College Speakers

Parents Forum
21

<p>Dr kevorkian (are you still a doctor if your license has been revoked?) will be getting $50K to speak at the University of Florida assuming his parole officer approves.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07071703.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07071703.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The funding on these speakers varies from school to school and probably series to series. It appears that some come from student fees or tuition, others from endowments, and yet others from outside sources. I know the Aspen Institute funded a series of speakers at Tulane and I believe they picked up at least part of the tab on Al Gore. </p>

<p>There does not seem to be much correlation between the fees listed above and how good a speaker they are. I'm not sure if Laura Bush or Al Gore would put me to sleep faster. I have to confess I like Sascha Baron Cohen.</p>

22

<p>Universities are willing to pay top fees for speakers such as Al Gore. It gives them visibility. Somewhere along the line, colleges come to think that having prominent speakers in a lecture series provides an aura of prominence. The expense/return ratio is much lower than hiring a few more professors.</p>

23

<p>"The expense/return ratio is much lower than hiring a few more professors."</p>

<p>Unless the professor turns out to be the next Jonas Saulk or Linus Torvalds.</p>

24

<p>Sitting politicos have caps on their fees, I believe. It is the retired (Gore, WJ Clinton, Gingrich, et al.) who feast at the speakers' trough.</p>