America in a State of Change is Subject of Distinguished Lecturer Series at William Paterson University

--Single tickets currently available for all lectures at Shea Center Box Office.

Changes in government, politics and business are under discussion this year as speakers from a wide range of arenas appear as part of the 23rd season of the University's Distinguished Lecturer Series beginning in October.

Under a new policy to make the Series more accessible, single tickets are currently available at the Shea Center Box Office and may be purchased for all lectures immediately. Discounted tickets for University faculty, staff and alumni are $24. Subscriptions for the series are $105; $35 for William Paterson students. To purchase tickets, please call the box office at x2371. All lectures begin at 8 p.m. in Shea Center.

Anna Deavere Smith, playwright, actor and professor, opens the series on October 11. Deavere Smith has made a name for herself in the theater through her performance pieces, which explore issues of race, community and character. In 1996 she was awarded a prestigious MacArthur "genius" Fellowship for "creating a new brand of theater-a blend of theatrical art, social commentary, journalism and intimate reverie." She has also appeared on television in "The West Wing," and this season is starring in the new CBS series "Presidio Med." She is the founder of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue based at Harvard. Deavere Smith is a tenured professor in the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, with an affiliation at the NYU School of Law.

Stansfield Turner, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Louis Freeh, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, discuss homeland security on November 22. Turner, as CIA director, and Freeh, as director of the FBI, have many years of experience between them heading huge agencies charged with protecting America and her citizens. After a long career in the Navy, where he earned the rank of admiral, Turner was named to the CIA by President Jimmy Carter. He has taught at Yale University, West Point, and in 1991, he joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland at College Park. President Bill Clinton appointed Freeh director of the FBI. A lawyer, he began his career in law enforcement as an FBI special agent. Freeh held various positions in the New York City U. S. Attorneys Office including Deputy United States Attorney; he was also appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District in New York. Freeh now serves as senior vice chairman for administration at MBNA Corporation, the largest independent credit card lender in the world, overseeing legal affairs, and is responsible for personnel, facilities, security and transportation functions.

Terrorism and threats to America are topics of discussion on February 14 for Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who retires from the U.S. Senate in January 2003. Thompson has had an eclectic career which includes politics, the law, and acting. He is a member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction on taxes and the Social Security and Medicare programs. He is also a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the National Security Working Group, which observes and monitors executive branch negotiations with foreign governments. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, which promotes improved understanding of international affairs.

Financial services visionary Christos M. Cotsakos, chairman of the board and CEO of E*TRADE Group, Inc., will present a lecture on changing the rules of engagement on March 28. A William Paterson alumnus-he graduated in 1973-Cotsakos is considered one of the visionaries and architects of e-commerce, e-finance and digital financial media. His unique leadership style has transformed a struggling online trading company: to a full service financial services industry leader. His book, It's Your Money, The E*TRADE Step-by-Step Guide to Online Investing, was a national bestseller with all the proceeds going to charity.

The Capitol Steps, a comedy group that pokes fun at politicians in Washington and beyond, concludes the series on May 2. Consisting of Capitol Hill staffers, the group has built a reputation for irreverent humor based on the proposition that if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers. Truly bipartisan, they lampoon both Democrats and Republicans with their light-hearted satire. They have produced 18 comedy albums, have been featured on three PBS specials and can be heard on National Public Radio.

# # #