Distinguished Speaker Series

The George E. McCammon Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series challenges students to examine key issues facing our society and apply the tools of their liberal arts curriculum as they search for truth and enlightenment.

In 1998, Class of 1925 alumnus George A. McCammon established the George E. McCammon Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series at McKendree with an endowed gift in honor of his father, Dr. George E. McCammon. Dr. McCammon served as a Methodist minister for 18 years before he became president of McKendree College in 1919.

Like his father, Mr. McCammon believed that significant learning is not limited to the classroom. With this gift to McKendree in his father’s honor, he created a forum for the exchange of ideas that occurs outside the classroom.

Tickets are free for the Distinguished Speakers Series, but reservations are required.

 

Jeannette Walls: Distinguished Speaker Series

Wednesday, October 16, 2013, @ 7:30 p.m. - SOLD OUT!

The former MSNBC.com celebrity gossip columnist became a bestselling author in 2005 with The Glass Castle, a memoir of her extremely poor, nomadic and unconventional childhood.

 

 

Kal Penn: Distinguished Speaker Series

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, @ 7:30 p.m.

The actor (“House,” the “Harold and Kumar” comedies, “The Namesake”) put his successful career on hold when President Obama asked him to serve in the White House as an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement.

 

 

Temple Grandin: Distinguished Speaker Series

Friday, February 28, 2014, @ 7:30 p.m. - SOLD OUT!

An author, advocate and educator, the remarkable Dr. Grandin channeled her experiences as a person with autism to revolutionize the way livestock are treated at packing facilities.

 

 

David J.R. Frakt: Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow

Monday, April 21, 2014, @ 7:30 p.m.

A lawyer, law professor and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps Reserve, he is a highly regarded expert in the field of international war crimes and military law.