October 2004

Notable Guest Speakers Abundant on Campus

American University’s conference venues have been bustling with a multitude of speakers this month to kick off 2004-2005 year with a politically charged bang! Spearheaded by the Kennedy Political Union, celebrating its 35th anniversary, award-winning authors, military officials, and political figureheads are among those who have addressed the campus community.

KPU began its extensive lecture series in October with the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Sila M. Calderon. The island’s first female chief of staff, Calderon also held the position of Secretary of State before she was elected as the Mayor of San Juan and then as governor in 2000. She has led a crusade to improve the lives of underprivileged citizens, making job creation her number one priority. Calderon discussed the issue of government corruption and fiscal responsibility. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Women & Politics Institute, the Latino American Student Organization, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Also on October 4, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland came to campus to speak about the role of leadership in the House of Representatives. Hoyer is the highest-ranking member of Congress from Maryland in history. Addressing students and faculty, Hoyer discussed House members’ active roles as leaders in today’s society, as well as on Congress floor.

Ari Fleischer            photo by Bill Petros

Former official spokesperson to George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer, addressed the campus community on October 14. Press Secretary from 2000 to 2003, Fleischer spoke about the continuing issues facing the United States, including foreign diplomacy and domestic policy issues. He discussed the upcoming election, remarking that he feels “the undecided voters now a clear picture of both candidates,” whereas prior to the debates he felt that Kerry had been having difficulty defining his positions. Fleischer also reflected on being a wartime press secretary. In March 2003, Fleischer said the mood was tense especially when he came out in front of the press and said Operation Iraqi Freedom had begun.

Two noteworthy speakers marked Parents Weekend, including former NPR anchor Bob Edwards, SOC/MA '72 on October 22, and astronaut and former Senator John Glenn on October 23. Edwards spoke to a crowd of more than 400 about his experience in radio for the last 25 years and his new book, "Edmund R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism.” More than $20,000 was raised between ticket and book sales, all benefitting AU's Ed Bliss Scholarship Fund for journalism students. Bliss, who died in 2002, founded AU’s broadcast journalism program in 1968 and was a mentor to Edwards, often recounting stories of his time working at CBS with Murrow. Edwards said he wrote the biography for "a generation and a half who don't know that we once did this thing better than we do now, this thing called broadcast journalism."

The next evening, Senator Glenn shared his experiences in space with the audience, remarking, “It was quite an experience to be up there.” He also discussed current political issues, such as federal research funding and the No Child Left Behind Act. Glenn criticized Bush, saying, “What got left behind was the funding to do it.”

In just the last three years, KPU and other organizations have provided AU and the surrounding community with many prominent speakers, including former Canadian Prime Minister Joseph Clark; former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev; Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu; political activist Tipper Gore, and co-host of CNN’s “Crossfire,” James Carville.

-Ashley Ferrell, ‘07

Back to newsletter