Endowed Speaker Series

CHSBS is home to the following endowed speaker series:

 

Speaker Series Descriptions

The Philip A. Hart and William G. Milliken Endowed Speaker Series for Integrity in Politics

View Hart-Milliken Speaker Series website

The Endowed Speaker Series for Integrity in Politics at CMU serves to honor the legacies of two Michigan politicians: Philip A. Hart, U.S. senator (1958 - 1976) and William G. Milliken, governor (1969 - 1982). Both Hart and Milliken's distinguished careers in public office serve as shining examples of cooperation and tolerance in a political climate where partisanship and divisiveness are common obstacles that work to tarnish, rather than enhance, the legislative process.

This thematic speaker series is designed to emphasize political integrity and will challenge students to approach politics in a way that embraces America's diversity of ideas and perspectives, working to supplant negativity and partisanship with creativity and innovation in shaping future public policy. 

The series will seek out guest speakers whose work embodies the ideals set forth by leaders like Hart and Milliken, providing a forum where students may listen, learn and engage in meaningful dialogue focusing on a range of current political and policy-making issues. 

Dr. Harold Abel Endowed Lecture Series in the Study of Dictatorship, Democracy and Genocide

View Abel Lecture Series website

Established in 2009 by the family of Dr. Harold Abel to honor and memorialize his 44-year career as an educator, which included a 10-year term as president of Central Michigan University from 1975 to 1985. Dr. Abel passed away in 2002.  

The endowed lecture series will bring distinguished scholars to campus to discuss the past, present and future of worldwide genocide. The series will focus on the impact of historical events, including World War II, the Holocaust and mass murders in Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur.

G.M. Blackburn Endowed Lecture Series 

The endowment provides funding for visiting scholars to present annual lectures and seminars in U.S. history, with special attention to the Civil War and Reconstruction. The speakers are selected annually by the Department of History.

Dr. George M. Blackburn taught at CMU for 35 years, sharing his expertise in 19th and 20th century American history. He also served as the history department chairman and associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. The endowment was established in 2001 by family, colleagues and students of Dr. Blackburn.

William T. Bulger History Endowement

The endowment funds the costs for a visiting scholar to present an annual lecture in the field of American Biography. The lectures are hosted and organized during the spring semster by the Department of History at Central Michigan University.

William T. Bulger served as a professor of history at CMU from 1957-1992. The endowment was established in 2004 by William T. Bulger and friends, including John and Audrey Cumming, his longtime friends and colleagues, and Dr. William Anderson, a former student.

William B. Nolde Lecture Series

The William B. Nolde Lecture Series seeks to promote an understanding of the role of the United States Armed Forces in the life and history of the United States and to recognize the tie between military science and the broader disciplines within the university. The lectures serve as a stimulus to intellectual activity for future leaders both in the military and across the campus and community.

Colonel William B. Nolde was the last official casualty of the Vietnam War. He twice served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Central Michigan University. Shortly after his death in 1973, his family, former students, friends and cadets established the William B. Nolde Scholarship in his memory. Col. Nolde is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. In February 1997, he was posthumously inducted into the CMU ROTC Hall of Fame as a Charter Member.

The Nolde lectures are hosted and organized by the Department of Military Science and Leadership during the fall and spring semesters.