Speaker Series

Many nationally recognized individuals have spoken at Southeast Missouri State University over the years. This trend will continue with the 2012-2013 University Speaker Series. Featured this year will be a retired U.S. Army general and diplomat, a future baseball Hall of Fame manager, Grammy Award-winning musical artist, and a U.S. Olympic figure skater, among others.

* Colin Powell will lead off the series with a talk at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Show Me Center. Powell is a notable military leader whose been respected by members of both parties.

* St. Louis Cardinals fans will be interested to hear Tony La Russa speak in November. The longtime manager led three teams -- two in St. Louis -- to World Series titles, the most recent coming last year. La Russa will speak at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Show Me Center.

* Kicking off Southeast's Global Entrepreneurship Week will be The Second City. The international comedy club will perform at noon Nov. 12 at the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus.

* The 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebratory Dinner will feature Grammy Award-winning musical artist, performer and philanthropist John Legend. The dinner is always well attended by students and the community. With Legend speaking, attendance should be strong again. The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Show Me Center. Legend will speak at 7:30 p.m. and will also perform after the dinner.

* Michelle Kwan, a U.S. Olympic figure skater, will give a talk in March called "Aspiring to Greatness: What It Takes to Win." The presentation will be at 7:30 p.m. March 6 in the Show Me Center.

* Capping off the year will be Jeff Corwin. Corwin is known by many for his show on Animal Planet called "Jeff Corwin Experience." Also held in the Show Me Center, this lecture is set for 7:30 p.m. April 10.

Tickets will go on sale for the Powell and La Russa talks Aug. 20, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner tickets go on sale in December. Other presentation tickets will be available at a later date. Tickets may be purchased online at www.showmecenter.biz or at the Show Me Center box office. Tickets are free for university faculty, staff and students with valid a Southeast ID.

Congratulations to the university on this star-studded speakers lineup. This is a unique opportunity for students and the community, and with ticket proceeds going toward student scholarships, you'll be supporting a good cause by attending.