importance of conserving endangered species. Jeff firmly believes that through education and awareness, the natural resources, wildlife, and ecosystems that make up our planet will be conserved for future generations. Jeff's winning personality, combined with his camera-friendly good looks, led editors to choose him as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" and he was also included on the highly regarded Entertainment Weekly "It List." In October 2003, Jeff made a guest appearance as himself on the popular television series CSI: Miami. Other television appearances include the Today show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning,The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Access Hollywood, Extra, and Oprah. In 2004, Jeff won an Emmy for best performer in a children's series. When not traveling the world, Jeff can be found at his eclectic home off the coast of Massachusetts, which is decorated with unique and unusual artifacts from his globetrotting. He lives with his wife Natasha and daughter Maya Rose.
LeVar Burton Monday, January 29, 2007 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - January 23, 24, 25 The multi-talented LeVar Burton has been capturing the attention of audiences and peers for over two decades, and has catapulted to a new level within the industry. Whether acting, directing, producing or writing, LeVar proves he can do it all. LeVar’s first career choice was not in the field of entertainment. At the age of thirteen he entered a Catholic Seminary to study for the priesthood. For him, being a priest would fulfill his need to express himself spiritually and to be of service to his community. However, four years later, he decided that an acting career would better fill those needs, so he left the seminary and accepted a full academic scholarship to the University of Southern California to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. LeVar’s first professional audition, at the age of nineteen, led to his being cast as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed miniseries ROOTS. The phenomenal success of ROOTS launched his career as an actor, and earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Mini Series. What followed were starring roles in a string of television movies, including Dummy, Grambling’s White Tiger, The Guyana Tragedy and A Roots Christmas; Kunta Kinte’s Gift. His more recent work includes Parallel Lives, Yesterday’s Target and Firestorm. He also performed a starring role in the television series Christie. Among his early feature film credits are Looking For Mr. Goodbar and The Hunter, with Steve McQueen. LeVar is internationally known for his portrayal as Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He starred in the box office hits Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Generations, and will shortly co-star in the fourth feature film in the series, Star Trek: Nemesis. LeVar has directed numerous episodes of all three Star Trek series: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, and is currently directing multiple episodes of the new series, Enterprise. His first dramatic television movie, The Tiger Woods Story, which he directed for Showtime, received great critical acclaim as well as three Emmy nominations. He also directed the Disney Channel original film Smart House. LeVar’s production company, Eagle Nation Films, has an overall deal with Paramount Pictures to produce television as well as feature films. With the very diverse outlets of distribution now available to him, he is using these resources to develop a series of family-oriented film and television projects, which he will both produce and direct. LeVar’s first honor of the new millennium was a Grammy Award for his narration of the book, The Autobiography Of Martin Luther King Jr. Included in the titles LeVar has recorded on tape are The Watsons Go To Birmingham, The Miles Davis Story and The Jackie Robinson Story. He is currently celebrating his twenty-first season as executive producer and host of the highly acclaimed PBS children’s television series Reading Rainbow. Thus far, his role in producing and starring in the series has garnered him a total of ten Emmy Awards, five NAACP Awards and multiple nominations. He is most proud of Reading Rainbow’s ability to use the medium of television to help create “human beings who are passionate about literature”. As a staunch advocate for children’s literacy, LeVar is frequently called upon to lecture on the subject by organizations around the world. He is currently co-chair with First Lady Laura Bush of PBS’s literacy campaign, SHARE-A-STORY. In l995, a presidential appointment was confirmed by both Houses of Congress, making LeVar a Commissioner of the National Commission on Library and Information Sciences (NCLIS), a panel of experts who advise the President on policy for the storage, retrieval and dissemination of information in America. LeVar made his debut as an author in l997 with his novel Aftermath. This science fiction thriller from Warner Books takes place in the year 2019 and chronicles the efforts of four individuals who are struggling to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of a race war that all but destroys America. With phenomenal reviews from critics and colleagues, Aftermath is still in bookstores nationwide. LeVar made his feature film directorial debut with BLIZZARD, a family Christmas film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Brenda Blethyn and Christopher Plummer.
Madame Jehan Sadat Thursday, February 15, 2007 Eisenhower Auditorium Tickets available - February 6, 7, 8 A world figure and widow of the late Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, Jehan Sadat has been active in the women's movements both in her country and throughout the world. Mrs. Sadat, first lady of Egypt from 1970 - 1981, was the first wife of a Muslim leader to have her picture in the newspaper, to travel outside her country, and to take up public causes. She has devoted her life to public service and maintaining the legacy of her late husband. Born in Upper Egypt in 1933, she has spent much of her life challenging traditional Muslim women's roles in society. Involved in social work and women's rights in the Middle East before her husband became president, Mrs. Sadat established Talla Society, a women's emancipation and education group aimed at helping women become more self-sufficient. The group trains women in handicrafts and pays tuition for nearly 1,000 secondary school and university students. She organized a movement to reform Egyptian Civil Rights Law and was successful in reforming victimizing divorce laws. Mrs. Sadat founded Egypt's Wafa' Wal Amal (Faith and Hope) Society for handicapped war veterans and civilians, the first and largest rehabilitation center of its kind in the Middle East. Three years after President Anwar Sadat attended the Camp David Accords with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the Egyptian leader was assassinated by Ayman al-Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor and a top lieutenant to Osama bin Laden. Jehan Sadat worked closely with her husband in his quest for peace. After his assassination, she took on the role of educator, lecture, and social activist, promoting women's rights and international peace. Sadat, a mother of four, earned a doctorate in 1986 from Cairo University. She is a senior fellow with the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland. She is the recipient of numerous international honors and awards and is author of A Woman of Egypt, her best-selling autobiography.
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Updated February 23, 2007