His speech covered a wide range of topics, from mercury-poisoned fish to the need for a national grid to supply our nation with alternative energy sources.

“We need a grid that can intelligently deploy solar (power) at night and wind during the day,” he said.

Kennedy was named one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping environmental watchdog organization Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. He was brought to CMU by the Speaker Series for $35,000.

Kennedy said eliminating people’s carbon needs and developing alternative energy sources would lead to an explosion of economic growth. He cited similar cases in Iceland, Sweden, Costa Rica and Brazil.

“We don’t need to abolish carbon to discover that our addiction to it is the principal drag on our economy,” he said.

California recently made its energy more efficient, Kennedy said. Now, California uses 6,000 kilowatt hours of energy a year in electricity and other forms of energy, while Michigan doubles that number at 13,000 kilowatt hours a year.

The Great Plains and prairie states can provide the wind power, and southwestern states can provide the solar power to run the country. But the nation needs a grid that can stretch across the nation and use these types of energy.

“This is not about the destruction of the environment,” he said. “It’s about the subversion of American democracy. Today, we’re going to be building things that provide prosperity.”

The Kennedy name

Students and Mount Pleasant residents alike came out to hear Kennedy’s speech.

Fruitport graduate student Gabe Kuchar said he liked Kennedy’s style, as he cracked jokes and went off track occasionally.

“He was up there talking and didn’t seem to have a structure,” he said. “It was good. He had ideas, but could go off on tangents to tell a story and help his argument.”

The Kennedy name was a big drawing point for students. Kennedy is the son of Robert Kennedy, a former presidential candidate assassinated in 1968, and the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy.

“I wanted to hear someone intelligent and well-respected,” said Beverly Hills freshman Kate Kelly. “I think it’s really cool to have someone this passionate.”
Brighton freshman Colleen McNeely said Kennedy’s name and reputation as an environmentalist drew her to his speech, but his ideas were what stood out.

“It really resonated with me,” she said. “He spoke about information that students really need to know.”

Duval said she does not have a lot of knowledge about global warming and hopes that attending Kennedy’s speech will help her understand it better.

“I feel like people don’t really care about the environment,” she said. “It’s not their number one concern, but I think (Kennedy’s speech) will make them more aware.”

Kennedy will speak about current environmental issues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

Issues he will discuss include global warming and population growth, said Keith Voeks, assistant director of University Events.

Kennedy’s speech will kick off this year’s Speaker Series.

“We expect it to be one of our best attended speakers this year,” Voeks said. “We encourage people to get out on Thursday night to see what a great member of our society has to say about our environment.”

About him

Kennedy was named one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping environmental watchdog organization Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group’s achievement helped spawn more than 160 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe, according to his biography.

In 2009, he was named one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Agents of Change.”

Director of University Events Bob Ebner expects a very positive outcome from Kennedy’s speech.

Since Kennedy will speak about energy dependence and creating jobs, Ebner said he believes it is the right timing for what Michigan’s economy is experiencing.

“His speech will be very fascinating,” he said.

The event is co-sponsored by the President’s Office and Provost’s Office. Admission is free.

Tickets are required for those planning to attend and are available through the Central Box Office in the Bovee University Center.

Interim Provost Gary Shapiro thinks the university should look forward to Kennedy’s visit.

“Our students and our faculty need to have the ability to interact with nationally known figures,” he said.

Focusing on the environment

Kennedy’s speech, titled, “Green gold rush: A vision for energy, independence, jobs and national wealth,” will cover the importance of creating a green economy and the many solutions it may have on the multiple challenges faced in the environment today.

He will discuss the need for a cultivated and well-composed energy policy that would help reduce energy costs and national debt while shaping America into a better country.

“The environment is a hot topic now,” Voeks said. “(Speaker Series) is not only excited about his visit, but also about his message on the environment that he’s going to deliver.”

The series was able to put forth $35,000 from last year’s funding to bring Robert Kennedy Jr. to speak at Central Michigan University Nov. 19.

“Last year, the President’s Office and the Provost’s Office each contributed $20,000 to make it possible to bring highly sought after, nationally and internationally recognizable speakers to campus,” said Steve Smith, director of public relations.

The Speakers Series has not met as a committee yet and will not until next Wednesday, so any discussions of funding are premature at this point, Smith said.

The series lost its regular funding in 2003, said Director of University Events Bob Ebner.

“For a couple of years, we struggled and didn’t have any speakers at all,” he said.

That led to the president and provost assisting the Speaker Series for several years, Ebner said.

“Funding was never certain during (2006 to 2009),” said Librarian and Bibliographer of Clarke Historical Library John Fierst, former Speaker Series chairman.

A need for funding

Salman Rushdie and retired Gen. Wesley Clark spoke at CMU during Fierst’s time as chairman from 2006 to this year. Funding for both speakers came from the former President Michael Rao’s office and many other places, including various deans.

Earlier this year, series chairwoman and Communication and dramatic arts professor Jill Taft-Kaufman sent a request to receive funding from the university’s budget to the Academic Senate.

Philip Squattrito, Academic Senate chairman, said the Academic Senate agrees with the need for funding of the series but, at this time, only endorses the idea of providing greater funding.

“My recollection is the Senate agreed with the need,” he said. “(But) the university has to decide.”

The Speaker Series would like to bring national and internationally known speakers to campus, rather than several small speakers throughout the year, Taft-Kaufman said.

“We’re going to want to bring in at least one noted speaker that is well-known,” she said.

Robert Kennedy Jr. will speak Nov. 19 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium about energy reform and the environment. For students, this marks the return of speakers that can be inspirational and full of experiences worth sharing.

The Speaker Series has brought many memorable speakers to Central Michigan University from a multitude of backgrounds. Writer Salman Rushdie came last fall and spoke of the fatwa placed on him by Islamic leaders. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark spoke in 2007 of his military experience.

With the recent death of Edward Kennedy, Robert Kennedy Jr. is now left to be head of the family dynasty. His work on the environment and his push for energy reform sets him aside from other Kennedys, a family deeply rooted in American politics.

Kennedy is a perfect speaker to bring to CMU. As the school is attempting to reduce carbon emissions and create more ‘green’ buildings on campus, Kennedy can offer a lot of insight on what steps CMU should take. At the very least, he will inspire some students to change the world around them.

His topic of the environment and new sources of energy may be one of the most prevalent issues that our generation will have to face. President Barack Obama has said renewable energy is one of his to priorities; Kennedy will give students an insight on what they should expect in the near future.

Although the Speaker Series did well in securing Kennedy, Plachta Auditorium, at 1,200 seats, is not the venue of choice for his speech. It does not have adequate seating for a large audience. Many people are expected to attend this event and inadequate seating could sour the speech for students.

When Demetri Martin came to CMU last spring, Rose Arena provided more than enough seating and could be heard clearly by the students. The screens behind Martin also allowed students to see him from every angle no matter where they were seated.
Rose Arena was provided for an entertainer; Kennedy is a speaker with an important message, and deserves the same platform Martin had. Hopefully the Speaker Series will move Kennedy and give him the space he needs.

CMU is doing a good service for students by continuing the Speaker Series. The series brought distinguished individuals to campus and is continuing this tradition by hosting Kennedy.

Students are encouraged to come Nov. 19 and listen to his ideas.

Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s nephew, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium about the environment in a speech titled, “Green gold rush; A vision for energy, independence, jobs and national wealth,” as part of the Speaker Series.

“He’s so much into the environment and it’s such a strong issue now,” said Bob Ebner, director of University Events. “He’s such a well-respected speaker for that topic.”

The Speaker Series paid $35,000 to bring Kennedy to CMU.

In 2009, he was named one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Agents of Change.” He serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and is a partner in the clean tech work of Silicon Valley’s VantagePoint Ventures, according to a biography from the Speaker Series.

Still going

For more than three decades, the Speaker Series has given students, staff and the community an opportunity to network with many speakers. Although the series experienced a three-year hiatus from 2003-06 and another hiatus in 2008-09, the committee is still functioning.

“Speaker Series has had the opportunity to bring speakers of national and international note,” said Jill Taft-Kaufman, chairman of the committee and professor of communication and dramatic arts.

The most recent speakers were Salman Rushdie, who came to CMU in October 2008, and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who spoke in April 2007. Rushdie was originally supposed to speak in the spring of 2008, but pushed his speech back to the fall of 2008 because of a book he was promoting.

“The Speaker Series is meant to balance the academic part of learning,” said Paul Pridgeon, a Montgomery alumnus who was a student member of the committee in the fall of 2007.

The Speaker Series leans more towards individuals with high education and academic background, Ebner said.

“The enhancement they’ve offered by not only what they say, but the wealth of richness and experience they provide and demonstrate have inspired us to think about the past, present and the future,” Taft-Kaufman said.

The committee consists of eight faculty members from various departments and three students. The Speaker Series was funded by regular line-item budget until August 2003, Taft-Kaufman said. The committee was put on suspension because of budget issues. Since then, former University President Michael Rao, his office, the office of the Provost and various deans have funded the series.

Looking for funds

One of the committee’s main goals is to obtain a regular line-item budget status. The committee also would like to have a set list of speakers.

“It’s difficult to plan for the year, but it doesn’t necessarily hinder what the committee does,” Pridgeon said.

A lot of energy is being put into finding funds for the possible speakers and not for the speakers themselves, so the search has been difficult, Ebner said. Before the series’ funds were cut, the committee scheduled about four speakers per semester. Since 2006, there have only been a few speakers because of insufficient funds and the increasing prices of speakers, he said.

“Speakers are so expensive nowadays compared to how they used to be,” Ebner said.

The Speaker Series has completed a petition for the Academic Senate for a budget to help carry on the series. Speakers for the rest of the year have yet to be determined.

Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s nephew, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium about the environment in a speech titled, “Green gold rush; A vision for energy, independence, jobs and national wealth,” as part of the Speaker Series.

“He’s so much into the environment and it’s such a strong issue now,” said Bob Ebner, director of University Events. “He’s such a well-respected speaker for that topic.”

In 2009, he was named one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Agents of Change.” And Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, president of Waterkeeper Alliance and is a partner in the clean tech work of Silicon Valley’s VantagePoint Ventures, according to a biography from the Speaker’s Series.

It cost the Speaker Series $35,000 to bring Kennedy to CMU.

Check cm-life.com for more updates on this story.