About the Speaker Series

This guest lecture series brings individuals of distinction from higher education, global organizations, and philanthropies who have had profound experience in university outreach and engagement to share their thoughts, research, and practice with the MSU community. The series contributes to MSU's effort to operationalize its World Grant ideal, building on its strong land grant tradition of advancing human well-being and development, and to expand international reach.

Advancing fundamental human rights and meeting basic human needs serve as the primary foci for the MSU Global Engagement Speaker Series. Speakers highlight the role of higher education as a collaborator—working with civil societies, governments, and industry—to anchor secular principles in democratic governance and due process in order to guarantee human rights and advance societal well-being.

Equal weight is accorded to efforts to address basic human needs, such as reducing hunger and malnutrition, tackling endemic diseases, reducing adult illiteracy and youth unemployment, and ensuring healthy environments. Other intractable international problems that have caused human suffering, and which demand urgent attention are also considered, including regional conflicts, gendered oppression and violence against women, religious tyrannies, terrorism, human trafficking, forced human displacement, and gross income inequalities.

The series brings two speakers to the campus of Michigan State University each fall and spring. Each speaker addresses students, faculty, and others in the MSU community through lectures, meetings, and discussions designed to reach a broad audience. The series is open to the public and there is no fee to attend. However, registration is required.

The Global Engagement Speaker Series is sponsored by University Outreach and Engagement, International Studies and Programs, and The Graduate School.

For more information, please contact us at gess@msu.edu or +1-517-884‑1407.