August 15, 2007
Harding announces 2007-08 Distinguished Lecture Series
SEARCY - Retired Lt. Col. Steve Russell, whose unit was a central player in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein, opens the 2007-08 American Studies Institute Distinguished Lecture Series Sept. 11 at Harding University.
He retired from the U.S. Army after serving 21 years in assignments in the Arctic, desert, Pacific, Europe and continental United States. He served more than seven years overseas and has deployed to Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Russell is highly decorated, having received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Infantryman's Badge, and Valorous Unit Award.
As a sought-after speaker, thought-provoking writer and media analyst, he now works to raise the soldier's voice in national debate on the war. He serves as chairman of Vets for Victory, part of Valor Network.
Also speaking in September is Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, who was elected president of the Republic of Zambia in 2001. He sought and won re-election in October 2006.
The second-born child in a family of 10, he holds a law degree from University of Zambia. He worked in private law firms from 1974 until 1978, when he formed his own firm - Mwanawasa & Co. In 1985, Mwanawasa served as solicitor general of Zambia, but went back to private practice the following year. He worked as senior partner in his firm until March 1992, when he began serving his country as vice president.
Mwanawasa, a member of Movement for Multiparty Democracy political party, will share his thoughts Sept. 27. His presentation is co-sponsored by the L.C. Sears Collegiate Seminar Series.
Herman Cain, former president of Godfather's Pizza, will discuss character and business ethics in a presentation co-sponsored by the College of Business Administration Nov. 8.
Godfather's Pizza was performing poorly before Cain took the reins in 1986 and led the chain to profitability in 14 months. He was elected to the board of directors of the National Restaurant Association in 1988. From 1994 to 1995, he served as chairman of the board. Following this experience, he was appointed to serve as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
In 1996, he became CEO and president of the National Restaurant Association, a position he held for two and a half years before becoming CEO and president of RetailDNA. Today Cain is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host of "The Herman Cain Show" and a Fox News business commentator.
Author and historian David Barton will begin the spring portion of the series Feb. 12, 2008. He is founder and president of WallBuilders, a national organization that distributes historical, legal and statistical information and helps citizens become active in their local schools and communities.
Barton researches original writings of the Founding Era. He serves as consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, and was involved in the development of history/social studies standards for students in California and Texas. Barton has authored numerous books on historical, legal and educational issues. He speaks at conferences across the nation and appears on numerous television and radio programs.
Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic since 2003, has been invited to conclude the series on a date to be announced in April 2008.
He studied at the Prague School of Economics, and economics became his lifelong specialist field. He entered politics in 1989 as federal minister of finance. In 1991, he was also appointed deputy prime minister of the Czecho-Slovak Federation.
In 1990, he became chairman of what was then the strongest political entity in the country - Civic Forum. After its demise in 1991, he co-founded the Civic Democratic Party and was its chairman until 2002. He won parliamentary elections with this party in 1992 and became prime minister of the Czech Republic. In this position he took part in the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia and the foundation of an independent Czech Republic.
In 1996, he successfully defended his position as prime minister in the elections to the Chamber of Deputies, but he resigned after the breakup of the government coalition in 1997. The next year, he became chairman of the Chamber of Deputies for a four-year term.
All presentations begin at 7:30 p.m. in Benson Auditorium. Tickets are not required, and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call (501) 279-4497.
