News and Events

Past Speakers

• March 14, 2013 - “Going Global: Succeeding in an International Marketplace” with Ken Schmidt
  

  If “going global” just meant doing business as usual - in other countries - everybody would be doing it successfully. But, as many businesses have learned the hard way, there’s much more to it. Companies that do it well, like Harley-Davidson, work first to understand the unique cultural characteristics of the individual global communities they serve. They then leverage that knowledge to their competitive advantage to create marketplace demand and satisfied customers while building a flexible infrastructure for sustained success. Learn how to side-step common pitfalls and be better positioned for success from Ken Schmidt, former communication guru for Harley-Davidson. Schmidt helped steer the legendary company toward global dominance and has seen first-hand the wrong – and right -- way to grow your business, here and abroad.

  One of the most in-demand speakers and communications consultants in America, Ken Schmidt has lived a life that most can only dream about. He has toured the world on two wheels, met with presidents and royalty, partied with movie and music legends, and appeared numerous times on network news. As the former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, he played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history - and got paid to ride motorcycles.

  The longtime motorcycle enthusiast’s formal association with Harley-Davidson began in 1985. As a specialist in corporate positioning and media relations, he was asked to work with the then-struggling Harley-Davidson to help restore the company’s image and create demand for its motorcycles. Within a few short years, Harley-Davidson became one of the most visible and frequently reported-on companies in the world, while sales of its motorcycles rocketed upward.

  In 1990, Schmidt became director of Harley-Davidson’s corporate and financial communications, and served as its primary spokesperson to the media and the financial communities. He appeared numerous times on network news programs and was frequently called upon by business media to share his insights on non-traditional communications and customer relations. Speaking engagements around the world soon followed.

  In 1997, Schmidt left Harley-Davidson to take an ownership position with a highly successful Chicago-based marketing firm, VSA Partners. In addition to Harley-Davidson, VSA serves many other of the world’s best-known brands, including General Motors, Coca-Cola, IBM, and Campbell's Soup. In July 1999, he sold his portion of VSA to start his own business, Ken Schmidt Company, and slow down the pace of his life.

  Now, Schmidt is a frequent speaker to business groups and academic communities throughout the world. Few speakers generate more positive word-of-mouth and referrals. “I love to startle people by exposing them to proven ideas and concepts they’ve never imagined,” he said. “Whether I’m talking about how perfectly average people can do extraordinary things - which is now an everyday occurrence at Harley-Davidson - or how to build an entirely new corporate culture, rekindle relationships with customers, or reach out to new ones in completely untraditional ways, I’m teaching people to throw conventional approaches out the window. I see opening hearts and minds as my life’s work.”

  Today, Schmidt shares his expertise with many of America’s leading brands, but happily states that he is “semi-retired,” which allows him to pursue his other passions. He calls working with the grandson of one of Harley-Davidson’s founders to create the book, 100 Years of Harley-Davidson, one of the greatest highs in his lifetime. After all he has accomplished, his philosophy of life and business hasn’t changed: “Never do what’s expected, make yourself as noticeably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you’re supposed to.”

• Oct 24, 2012 - An Evening with Calvin Klein
  

  Calvin Klein is an award-winning fashion icon. He is recognized globally as a master of minimalism and has spent his career distilling things to their very essence. His name ranks among the best-known brands in the world with Calvin Klein, Inc. reaching over $6 billion in global retail sales.

  Klein studied at the School of Art & Design and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After a short time working as a designer, in 1968, he launched Calvin Klein, Inc. with childhood friend, Barry Schwartz. Whether in fashion, fragrance, beauty or his collections for the home, his work has been subtle, sophisticated and possesses a clarity that redefined modern living and an American point of view. For him, the challenge is to create new things that fit a modern way of life. "It's about making people look and feel good about themselves and their homes", he says.

  The scope of Calvin Klein's influence makes him unique among the world's top designers. On the cutting edge of fashion with his Calvin Klein Collections for women, men and the home, he reinvented many basic icons of modern dress. He pioneered designer jeans and redefined the idea of underwear and fragrance, making designer quality apparel affordable for virtually anyone, as well as revolutionizing the designer denim and underwear businesses with his overtly sexy advertising campaigns.

  His advertising campaigns redefined the way products were marketed to consumers with Klein purchasing multiple ad pages in magazines. One of the most famous was his 1991 Calvin Klein Jeans supplement for Vanity Fair magazine, which totaled over 100 pages.

  Time Magazine, in 1996, named Calvin Klein as one of the most influential Americans.

  In 1973, Klein won the prestigious Coty American Fashion Critic's Award, the fashion industry's Oscar, and was the first designer to consecutively win again in 1974 and 1975. He was the youngest designer ever be elected into the Coty Hall of Fame in 1975.

  Klein also received 7 awards for outstanding design from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

  Calvin Klein, Inc. was sold to Philips Van Heusen Corporation in 2003, and Klein remained a creative consultant with the company until 2006.

  Klein has one daughter, Marci Klein, a television producer. He resides in New York City.

  The luncheon event was in partnership with the Rotary Club of Indianapolis.

• April 7, 2011 - Maintaining America's Competitive Advantage - Carlos Gutierrez
  

  "The next hundred years can be the real American century. U.S. policy can be the only thing that might keep this from becoming a reality." Carlos Gutierrez

  Maintaining America's Competitive Advantage

  America is unique in the world for its open business environment-an environment of innovation, entrepreneurship, and free trade. In challenging economic times, America must continue to foster these core principles. Gutierrez discusses America's undeniable advantages-from intellectual property rights, to the world's best university system, to our history of embracing immigration-and he outlines the specific policies that will ensure that these advantages continue into the future.

  Few people have lived out the American dream with as much success as Carlos Gutierrez. The son of Cuban immigrants who began his career selling Kellogg's cereal to small grocery stores in Mexico City, he eventually rose to become the youngest CEO in the 100-year history of Kellogg Company. In 2005, he was tapped by President George W. Bush to be the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. With firsthand experience in the vast opportunities America has to offer, Carlos Gutierrez has a rich range of perspectives on the world of business. He understands the point of view of the salesman just starting out, the immigrant forging a career in a new country, the corporate executive steering a company with a household name, and the government official working to advance American business around the world.

  Carlos Gutierrez speaks about the challenges facing American business and the ways in which leadership, diversity, innovation, values, and education will ensure that America will continue to lead the world in the 21st century.

  Few people have lived out the American dream with as much success as Carlos Gutierrez. The son of Cuban immigrants who began his career selling Kellogg's cereal to small grocery stores in Mexico City, he eventually rose to become the youngest CEO in the 100-year history of Kellogg Company. In 2005, he was tapped by President George W. Bush to be the 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. With firsthand experience in the vast opportunities America has to offer, Carlos Gutierrez has a rich range of perspectives on the world of business. He understands the point of view of the salesman just starting out, the immigrant forging a career in a new country, the corporate executive steering a company with a household name, and the government official working to advance American business around the world.

  Carlos Gutierrez speaks about the challenges facing American business and the ways in which leadership, diversity, innovation, values, and education will ensure that America will continue to lead the world in the 21st century.

  A True American Success Story

  After his family fled Cuba in the wake of the Castro revolution, they moved to Mexico City where Gutierrez began his sales career in high school, selling magazines on commission. He went on to sell everything from fire alarms, to sporting goods, to Kellogg's cereal. His multicultural background made him the ideal person to travel internationally, and in his 25 years at Kellogg, he moved 24 times, spending half his career with the company in international markets. He was promoted to chief executive officer in 1999, and was named chairman of the board in 2000.

  The Voice of Business in Government

  During his tenure as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Gutierrez made it a top priority to open global markets for U.S. companies, ensuring continuous innovation and competition to build a stronger American economy. Resuming his international outreach, now in the service of his country, he regularly traveled to visit with foreign government and business leaders to discuss ways to enhance trade and promote U.S. exports.

  Gutierrez played a key role in the passage of CAFTA-DR, a landmark agreement that strips away trade barriers, expands export opportunities and boosts hope and opportunity throughout Latin America. He also served as co-chair for the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba and was a strong advocate for the Bush Administration's policy of helping the Cuban people bring about their freedom from dictatorship. In addition, Gutierrez was also one of the President's point men working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation.

• Oct 21, 2010 - A Conversation with Khaled Hosseini
  

  Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.

  While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, in March of 2001. In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and has since become an international bestseller, published in 48 countries. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May of 2007. Currently, A Thousand Splendid Suns is published in 40 countries. Khaled has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation. The concept for The Khaled Hosseini Foundation was inspired by a trip to Afghanistan Khaled made in 2007 with the UNHCR. He lives in northern California.

• Apr 20, 2010 - A Conversation with the Wilsons
  

  The first to challenge the Bush administration on its purported intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq, Ambassador Joseph Wilson revealed in a July 2003 New York Times article that he had been asked by the CIA to look into allegations that the Iraqi government had attempted to purchase significant quantities of uranium yellowcake from the West African country of Niger.

  Wilson had been in charge of the American Embassy in Baghdad during the first Gulf War and later served as an ambassador in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He concluded there was no substance to the allegations - a conviction supported by others, including the American Ambassador to Niger and a four-star Marine Corps general.

  Within a week of his accusation that the White House "twisted" its intelligence to justify the Iraq invasion, his wife's secret status as a CIA agent was revealed by senior White House and State Department officials to several national journalists - including a syndicated conservative newspaper columnist who published her name. Valerie Plame Wilson, a longtime CIA covert operations officer involved in issues of counter-proliferation, then found herself at the heart of a political firestorm and in the middle of a Justice Department investigation that exposed what some dub an act of treason. The betrayal implicated senior administration officials, including President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and the Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage. For his role in the leak case, Libby was convicted on four counts of perjury, obstruction, and lying to federal investigators in March 2007.

  Together the husband wife team, whose story is scheduled to be released at the end of 2010 as a major motion picture starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, lay out the CIA leak controversy in an incisive and enlightening presentation. Drawing from the Wilson's memoir, The Politics of Truth, they take audiences inside two decades of world politics - from facing down Saddam Hussein to White House leaks. They share their views on the incredible events that led to Valerie Wilson's exposure, and what they claim was the unprecedented abuse of public trust by the Bush administration, and its efforts to silence a critic and subvert the right of citizens to exercise free speech.

• Nov 6, 2009 - Thomas Friedman - Author, The World is Flat
  

  Thomas Friedman appeared in both Evansville and Indianapolis on November 6. Since the publication of his book The World is Flat, Friedman has become the writer the public looks to for the straight talk and reliable information it needs about the world - especially when events seem too menacing to comprehend and policy discussions are clouded in a smokescreen of politics and posturing. Covering many of the monumental stories of recent decades, he has won three Pulitzer Prizes and been called "the country's best newspaper columnist" by Vanity Fair.

  His book, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America (Sept. '08), was a #1 New York Times bestseller. His previous bestseller, The World is Flat, has sold more than two million copies. His other bestsellers include Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism, The Lexus and the Olive Tree and From Beirut to Jerusalem, which serves as a basic text on the Middle East in colleges and universities nationwide and won the National Book Award. Friedman appears in his own segment, "Tom's Journal," on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and is a frequent guest on programs such as "Face the Nation" and "Charlie Rose". His TV documentaries, "Searching for the Roots of 9/11," "The Other Side of Outsourcing" and "Addicted to Oil," have aired on the Discovery Channel.

• Apr 16, 2009 - James Makawa - Co-founder, The Africa Channel
  

  James Makawa is the co-founder of The Africa Channel. Originally from Zimbabwe, Makawa is one of the few executives from Sub-Saharan Africa to have enjoyed a successful career in both local and network television in the United States. For more than a decade, he worked as a local news reporter and anchor with leading local stations before joining NBC News as a correspondent in New York and Chicago. Eventually, Makawa returned to South Africa and co-founded the African Barter Company (ABC), in partnership with Grey Advertising Worldwide. In 2000, after clearing hundreds of hours on TV stations across the continent reaching an audience topping 150 million, Makawa co-founded the African Broadcast Network, a pan African network of television stations with affiliates in 18 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

  Finally, Makawa returned to the United States to found The Africa Channel - a showcase for the African continent's most outstanding English language television series, specials, documentaries feature films, music, event specials, biographies, soap operas, current business analysis, cultural and historical programs. His goal was to create a station for shows that reflect the people of Africa, their incredible stories, their daily lives, their music and art, their successes, celebrations and challenges.

• Nov 13, 2008 - Al Hubbard - former economic advisor to President George W. Bush
  

  The Center for Innovation and Change at the University of Evansville was pleased to welcome Allan Hubbard, former economic advisor to President George W. Bush, to campus November 13.

  Hubbard, who served as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council from January 2005 until December 2007, spoke in UE's Neu Chapel on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:00 p.m. His appearance was part of the Institute's International Speaker Series, which earlier that year brought Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, to Indiana for a two-city event in Indianapolis and Evansville.

  Hubbard's talk at Neu Chapel was free and open to the public.

  "For three years, Allan Hubbard played an integral role in the shaping of the American economy and the international market," said Robert Clark, director of the Center for Innovation and Change and dean of UE's Schroeder School of Business in 2008. "At a difficult economic time, when every fluctuation of the market is front-page news, we are excited to offer our students, the UE community, and Evansville as a whole the opportunity to hear from someone who has been so intimately involved with the world market."

  Hubbard spoke in Neu Chapel about the American economy, its role in the world market, and his time advising the Bush administration.

  Before serving in the Bush administration, Hubbard served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice-President Dan Quayle - and as Executive Director of the President's Council on Competitiveness - from 1990-92. He also served on a number of for-profit and non-profit boards, including the WellPoint Corporation.

  Hubbard, who has a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. and J.D. from Harvard, currently is the chair of E&A Industries, Inc., which owns and operates a number of businesses.

• April 10, 2008 - Vincente Fox - Former Mexican President
  

  International Speaker Series lecturer Vicente Fox, President of Mexico from 2000 - 2006, visited Indiana on April 10, 2008. Fox spoke to a crowd of about 200 businessmen, educators, and politicians among others during a luncheon at the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis. Following that event, Fox traveled to Evansville where he delivered a lecture and answered the questions of University of Evansville students in a packed Shanklin Theatre. That evening, Fox spoke to over 1,200 people in a public presentation held at the Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville. Topics included his successful efforts in decreasing corruption and crime in Mexico as well as advancements in economic growth and public education which took place under his leadership.

  "We are honored that President Fox has chosen to join us in creating this very special, two-city event," said Robert Clark, dean of UE's Schroeder School of Business in 2008. "Obviously, we are excited to have such a major player on the world stage come to Indiana and bring his unique perspective on the global community to the Indianapolis and Evansville communities."

  Fox was elected President of Mexico in 2000, ending the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. While in office, he focused his many of his early efforts on improving trade relations with the US, calming civil unrest, and reducing corruption, crime, and drug trafficking. Early in his term, Fox made significant progress toward bilateral cooperation with the United States on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

  Interest in the United States stemmed from Fox's younger years, several of which he spent in this country. He was born in 1942 in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, and spent his youth in Mexico before coming to the United States and attending Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. He began his college career at Harvard before finishing his degree in Mexico.

  Upon graduation, he was hired by Coca-Cola as a route supervisor, and eventually promoted to the company's chief executive in Mexico. While in that position, in 1987, Fox was approached by the leaders of the National Action Party (PAN) and asked to run for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. He accepted the challenge and won in 1988. After serving three years in the chamber, he decided to run for governor of Guanajuato. It was a very controversial race, and he ended up coming in second. Over the next few years, Fox was politically inactive.

  Fox came out of political retirement in 1994 to rally the PAN. The rally proved successful for Fox. In 1995, he ran for governor again, and this time won with 59.8% of the vote. After his victory, he tried to get the PAN to shed its conservative image and embrace a more moderate social welfare position. In 1998, Fox announced he would seek the PAN nomination for the presidency in the 2000.

• Nov 29, 2007 - Globalization with Local Applications: An Executive Panel Discussion

  The Center for Innovation and Change hosted its final installment of our 2007 International Speaker Series featuring three prominent leaders of local business.

  Robert Koch II, president and chief executive officer of Koch Enterprises; Steve Golsby, president of Mead Johnson Nutritionals; and Dan Miller, executive vice president of Kimball International discussed and examined the impact of globalization on the local economy through the lenses of their companies.

  To learn more about this event, read "Execs extoll virtues of globalization."

• Oct 25, 2007 - James McGregor- Author, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business In China
  

  James L. McGregor, author of One Billion Customers: Lessons From the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, is a journalist-turned-businessman who has lived in China for nearly two decades. He is the founder and chairman of JL McGregor & Company LLC, a boutique research, advisory, corporate finance and investment partnership focused on China. Mr. McGregor also serves as Senior China Advisor for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide; is a senior advisor on China matters for executive search firm Spencer Stuart; and is a Senior Director of Stonebridge International LLC, an international strategic advisory firm headed by former U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger.

  From 2000 until 2003, Mr. McGregor was a partner and the China managing director for GIV Venture Partners, a $140 million venture capital fund specializing in technology investments in China and India. McGregor was a pioneer of the Chinese Internet, serving as an advisor to many Chinese Internet startups and as a board member of Sohu.com during the company's NASDAQ listing. From 1994 to 2000, Mr. McGregor was chief executive of Dow Jones & Co. in China, and a vice-president in the Dow Jones International Group. In that role for Dow Jones, starting with himself and one assistant, Mr. McGregor built a portfolio of media businesses in China that employed some 150 Chinese professionals with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

  Mr. McGregor's China career began in 1985 when he backpacked through China to explore the country and decide if he wanted to learn Mandarin and focus on being a journalist in China. At the time, Mr. McGregor was a reporter on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. for Knight-Ridder Newspapers. His interest in Asia began at age 18 when he served as an infantry soldier in Vietnam. Mr. McGregor's 1985 trip to China convinced him that China would be the most interesting place in the world during his lifetime. In 1987, he and his wife Cathy, both age 33, sold their belongings and moved to Taipei, Taiwan, with two suitcases each and began studying Mandarin. Mr. McGregor established a freelance news service, and within six months was hired as The Asia Wall Street Journal Taiwan bureau chief. In 1990, Mr. McGregor moved to Beijing as The Wall Street Journal China bureau chief.

  In 1996, Mr. McGregor was Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. He also served for a decade as a Governor of that organization. Mr. McGregor is a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations; a member of the International Council of the Asia Society; and he serves on a variety of China-related advisory boards. Mr. McGregor speaks and reads Chinese. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

  Mr. McGregor is a frequent public speaker and television commentator on China. He is regularly interviewed by the major network nightly newscasts, as well as by CNBC, CNN, PBS, NPR and BBC. He also has appeared on many public affairs shows, ranging from Nightline to Firing Line.

• Mar 22, 2007 - David E. Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
  

  International Speaker Series lecturer David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times gave talks to several audiences while he visited the University of Evansville. Sanger spoke in a public lecture to a crowd of about 325, had lunch with honors students and spent time speaking to students in a question and answer event in Wheeler Concert Hall.

• Oct 24, 2006 - Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and Dame Commander of the British Empire

  Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and Dame Commander of the British Empire, spoke at the Victory Theatre about her entrepreneurial work with her company, now in 50 different markets serving 77 million customers.

• Sep 26, 2006 - Carol Moseley Braun, former presidential candidate, U.S. Senator and Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa

  Carol Moseley Braun, former presidential candidate, U.S. Senator and Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, spoke at the Victory Theatre on September 26, 2006 as a part of the University's International Speaker Series. Braun, founder of Ambassador Organics, discussed the merits of organic food not only to the United States where there is plenty, but to the world where many survive on very little food per day.

• Apr 5, 2006 - James Farley, Vice President of Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, USA

  International Speaker Series lecturer James Farley, Vice President of Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S. A. told the audience at The Centre on April 5, 2006 about the unveiling of the Scion and how he chose to market the car for progressive consumers through unconventional mediums. Kenny Kent had several examples of the Scion and other Toyota brands at the event on display.

• Feb 16, 2006 - Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield
  

  Neither torrential rains nor tornado watches deterred those who wanted to see and hear Ben & Jerry talk at the Centre Auditorium. Approximately 1,200 individuals turned out on February 16, 2006 for the kick off event in the International Speaker Series at UE.

  Free ice cream was had by anyone who wanted ice cream at the event. Individuals were treated to many of the company's trademark flavors including Cherry Garcia, Cookie Dough and Half Baked.

• Oct 12, 2005 - Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine President and CEO
  

  Forbes Magazine President and CEO Steve Forbes, was on campus October 12 and spent time speaking to students in a question and answer event in Shanklin Theatre. Later in the evening, Forbes spoke in a public lecture to a crowd of about 1,400 at the Victory Theatre. This lecture was presented through the International Speaker Series.

• Sept 15, 2005 - Robert L Koch - President and CEO of Koch Enterprises Inc

  Robert L. Koch II, President and CEO of Koch Enterprises Inc shared his story of "International Inroads" on September 15, 2005. Koch, a UE Trustee, explained how his Evansville-based, family-owned company that oversees the production of die castings, sealants, paint finishing systems and more -- now has operations in Mexico, Brazil, Hungary, England, Germany and South Korea. He discussed how important changing with the times is to the success of a company.

  Among the many honors and awards he has received, Koch was named the Business Leader of the Year by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce in 2002. Koch's company is now in its fourth generation of family ownership and was celebrating its 131st year of operation in 2005.

• Apr 14, 2005 - Paco Underhill - the world's most sought-after retail marketing expert

  Paco Underhill , the world's most sought-after retail marketing expert, got up-close and personal with students on April 14, 2005, prior to his public address through the International Speaker Series at The Centre. One of the tips he shared with students is to remain open to opportunities and not to pigeon-hole themselves into a singe career option.

• Aug 17, 2004 - Senator Richard Lugar - the longest serving U.S. Senator in Indiana history
  

  Senator Richard Lugar, the longest serving U.S. Senator in Indiana history, was the inaugural speaker in the University of Evansville's 2004-05 Center for Innovation and Change's International Speaker Series August 17, 2004.

  Lugar addressed the "Changing World Environment" today and how college students must prepare for the future they are about to enter.

  Lugar is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a member and former chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 and won a fifth term in 2000, his third consecutive victory by a two-third majority.

  Prior to his run for the Senate, Lugar served for two terms as the mayor of Indianapolis.

  Lugar has been a leader in reducing the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Through the bipartisan Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program created in 1991, more than 6,000 nuclear warheads have been deactivated. Following 9/11, Lugar crafted a document defining his vision for the U.S. direction in war for years to come. It states: "The United States will use all of its military, diplomatic and economic power - without question - to ensure that life threatening weapons of mass destruction everywhere are accounted, contained and hopefully destroyed. Additionally, the Lugar Doctrine asserts that the U.S. should encourage democratic institutions and decrease dependence on foreign energy sources."

  On July 22, following the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, Lugar noted that the report is a useful historical document. "More importantly, the President, the Congress and all U.S. and international institutions engaged in the war on terror, must focus on the future. The Commission makes many recommendations - including expansion of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program - that will need to be considered, along with steps already taken since 9/11."

  Lugar said the top priority is that all weapons and materials of mass destruction must be identified, continuously guarded and systematically destroyed, to keep them out of the hands of terrorists. "Additionally, the U.S. must strengthen our public diplomacy and build alliances. We must promote democracy and commerce, thus dampening the desperate economic conditions that frequently lead to political resentment in the developing world and create a climate conducive to terrorist philosophies," Lugar stated.