Featured Speakers Series
2013-14 Featured Speakers will be announced in August 2013.
Please check back.
Kent State University at Stark's Featured Speakers Series brings national and international experts in civil rights, politics, education, environmental activism, literature and arts to campus.
Notable figures have included civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, national political broadcaster George Stephanopoulos, journalist and National Geographic Explorer host Lisa Ling, rags-to-riches prodigy Chris Gardner, legendary drummer Max Weinberg, ice cream entrepreneur Jerry Greenfield, cinematographer Spike Lee and CNN's broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper.
2013-14 Ticket & Venue Information
- Programs are free and open to the public.
- Tickets are required and seating is limited.
- Limit of 4 tickets per person.
- Pick-up tickets at the Main Hall Information Desk, beginning at 8 a.m. each weekday, on the date listed with each speaker.
- Ticket distribution is first-come, first-served. No phone reservations will be taken.
- Programs are held at The University Center in Timken Great Hall.
- Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Programs begin at 7:30 p.m.
2012-13 Featured Speakers
Lee Hirsch
The Bully Project: Putting an End to the Most Common Form of Violence Among Children
Monday, Oct. 8, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Only overflow tickets remain.
As a former victim of bullying, filmmaker Lee Hirsch felt compelled to produce a documentary from the perspective of the victims to raise awareness and eventually, eliminate the destructive behavior affecting so many of our nation’s youth. He spent a year in schools across the country, following five students and families, trying to understand how bullying is handled within the schools. The result was his powerful and gritty film, Bully, which debuted at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Hirsch will present an engaging lecture that will reveal how bullying affects students, their families, the schools and society at large.
Aron Ralston
127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Sorry, no tickets remain.
Aron Ralston was hiking alone in remote Utah canyons when an 800-pound boulder tumbled loose, pinning his right hand and wrist. Trapped for six days, warding off dehydration and hypothermia, his remarkable will to live led him to commit an extreme act of survival. Using a dull multi-tool, Ralston severed his forearm, rappelled a 65-foot cliff and hiked for five hours before being rescued. His life-altering story is documented in the best-selling book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and the movie, 127 Hours. Aided by prosthetic devices that he helped design, Ralston inspires perseverance as he continues his adventurous lifestyle.
Frank Abagnale
Catch Me if You Can
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Sorry, no tickets remain.
Posted at 12:30 p.m. on February 11.
Frank Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. His rare blend of knowledge and expertise began more than 40 years ago when he was known as one of the world’s most famous con men, depicted in his best-selling book, Catch Me If You Can, of which a film was also made, directed by Steven Spielberg with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Between the ages of 16 and 21, he successfully posed as an airline pilot, an attorney, a college professor and a pediatrician, in addition to cashing $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in every state and 26 foreign countries. After serving time in prison, he was released on the condition that he would help the federal government by teaching and assisting federal law enforcement agencies. Abagnale has worked as a consultant with the FBI for more than 30 years.
Col. Eileen Collins
Leadership Lessons from Apollo to Discovery
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
7:30 p.m.
Sorry, no tickets remain.
Astronaut and shuttle commander Col. Eileen Collins is a pioneer of aviation. After being the second woman to graduate from the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1990, she was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. On her inaugural shuttle mission in February 1995, she became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. In July 1999, Collins achieved more milestones by becoming the first woman to command a shuttle mission and the first astronaut to pilot a 360-degree pitch maneuver. She commanded Space Shuttle Discovery’s historic “Return to Flight” mission in July 2005, before retiring. Collins made four shuttle missions in her NASA career, logging more than 872 hours in space.
