This year's speaker lineup will be lead by Karl Rove, Tamika Catchings and Jamie Tworkowski, three influential individuals in their respective fields.
Mitch Isaacs, associate director of Student Life, said students should expect this year's speakers to share a "real world perspective" on issues such as the midterm elections, overcoming struggles and the power of ideas.
"Students should be interested, because this is their opportunity to hear and interact with nationally celebrated speakers," he said. "Karl Rove is discussing how a critical election could shape the course of the nation. Tamika Catchings will provide an inspirational example of success in the face of adversity. Jamie Tworkowski explains how his simple, yet powerful, idea has grown into a global movement."
University departments, such as the Office of Student Life, look at several factors to determine what speakers come to campus, Isaacs said. Some of these factors are cost, topics covered and student feedback.
"We survey students after each of our speakers, and we always ask students for their suggestions," Isaacs said. "Last year, we received several student requests for a notable conservative speaker, which is one of the reasons why we selected Rove."
Rove was the deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to President George W. Bush. He was a primary contributor to the president's 2000 and 2004 campaigns. He will speak Sept. 13 in John R. Emens Auditorium about the importance of the upcoming election. Isaacs said the Office of Student Life was looking for a speaker who could get students interested in the 2010 election.
"Regardless of his political position, Rove knows a lot about campaigns and elections," Isaacs said. "Also, having a big-name conservative speaker was something students had been asking for a while now."
After several students' requests, Student Life will bring Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, to speak Nov. 8 in Pruis Hall.
TWLOHA started as a story Tworkowski told about his friend, who needed treatment for addiction and depression. He started posting on a MySpace blog and began selling T-shirts to help his friend. TWLOHA has the largest online audience of any nonprofit on MySpace and Facebook. Tworkowski speaks frequently, bringing a message of hope and community to audiences at universities and conferences throughout the world.
"I see Jamie as similar to Blake Mycoskie from TOMS Shoes," Isaacs said. "Most people over 30 don't know who he is, but many students know about his movement."
To go along with this year's Freshman Connections theme of people overcoming disabilities to succeed, Catchings, a player for the Indiana Fever and president of the WNBA Players Association, will be the third speaker for the Fall Semester.
Catchings is a six-time WNBA All-Star and seven-time All-WNBA player. She has earned WNBA Player of the Week honors 12 times. Catchings is a two-time Olympic gold medalist for the United States, medaling at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and again in 2008 in Beijing.
Catchings also has a hearing disability she had to learn to cope with.
"We thought her speech would fit the theme for this year's Freshman Connections," he said. "And students usually request athletes to come give a speech."
Freshman nursing major Megan Carter said she wanted to learn about how Catchings dealt with her hearing problems to become a renown basketball player.
"I'm really excited about what message she has for us and how being a basketball player has helped her," she said.
This year's Freshman Connections reader, Mark Zupan, will talk about dealing with life-changing experiences Sept. 28 in Emens Auditorium. Zupan was paralyzed in a car accident when he was in college, but later found success in wheelchair rugby. He became an important player in the U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby National Team, which won gold at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Other speakers for the year include Bruce Cole, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Dale Herigstad, chief creative officer of Schematic Inc.; and Walter Bortz, chairman of 50-Plus Lifelong Fitness. These speakers will deliver the Edmund F. Petty Memorial Lecture, the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and the Kirkpatrick Lecture, respectively.
Fall 2010 speaker lineup:
Karl Rove - "Why the Midterm Elections Matter" - 7 p.m. Sept. 13 in Emens Auditorium
Mark Zupan - Freshman Connections reader - 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Emens Auditorium
Bruce Cole - Edmund F. Petty Memorial Lecture - 5 p.m. Oct. 14 in the Recital Room of the Fine Arts Building
Dale Hergstad - "The Future of Interactive Design" - 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom
Walter Bortz - "Dare to be 100" - 5:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in the Alumni Center
Jamie Tworkowski - "An Evening with To Write Love on Her Arms" - 7 p.m. Nov. 8 in Pruis Hall
Tamika Catchings - "Overcoming Adversity" - 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in Pruis Hall
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