Public Lecture Series

Thomas M. Hoenig has been president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City since 1991, directing Federal Reserve activities in the tenth Federal Reserve District. He is the senior member of the Federal Reserve System's Federal Open Market Committee, the key body with authority over national monetary policy in the United States.

To watch Hoenig's lecture, click here.

Robert Herndon, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and KU School of Business graduate, delivered the Anderson Chandler Lecture, "CLuEs from the Convicts: Life Lessons on Character, Leadership, and Ethics from the files of the FBI," on December 1 at 7 p.m. at the Lied Center of Kansas. Herndon was a key officer in the investigation that is now the basis for the Warner Bros. movie The Informant, starring Matt Damon.

Bill Graves, President and CEO of American Trucking Associations and former Governor of Kansas, spoke at the University of Kansas on Thursday, Feb. 26. His lecture focused on how the transportation of goods would be affected by the economy.

To watch Graves' lecture, click here.

Andrew J. Jetter, President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka (FHLBank Topeka), was the guest speaker at the 2008 Anderson Chandler Lecture series on October 28. He addressed crucial issues such as the current mortgage crisis and the effect it might have on lending practices in the future. In addition to the lecture, Mr. Jetter was also making a presentation to a Graduate Accounting class at the School of Business and attending a roundtable luncheon and discussion with a group of regional bankers.

To watch Jetter's lecture, click here.

Sheila Bair, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and KU alumnus, was the guest speaker at the 2007 Anderson Chandler Lecture Series on September 17th. Bair addressed timely financial topics including sub-prime mortgages, pay-day loans and the financial literacy of saving, spending and not wasting money. The lecture capped off a full day of events including a banker's round-table and a question and answer session with MBA students.

To watch Bair's lecture, click here.

Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Co., gave the 2007 Anderson Chandler Lecture, sponsored by the University of Kansas School of Business, in conjunction with the Engineering Distinguished Lectureship, sponsored by the School of Engineering. Mulally's lecture, titled "Working Together," took place on Monday, April 16th, at the Lied Center.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation CEO Matthew Rose gave the address for the 2006 Anderson Chandler Lecture Series on September 12. The lecture began at 7:00 p.m. at The Lied Center of Kansas. The title of his speech was "Future Transportation Crisis." The lecture was free to the public.

To watch Rose's lecture, click here.

Michael Powell, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spoke about "The Digital Revolution" at the Anderson Chandler Lecture Series, presented by the KU School of Business. The lecture was held on September 28th at the Lied Center.

Jim Haines, CEO, Westar Energy, Topeka, KS, presented "Corporate Governance, Business Ethics, and Individual Responsibility" as the Fall 2004 Anderson Chandler Lecture. The Business School hosted the eighth lecture in the series, begun in 1997, on Monday, November 8, 7:30 p.m. at The Lied Center of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.

David Broder, national political correspondent for The Washington Post, syndicated columnist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, presented the Anderson Chandler Lecture on March 17th. Broder, whose column is carried in over 300 newspapers around the globe, discussed "The Political and Economic Challenges in 2004" at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center, Lawrence. The lecture was free and open to the public.

Robert Novak, political commentator and nationally syndicated columnist, was the guest speaker at the 2002 Anderson Chandler Lecture Series offered by the KU School of Business.

Wayne Angell, chief economist at Bear, Stearns & Co. and member of the Federal Reserve Board for 14 years, delivered the Chandler Lecture at KU. Angell concentrated on monetary policy, which is set by the Federal Reserve System. He said he realized early in life that monetary policy is more than an abstract concept; it deeply affects our lives.

Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes magazine, discussed Winners and Losers in the New Economy. Karlgaard told attendees to plan for a world shaped by entrepreneurship and a continued expansion of the "new economy."

Edward Whitacre delivered the 1999 Chandler Lecture the day after SBC offered $6 billion to make Southwestern Bell the leading Internet provider. When the government realized the industry was changing at a rate outstripping efforts at control, it passed the 1996 Telecommunications Act. This created the competitive environment of today, which required companies to share fiber optic networks, creating more choices for consumers.

Philip M. Condit, CEO of the Boeing Company, presented the 1998 Chandler lecture. Condit said there are some crucial dimensions of business that would be improved if schools produced engineering graduates who understood economics and business graduates who understood technology. Condit spoke on Change and Challenge: Engineering the 21st Century. Under Condit's leadership, the Boeing Company grew to be the world's largest aerospace firm, with more than 230,000 employees and customers in 150 countries. In 1997, the company was the largest exporter in the United States. Condit earned a masters degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley; a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton and a masters degree in management from MIT. In 1997, he earned a doctorate in engineering from Science University of Tokyo, the first westerner to earn such a degree.

Earl G. Graves, author of the book How to Succeed in Business Without being White, gave the inaugural Anderson Chandler Lecture. Graves is an internationally recognized authority on entrepreneurship and Black business development. He is president and CEO of Earl G. Graves Ltd., parent corporation of Black Enterprise magazine.

The School of Business is pleased to announce Best Buy's Chief Ethics Officer Kathleen Edmond as the 2010 Sutton Ethics Lecture speaker. Edmond is a graduate of The University of Minnesota School of Law and holds an MBA in Business Ethics from The University of Saint Thomas. The lecture will be held Wed., March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Woodruff Auditorium at the Kansas Union. The lecture is free and open to the public.

To watch Edmond's lecture, click here.

The 2009 annual Sutton Lecture, "Sustainable Business: Innovation and Design Inspired by Nature," was sponsored by the KU International Center for Ethics in Business, the KU School of Business and the KU Net Impact student organization. The KU Student Senate and Department of Design also provided support for the lecture, which took place on April 20, 2009 and was held in the Spahr Auditorium on the KU Lawrence campus. A panel of experts comprising Daniel Arneman, principal carbon strategist for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Asheen Phansey, president of Quaking Aspen, LLC and Kevin Stack, owner and president of Northeast Green Building Consulting, presented the biomimicry framework and case studies of its ongoing practice.

To watch this lecture, click here.

Ray Anderson, one of the world's leading environmental entrepreneurs, addressed the importance of sustainability at a free public lecture hosted by the KU School of Business. Anderson spoke and took questions at the 2008 William S. Sutton lecture on Wednesday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Woodruff Auditorium of the Kansas Union.

The Sutton Lecture, sponsored by the KU International Center for Ethics in Business and the KU School of Business, was made possible by a gift in 1993 from Betsey G. Sutton in memory of her husband, Walter Sutton.

Anderson built one of the world's largest interior furnishings companies, Interface, which revolutionized the commercial floorcovering industry. Anderson's lecture, titled "Sustainability in Action," discussed his worldwide effort to pioneer the process of sustainable business development.

To watch Anderson's lecture, click here.

Peter Eigen, founder and chairman of the Advisory Council of Transparency International, was the guest speaker at the 2007 Walter S. Sutton Ethics Lecture. Eigen's lecture, titled "Corruption in a Globalized Economy - The Role of Civil Society Organizations to Improve Governance," took place April 27th, at the Spencer Museum of Art.

FBI Special Agent Robert Herndon's case log included the investigation of Kansas City area pharmacist Robert Courtney, who diluted chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients, and the price-fixing conspiracy of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Herndon presented "Diluted Trust: Moral Failure and White-Collar Crime" at the 2006 Walter S. Sutton Ethics Lecture on April 17th in the Woodruff Auditorium of Kansas Memorial Union.

The KU School of Business and the International Center for Ethics in Business presented Klaus M. Leisinger, president and CEO, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. He delivered the 2005 Walter S. Sutton Ethics Lecture, "Human Rights and Business: Corporate Ethics Challenges for the Pharmaceutical Industry" on April 19, 7:00 p.m. in the Woodruff Auditorium of Kansas Memorial Union.

The KU School of Business and the International Center for Ethics in Business presented James Webb, former Secretary of the Navy and best-selling author. He delivered the 2004 Walter S. Sutton Ethics Lecture, "Perspectives of an American Ronin," on April 28, 7:00 p.m. in the Woodruff Auditorium of Kansas Memorial Union.

It's about "doing the right thing," Terence E. Downer, the Walter E. Sutton lecturer told a standing-room-only crowd of more than 500 people who had come to hear his presentation, "Working in an Ethically Driven Company - Johnson and Johnson," Tuesday evening, April 22nd at the Kansas University Union. The annual Sutton Lecture is provided by the International Center for Ethics in Business.

The International Center for Ethics in Business presented the 7th Annual Walter Sutton Ethics Lecture on March 7, 2002. Addressing the topic "Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research: Balancing Self-Interest and Research Integrity," the 2002 lecturer was Mary Faith Marshall, Professor of Medicine and Bioethics; Chair, National Human Research Protections; and Past President, American Association for Bioethics. The lecture took place at the Kansas Memorial Union.

Jack DeBoer, Chairman of Consolidated Holdings, Inc., spoke to KU students and the Lawrence community at the University of Kansas Lied Center on March 24, 2009. DeBoer's lecture, part of KU School of Business Annual Vickers Memorial Lecture, was titled, "Success is Never Permanent, Neither is Failure: 25 specific things to help you in life and in business." The lecture was free to the public.

To watch DeBoer's lecture, click here.

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, gave the 2008 Vickers Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the University of Kansas School of Business. He was the first Chief Justice of the United States to speak at the University.

The lecture was part of a two-day trip to KU for Roberts, during which he met with School of Business and School of Law students and faculty. Both schools played a significant role in bringing Roberts to campus. The Vickers Lecture was held on April 30, 2008 at the Lied Center of Kansas and was free and open to the public.

To watch Roberts' lecture, click here.

John R. Kasich, former Ohio congressman and best-selling author and businessman, gave the 2007 J.A. Vickers Sr. and Robert F. Vickers Sr. Memorial Lecture. Kasich's lecture, titled "Stand for Something: The Battle for America's Soul," took place on April 10th at the Lied Center. Kasich thinks Americans have lost their moral fiber, forgetting values such as honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. This, in his view, has directly contributed to a number of avoidable political and business scandals in recent years.

Jack Kemp, familiar to many Kansans as the former Vice Presidential running mate of Bob Dole, presented the 2006 Vickers Memorial Lecture the evening of March 27th.

Ann Coulter, best-selling author and conservative political commentator, presented the J.A. Vickers Sr. and Robert F. Vickers Sr. Memorial Lecture Series on Tuesday, March 29, at the Lied Center of Kansas.

J.C. Watts, Jr., a distinguished four-term Congressman from Oklahoma and the highest-ranking African-American Republican when he left the House, presented the 2004 Vickers Memorial Lecture.

William Esery presented the 2001 Vickers Memorial Lecture. Esrey spoke about two areas of technological change that we will be facing in the future. The first area was the wireless web and third-generation wireless technology. The second was with the new and different future using technology in a different way.

Ken Starr presented the Vickers Lecture in February 2000. Starr concluded five years as Independent Council and had a long and distinguished judicial career. Before becoming Independent council, Starr served as Solicitor General of the United Sates from 1989 to 1993. During this period, he argued 25 cases before the Supreme Court. He practiced law in Los Angeles and Washington as a litigation partner.

Russell W. Meyer spoke about Sharing Success, Creating Opportunities and Changing Lives. After five years as an attorney, Meyer became president and CEO of Grumman American Aviation Corporation. He then joined Cessna Aircraft Company, the world's leading manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. He then was named Chairman and CEO.

Hugh L. McColl, Jr., CEO of NationsBank, delivered the 1998 Vickers Lecture. McColl was named Banker of the Year in 1993. Under McColl's guidance, NationsBank grew more than 40-fold and has been called "an emerging model for banking and financial services." NationsBank, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is one of the three largest banking companies in the nation. McColl's coup in acquiring the failing First Republic Bank of Texas in 1988 was, perhaps, the keystone in McColl's aggressive growth strategy.