Environmental advocate Robert Kennedy Jr. to launch SU’s spring University Lectures lineup

Environmental advocate Robert Kennedy Jr. to launchSU’s spring University Lectures lineupJanuary 26, 2004Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

Attorney and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be the inaugural speaker for the spring 2004 University Lectures at Syracuse University. Kennedy’s lecture, “Our Environmental Heritage,” will be presented in Hendricks Chapel, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. All lectures in the series are free and open to the public.

Kennedy has earned a reputation for being a resolute defender of the environment as chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper, an independent environmental organization founded in 1983, and as a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Hailed for spearheading the fight to protect New York City’s water supply, his work led to the creation of the Watershed Agreement, a landmark piece of environmental legislation upon which others around the world have been modeled. He is the coauthor of the best-selling book “The Riverkeepers.”

“Thanks in large part to this series, Syracuse is becoming known as a place where today’s most important artists and intellectuals come to share their ideas with students and all members of our community,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Deborah A. Freund. By bridging the diverse interests of the University community, the University Lectures have established a tradition of bringing to Syracuse individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design, the humanities and the sciences, and public policy, management and communications. Other spring speakers include:

Garrison Keillor – Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center”An Evening With Garrison Keillor”Best known for bringing the inhabitants of fictional Lake Wobegon, Minn., to life on National Public Radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” Keillor is equally at home behind a microphone or a typewriter.

While “Companion” allows Keillor to showcase his many talents as a performer-including storytelling and musicianship-he has also written 11 books and published several stories and columns in New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Salon and elsewhere.

E. Stanley O’Neal – Feb. 24, 4 p.m. Grant Auditorium, College of Law”Taking the Bull by its Horns”What leadership qualities does it take to turn around a Fortune 500 company-how much is perspiration, and how much is inspiration? Since taking the helm as CEO of Merrill Lynch, O’Neal has enforced strict fiscal discipline within the financial services giant. Staying that course has led to some difficult decisions, but under O’Neal’s guidance the tough measures have paid off, helping the company’s stock almost double in value last year. A special guest of University Lectures, O’Neal comes to Syracuse to discuss his management style and the challenges of leadership as a corporate CEO.

Meave Leakey – March 16, 7:30 p.m. Hendricks Chapel”The Search and Discovery of Our Earliest Ancestors”Meave Leakey and her team of researchers made headlines recently with the discovery in Kenya of a 3.5 million-year-old skull – completely redefining the study of early human ancestry. A masterful storyteller, Leakey enchants her audiences with vivid images and real-life stories of her fieldwork in Africa while conveying the importance of exploring human origins.

Rita Hauser – March 30, 7:30 p.m. Hendricks Chapel”The U.S. Role in a Troubled Middle East”Appointed by President George W. Bush to the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and the Intelligence Oversight Board, Rita Hauser is uniquely qualified to provide a behind-the-headlines look at the current state of U.S. foreign policy and the war on terror. An accomplished international lawyer interested in international conflict resolution, security and human rights, Hauser was a senior partner for more than 20 years at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, a New York City law firm. As president of The Hauser Foundation, she is known for her public service and philanthropy.

The University Lectures series is made possible through the generosity of the University’s Trustees, alumni and friends and is supportive of initiatives in the University’s Academic Plan directed at expanding multidisciplinary discourse for students.