Former JFK Advisor to Speak on "America and the World"

Theodore C. "Ted" Sorensen, former special counsel and advisor to President John F. Kennedy, will speak Nov. 18 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, as part of the 2008-09 E.N. Thompson Lectures on World Issues.
The lecture will be simulcast from remote sites in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Columbus, Wayne and Omaha, with financial support from the Cooper Foundation.

Sorensen's lecture is titled "America and the World, 1962 to 2008: Contrasts and Contradictions." A widely published author on the presidency and foreign affairs, Sorensen practiced international law for more than 36 years in the U.S. law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He is a Lincoln native and graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law. His memoirs, "Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History," were published in May.

The theme of this year's Thompson lecture series is "Democracy's Future," with speakers exploring diverse facets of a complex question by looking through the lenses of history, philosophy, religion, globalization, conflict, economics and citizenship to provide insights into the ideal and the reality, the promise and the challenge of democracy in the 21st century.

Remaining lecturers in the series are F.W. de Klerk on "Bridging the Gap: Globalization without Isolation," Feb. 10; Sarah Chayes on "Notes from Afghanistan," March 4; Michael Olivas and Vernon Briggs on "Illegal Immigrants: Path to Citizenship?" March 25; and Colin G. Campbell on "Citizenship in a Global Age," April 14.

All lectures are free and open to the public. Remote sites for the Sorensen lecture include Room C-1 in the Main Building at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff; the South Campus of Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte; Room 101 in the Communications Center at the University of Nebraska at Kearney; Room 205 in the West Education Center at Central Community College in Columbus; Connell Hall Auditorium at Wayne State College; and Room 132 in the Collaborating Commons at the College of Public Affairs and Community Service on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

All lectures begin at 7 p.m. (CT), except in Scottsbluff, where lectures air at 6 p.m. (MT).