KNOXVILLE — Former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham will speak Friday evening at a public event at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Graham’s talk, part of the Baker Center’s Global Security Distinguished Lecture Series, begins at 7 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, 1640 Cumberland Ave.
Graham will talk about national security issues and his 2004 book, “Intelligence Matters.” A book signing will follow.
The lecture will be webcast live and archived for future viewing at http://tinyurl.com/24uz2zg.
Earlier on Friday, Graham will speak to higher education leaders from around the state at a Tennessee Campus Compact conference at the Baker Center. That event will focus on service learning. Graham’s talk at the conference can be viewed via webcast at http://tinyurl.com/24ds353.
Graham was the 38th governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and served in the U.S. Senate from 1987 to 2005. He made bid for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2004 presidential race but dropped out in October 2003. A month later he announced he would be retiring from the Senate.
Today, Graham remains active in public service. He is involved with the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at his undergraduate alma mater, the University of Florida. Housed in the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the center and provides students with opportunities to train for future leadership positions.
Graham served on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and on the Financial Crisis Inquiry commission. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as co-chair of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Commission.
In 2009, Graham published “America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government work for you,” a book which aims to inspire and teach citizens how they can participate in their democracy in effective ways.
Raised in Miami, Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School.
The Baker Center is a public policy institute integrating research, education, public programming and archives. It develops programs and promotes research to further the public’s knowledge of our system of governance and to highlight the critical importance of public service, a hallmark of Sen. Baker’s career.
For more about the Baker Center, see http://bakercenter.utk.edu/.
CONTACT:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)