Environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum April 2 as part of the Global Lecture Series, a new initiative started by former MSU President Charles Lee.”President Lee wanted a yearly series that focused on global issues,” Campus Activities Board supervisor Paula Raffo said.
The goal of the Global Lecture Series is to bring nationally-known speakers to campus, providing additional learning opportunities for students, she said.
Colvard Student Union director Eddie Keith said the series is similar to the former Union Program Council.
The council brought in high-profile speakers but was discontinued due to the rising costs of paying and hosting speakers.
Bill Broyles, assistant vice president of student affairs, said the money for the series came from a recent Mississippi legislature change, making MSU eligible for sales tax rebates.
Broyles said that in the past the university could not receive a rebate because it was not in a municipality. The tax on things sold at the university went to the state of Mississippi with no rebate to the university, he said.
“This is the first year that Mississippi State will be receiving the rebate, and some of the money from it will be going to the lecture series,” Broyles said. “We are going to use the money to do things that we’ve never been able to do before.”
Keith said speakers for the new series would deal with issues of national concern.
“We want a speaker to talk about some global issue, whether it be environmental, medical, political, military, humanitarian or commerce issues,” he said.
Raffo said a lecture committee of eight students, staff and faculty members chose Kennedy to speak at MSU. After the committee researched various speakers and considered the available funds, Kennedy was available at the right time and fit the criteria for selection.
Senior political science major Brad Hill served on the committee.
He said the series is for students, with a goal to bring in speakers who can give them knowledge and talk about how the real world affects them.
“[Kennedy] seems like a very top-notch man who can go around and get things done,” Hill said. “He knows what he’s talking about and is a very strong speaker.”
Raffo said Kennedy is partly recognized because of his family name. He is the son of Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy Sr., who served as U.S. Attorney General from 1961-64 and was to be the Democratic candidate for the 1968 presidential election. He was assasinated directly after defeating Eugene McCarthy in the Democratic Primary. Kennedy is also the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
“His name is automatically a draw for people,” Raffo said. “We just felt like his message and this lecture fit nicely.”
Keith said Kennedy has been successful in his own right.
“I think it will be useful and interesting to hear things debated,” he said.
Kennedy’s lecture, “Crimes Against Nature,” also the title of his most recent book, focuses on a cleaner environment.
The book, a New York Times bestseller, criticizes the Bush administration with regard to environmental issues, Raffo said.
“We’ve had a large response to Kennedy, both negatively and positively,” she said. “He’s very passionate about the environment, and I feel like students will learn from him whether they agree with him or not.”
Kennedy led the project to clean up the Hudson River in New York and received Time magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” award for his work.
He is also senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper.
Kennedy is a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic.
He is a co-host for the “Ring of Fire” radio program and has published three books. He has worked for the political campaigns of Edward M. Kennedy, Al Gore and John Kerry.
Raffo said she hopes students will benefit from Kennedy’s lecture.
“I think anytime you have an opportunity while you’re in college to hear a nationally-known speaker, you should take advantage of that opportunity whether you agree with them or not,” Raffo said.
Keith said he expects a variety of responses to Kennedy’s message.
“Based on one’s own political beliefs, there will be some that agree and some that disagree,” he said. “I think part of educating students is exposing them to a marketplace of ideas.”
Junior Adam Kennard, leader of the CAB speakers division, said he expects a mixture of responses as well.
“For liberals, they’ll probably be excited that a conservative school brought someone who’s a liberal,” Kennard said. “I think it will be an interesting talk. I don’t think we’ve had anyone this influential on campus in a long time.”
Hill said he encourages students to attend the lecture because of Kennedy’s strong message that people need to be aware of environmental issues.
“I would encourage students to come because [Kennedy gives] a strong message that shows if we don’t do something now, when we’re mothers and fathers, there might not be a safe environment for our children,” Hill said. “It’s not just 80 to 90 years down the road. It’s now.