CONTACT: Leslie Eikleberry, Director of Public Relations, 785-827-5541 ext. 1127

October 6, 2004

“American Power and Global Security” is the topic of a forum at Kansas Wesleyan University October 14. The forum, a part of the Kansas Wesleyan Exchange, is being conducted in collaboration with The People Speak and the Kansas Campus Compact.

The forum is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in 201 Peters Science Hall at the corner of Fourth and Cloud streets. It is open to the public at no charge.

United States foreign policy, including U.S. involvement in Iraq and Southwest Asia, will be discussed. Three panelists each will make 10-15 minute presentations. A 30-minute question period, open to the audience and led by moderator Charlotte Bloom, Assaria junior, will follow. Panelists and their discussion topics include:

Brian Hodson, Assistant Professor of History, Kansas Wesleyan University – the significance of soft power and diplomacy in American foreign policy. Hodson received a bachelor’s degree in international relations, with a diplomacy and security concentration, from Georgetown University, and a master’s degree in modern European history and United States history since 1865.

Dr. Dale Herspring, Senior Professor, Department of Political Science, Kansas State University – civil-military relations as they pertain to American foreign policy. Herspring has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Southern California. He has served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Senior Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center, and as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department.

Dr. Kenneth Yohn, Assistant Professor of History, McPherson College – the possible future of American involvement and commitment in Iraq and Southwest Asia. Yohn has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and peace and conflict studies from Manchester College and master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Iowa. His doctoral fields of study included American politics and international relations.

As the 2004 Presidential election approaches, American citizens are shaping the growing discourse on America's leadership in the world. The People Speak series offers an opportunity for the citizens of Salina and surrounding communities to get involved in the discussion of these critical issues and explore how aspects of these policies affect their lives and communities, and help guide the course of America's role in the world.

The People Speak was created in 2003 by the United Nations Foundation and a non-partisan group of concerned organizations to provide forums for Americans to participate in the discussions of policies affecting their future. Building on the success of last year's series, which culminated in over 2,000 discussions across the U.S., the 2004 initiative will engage universities, religious organizations, community groups, editorial writers, think-tanks, concerned citizens and others to participate in a public discourse on U.S. foreign policy.

For more information on how to join the dialogue, please visit the website at www.thepeoplespeak.org.

The Kansas Campus Compact is a membership organization of Kansas colleges and universities established to support the development of campus-wide student and institutional participation in community and public service. You can visit the Kansas Campus Compact website at www.ksu.edu/kscc