News Release

The Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium will begin its 38th year at The Johns Hopkins University with a speech by political strategist and CNN commentator James Carville on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. in the Shriver Hall Auditorium on the university's Homewood campus. The speech is free and open to the public.

Carville, who masterminded the 1992 presidential campaign for Bill Clinton, is the first of six speakers in this year's symposium, "American Mass Media: Redefining the Democratic Landscape," which will look at the role the media plays today in various aspects of society. In addition to the speaker series, the symposium also features a workshop on broadcast journalism with Fox 45 reporter Jennifer Gilbert on Oct. 11 and a student debate on Nov. 9.

Established in 1967 to honor the university's eighth president, the annual MSE Symposium is an undergraduate-run lecture series, free and open to the public, that brings to campus renowned speakers with a variety of perspectives on issues of national importance. The symposium has drawn a roster of luminaries that includes Nelson Mandela, Aaron Copland, Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou, Spike Lee, Charlton Heston, Carl Bernstein, George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy, Russell Simmons, Pat Robinson, Bob Woodward, Patricia Ireland, Wesley Clark, Isaac Asimov, Antonin Scalia and Jerry Springer.

The symposium is entirely managed by undergraduates. This year's co-chairs are seniors Emilie Adams, a political science major from Potomac, Md.; William Ares, a psychology major from Malverne, N.Y.; and Garvey Rene, an economics major from Miami. The chairs receive some funding from Student Council and raise the balance from university departments, corporations and foundations. They are also responsible for everything else, a daunting array of tasks that include booking auditoriums; arranging for hotels, dinners, and receptions for the guests; securing the sound system; and publicizing the series.

Carville leads off this year's series. Known for his colorful debating style (and marriage to Republican strategist Mary Matalin), Carville is a political commentator on CNN, where he now holds down the liberal left in debates on Inside Politics. A complete bio is available online at www.carville.info/.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A reception in the Clipper Room will follow the lecture.

The coming weeks will bring other prominent guests from various fields to the Homewood campus. The following lectures are at 8 p.m. in Shriver Hall unless noted. High resolution digital photos of each speaker are available by e-mailing amycowles@jhu.edu.

Wednesday, Oct. 5. "Building Grassroots Campaigns," presented by Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Tuesday, Oct. 18. "Public Interest in Alternative Media," presented by Fox News commentator and New York Post columnist Dick Morris.

Wednesday, Nov. 2. "Polling and Politics," presented by Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport.

Tuesday, Nov. 15. "Medicine and Hollywood," presented by Neal Baer, executive producer of Law and Order: SVU.

Tuesday, Nov. 29. "Feminism vs. Conservatism," presented by civil rights activist and author Phyllis Schlafly.

Each lecture lasts approximately 45 minutes and is followed by a question-and-answer period and a reception where guests mingle with members of the audience. As in the past, the MSE Symposium is expected to draw thousands of people.

For more information, contact the MSE Symposium office at 410-516-7683, A. Garvey Rene at (305) 742-1340, or contact Amy Cowles in the Office of News and Information, 443-287-9960. The MSE Symposium Web site is www.jhu.edu/mse.