NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University will welcome a trio of
nationally recognized political speakers to its 41st annual Impact
Symposium March 21-23.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a political activist and former Democratic
presidential candidate, and Ann Coulter, a best-selling author and
conservative commentator, will speak in separate lectures on Monday,
March 21, beginning at 7 p.m. in Vanderbilt‘s Langford Auditorium.
Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, who in early February was
elected chair of the Democratic National Committee, will speak Tuesday,
March 22, at 7 p.m. in Langford.
Tickets for both events are free for Vanderbilt students, faculty and
staff through the Sarratt Student Center box office. Tickets are $10
for the general public and may be purchased through any TicketMaster
outlet or at the door the night of the event.
On Wednesday, March 23, a panel of Vanderbilt professors will conduct a
roundtable discussion of the ideas explored by the Impact speakers. The
panel will convene at 7 p.m. in Sarratt Cinema and is free and open to
the public.
Each of this year‘s invited speakers has made his or her distinctive impact on the American political landscape.
One of the more colorful figures in American politics, Sharpton is an
ordained minister and outspoken activist for civil rights in his native
New York and around the country. He founded the National Action Network
in 1991 and currently serves as its president. He has been a Democratic
candidate for New York City mayor, the U.S. Senate and, in 2004, the
U.S. presidency.
Coulter writes a popular syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate and is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) and Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right.
One of the right‘s most visible pundits, Coulter is a frequent guest on
cable news programs such as “Hannity and Colmes,” “Wolf Blitzer
Reports” and “The O‘Reilly Factor.”
Dean campaigned for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination as
someone who would represent “the Democratic wing of the Democratic
Party,” and proved he could raise big money through small donations.
Since assuming chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee in
February, Dean has struck a more moderate tone and vowed to reach out
to states that voted for President Bush while simultaneously
revitalizing his party.
This year‘s Impact Symposium continues a long-standing tradition at
Vanderbilt. Impact, one of the oldest university lecture series of its
caliber in the nation, began in 1964 when a group of Vanderbilt
students saw the need to increase the campus‘s exposure to current
issues by providing a symposium in which intellectually challenging —
and sometimes controversial — speakers could be heard.
In 1968, the series passed a milestone when Robert Kennedy drew a
record attendance of 16,000 people from more than 100 college
delegations across the United States. Over the years, successive Impact
programs have brought speakers such as George McGovern, Robert
McNamara, Jesse Jackson, former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter
and George H. W. Bush, and former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher to campus.
For more information about Impact, call the Office of Student Activities at 615-322-2471.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-2706
kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu