Kent State’s Stark Campus kicks off this year’s Featured Speaker Series with an upcoming visit from Ben Stein, the well-known actor, writer, lawyer and college professor.

Stein will present his speech “Free at Last: What’s Right with America” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Timken Great Hall of the Professional Education and Conference Center at the Stark campus. Stein will be available for a book signing after the presentation.

“Having speakers of this caliber on campus brings community leaders to campus and increases the university’s prestige and visibility in the region,” Stark Campus Dean Betsy Boze said.

All presentations in the series, including the Stein speech, are free and open to the community. There are no tickets required, but seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Pamela Bash, the senior development associate at the Stark campus and the coordinator of this year’s Featured Speaker Series, said that if the hall is filled, people will be able to sit in other rooms and watch the presentation through video conferencing.

Bash said after Stein’s presentation, audience members can come up to the microphone and ask questions.

In preparation for the book signing that will take place after the presentation, Stein’s books will be on sale outside the Stark campus’ bookstore both before and after the speech.

Stein is the first speaker highlighted in this year’s speaker series at the Stark campus. Bash said the featured speaker program is in its fourteenth year.

“The campus here at Kent State Stark really wants this to be our gift to the community,” Bash said. “Being a regional campus, we serve our community, and this is a way to give back to them and to encourage them to come on the campus and see what’s exciting and interesting.

“We also feel that it’s our job to inspire and educate our community members and provide them the opportunity to learn about a more global society.”

The speaker series not only provides opportunities for community members to broaden their horizons, but the students at the Stark campus benefit from the program.

“The Featured Speaker Series provides opportunities for Kent Stark students to listen to and interact with some of the most influential speakers in their fields,” Boze said.

The series will continue with speeches throughout the academic year. Scheduled presentations include:

ƒ-S Jonathan Kozol on Dec. 7. The educator and author will discuss his latest book The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America.

ƒ-S Anderson Cooper on Feb. 21. The anchor of the CNN news program “Anderson Cooper 360Aø” will present a speech by the same name.

ƒ-S Harry Paul on March 15. The author will discuss his best-selling book Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results.

All presentations in the series will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Timken Great Hall at the Stark campus.

Contact regional campus reporter Rebekah Mosora at [email protected].