Kerrey to speak at UM

ORONO – Bob Kerrey, president of New School University and former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator, will visit the University of Maine on Tuesday, Nov. 9, to deliver UMaine’s second Governor’s Distinguished Lecture.

A collaborative effort of UMaine and the Maine governor’s office, the Governor’s Distinguished Lecture Series brings to UMaine a governor or former governor who has expertise in international politics. Last year’s speaker was New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

UMaine President Robert Kennedy and Maine Gov. John Baldacci will introduce Kerrey at the event, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Maine Center for the Arts. Baldacci and Kerrey worked closely together when they were members of Congress.

Kerrey was Nebraska’s governor for four years before his election to the U.S. Senate in 1988. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1994 but chose not to run again in 2000, instead assuming the presidency of New School University in New York City.

UMaine President Robert Kennedy said: “He has an enviable record as one of the most distinguished public servants of the past two decades. He is an educator in the true sense of the word, and we anticipate a talk that will add measurably to our collective understanding of important national and world issues.”

Kerrey, who served as vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was the unanimous choice of the lecture series committee. Beyond his role as university president, he has played a leadership role in a bipartisan congressional Web-based education commission.

Kerrey served as a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, better known as the 9-11 Commission. The commission interviewed more than 1,200 people in 10 countries and reviewed more than 2.5 million pages of documentation. The commission’s report is No. 2 on the New York Times best seller list, and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

It provides a serious analysis of the issues relating to the terrorist threat and a framework for public policy discussions about terrorism. That experience will provide the context for Kerrey’s UMaine talk which will be titled “Inside the 9/11 Commission: How Safe Were We? How Safe Are We? How Safe Can We Be?”

“The chapter on the ‘Foundation of the New Terrorism’ is well balanced and objective, and one of the best summaries of the rise of Bin Laden and Al Qaida I have read so far,” said Professor Bahman Baktiari, director of UMaine’s International Affairs Program.

The event is free and open to the public, with no advance ticket required. Seating will be limited, so those planning to attend are asked to plan to arrive early. Doors will open at 10 a.m.