Distinguished Lecture Series Opens with Samantha Power on October 28

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and political strategist David Axelrod will speak at Kean University this fall as Kean University’s Distinguished Lecture Series returns for its third year.

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King III and futurist Jamie Metzl will round out the 2019-2020 speakers lineup when they come to campus in the Spring 2020 semester. 

All of the lectures are free and open to the public. Reservations are required.

“With the Distinguished Lecture Series, we are bringing internationally acclaimed thought leaders to Kean’s campus to challenge and broaden our perspectives on contemporary issues,” said Kean President Dawood Farahi, Ph.D. “The speakers this year are outstanding and will undoubtedly give us unique and informed insights on current events.”

Power, who was ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama administration, will speak on the theme The State of the World: Challenges and Opportunities at Kean’s STEM Building on Monday, October 28 at 4:30 p.m.  

One of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People,” Power is a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School, as well as a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. In her latest book, the New York Times bestseller The Education of an Idealist, she chronicles her life from her earliest days as an Irish immigrant in the U.S. to her rise as a principled and outspoken diplomat.

Following her speech, Power will meet with guests and sign books at Ursino Steakhouse & Tavern, also in the STEM Building. Admission to that event is $50, and includes light hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and a copy of the book. Guests can also purchase a copy of the book, with a ticket to the lecture, for $30. 

On November 21 at Kean’s STEM Building, Axelrod, a former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Obama, will discuss The Evolving Media and Political Landscape in the runup to the 2020 presidential primary season. Axelrod currently serves as founding director of the University of Chicago's non-partisan Institute of Politics and as a CNN political commentator. 

Martin Luther King III, who carries on the social justice work of his father, slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will speak on campus on Thursday, February 13, 2020. Futurist Jamie Metzl, whose work focuses on issues where technology, economics and global politics intersect, will speak on Monday, April 27, 2020.

All lectures are scheduled to be held at Kean’s STEM Building, 1075 Morris Avenue in Union at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance. Ticket reservations are available 30 days before each event at kean.edu/lectureseries.

The first 300 guests will be seated in the auditorium, and the overflow audience will view the live streaming feed of the event on the 6th floor of the STEM Building.

For more information, visit kean.edu/lectureseries.