Southeast announces new Speakers Series lineup

The roster for the 2015-2016 Speakers Series at Southeast Missouri State University is an eclectic one, including a surfer, a Boston Marathon bombing survivor and an Academy Award-winning rapper.

The university announced the lineup Friday.

"This year's University Speakers Series is a testament to the 'Will To Do,'" Joanna Shaver, coordinator of campus programming, said in a news release. "Each speaker is a survivor, whether it be due to physical, economic, cultural or racial limitations."

The coming season's first speaker will be Jeff Bauman. Bauman stood waiting for his girlfriend at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, when two explosions rocked the area, according to his bio on the site. Bauman will speak at 2 p.m. Sept. 13.

Up next is Fareed Zakaria, host of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN, as well as contributing editor at The Atlantic and columnist at the Washington Post, who will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Zakaria's presentation is called "In Defense of a Liberal Education."

Wes Moore will be the keynote speaker for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner at 6 p.m. Jan. 20. Moore has been featured in several publications and TV shows. He is the host of "Beyond Belief" on the Oprah Winfrey Network and executive producer and host of "Coming Back with Wes Moore" on PBS.

Rapper Common will present his talk "Greatness!" at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23. Common, with co-songwriter John Legend, won an Academy Award for their song "Glory," written for the movie "Selma." Common also has received several Grammy Awards and nominations throughout his career.

Rounding out the Speakers Series will be surfer Bethany Hamilton at 7:30 p.m. April 4. Hamilton suffered an attack by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing at age 13, losing her left arm. Hamilton returned to competing one month later.

Tickets for the Common, Hamilton and Zakaria events are free with a Redhawks ID or $10 for the public, and are available at showmecenter.biz and the Show Me Center box office. The Bauman event is free to the public.

Tickets for the Zakaria event will be available Monday. Tickets for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner will go on sale in December, and tickets for the Common and Hamilton events will be available Jan. 19.

For more information, semo.edu/campuslife/speakers.

kwebster@semissourian.com

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