Kissinger named SPEC fall speaker

The man some have credited with ending the Vietnam War is coming to Penn.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger - a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize - will speak at Irvine Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

"With the upcoming elections and current political situation, Kissinger will definitely have worthwhile things to say," said College senior Gregg Geffen, co-director of SPEC Connaissance, which co-sponsors the fall speaker along with the Provost's Spotlight Series.

Kissinger served as secretary of state during the Nixon and Ford administrations, and received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. He is now the chairman of Kissinger Associates, a New York-based international consulting firm.

Geffen believes Kissinger will offer unique insights because "he can use his historical experience working in government alongside presidents and translate that to current events" such as the war in Iraq.

In addition, event planners believe Kissinger's name will be an important factor in drawing a large audience.

"First of all, he's got great name recognition," said College junior Max Cancre, co-director of SPEC Connaissance. "He offers more than 30 years of experience in politics and people know what he's done for the U.S. His opinions have been respected for a long time."

Professor Avery Goldstein, chairman of Penn's Political Science department, will moderate the event, according to Geffen.

In addition, planners expect to devote 40 minutes of the hour-and-a-half session to questions from the audience.

"We want to make sure students' questions are answered and that we cover all the topics people will want to talk about," Cancre said.

Although he believes the event will appeal especially to international-relations, political-science and history buffs, "anybody who is at all interested in the upcoming elections and international politics stands to gain a lot from this event," Cancre said.

Lee Kramer, associate director of student life and SPEC's adviser, agrees.

"We're targeting the whole Penn community, and people of all ages," Kramer said.

According to Kramer, SPEC Connaissance began planning the event in late April, when they sent out bids to potential fall speakers.

SPEC Connaissance partners with the Office of the Provost as well as various student groups to co-sponsor a number of similar events throughout the year.

With this event, "Connaissance is really optimistic that we can fill Irvine," Kramer said.

And it seems like students - at least political junkies - will be eager to hear Kissinger speak.

"Even though I don't necessarily agree with Kissinger's views on everything, he's definitely an important and controversial figure that I would like to hear," said College senior Terra Gearhart, a political science major. "I think there will be a mixed response and that this will spark a lot of debate, but that's a good thing."

An online lottery for the 1,260 available seats begins today and will run through Nov. 2 at Specevents.net. Tickets will be issued from Nov. 6 to 8 and will cost $5 for all PennCard holders.