Tony Blair Named 20th William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecturer

Buena Vista University has announced that Tony Blair, prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007, will be the 20th William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture laureate on Friday, Oct. 7.

Mr. Blair joins a list of preeminent previous lecturers including former world leaders, heads of state, and others who have reached the highest levels of accomplishment and recognition in their fields.  He is the third former British prime minister to be a laureate for the series — preceded by Margaret Thatcher in 1994 and John Major in 2005. 

“This is an exceptional opportunity for our students to interact face-to-face with a man who was the leader of Great Britain for 10 years and a key ally in our effort to stop terrorism,” says BVU President Fred Moore. “Mr. Blair’s visit will perfectly complement Buena Vista’s increased academic emphasis on global engagement and our focus on increasing students’ understanding of the complex political, social and economic forces that are having a powerful impact on our lives.”

While on campus, Mr. Blair will participate in an afternoon question-and-answer program with a panel of students which will be followed by a formal evening lecture to invited regional leaders in the fields of business, law, politics, education and religion.

Since 1994, students have had the opportunity to pose questions to the American Heritage speakers, including President George H.W. Bush; Presidents F.W. de Klerk and Vicente Fox; Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Benazir Bhutto; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Gen. Colin Powell; Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, and Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

Students are selected for the panel in the spring through a competitive process.  They work with a faculty moderator and faculty coaches to research the speaker and when they return to school in the fall develop a list of questions for the event.

Mr. Blair was first elected as a member of Parliament in 1983 and rose quickly through the ranks of the Labour Party.  In 1994, he was elected leader of the party. When the party won the 1997 general election, Mr. Blair, at the age of 43, became the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812.

Upon leaving office in 2007, Mr. Blair was his party’s longest-serving prime minister, and the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories.

More biographical details about Mr. Blair’s career can be found on the official site for the prime minister’s office at  www.number10.gov.uk/history-and-tour/prime-ministers-in-history/tony-blair

Today, Mr. Blair continues his interest in inter-faith issues and the promotion of inter-faith understanding through the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.  For more information about his current activities, visit  www.tonyblairoffice.org/pages/biography/

The William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture Series was endowed by the late Dr. Harold Walter Siebens, an Iowa-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, and named in honor of his son. This series was established in 1989 to provide the BVU campus community, Iowa and the Midwest with access to prominent world figures discussing current issues underlying American freedoms.

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BVU Student Panel Selected for Dialogue with Tony Blair

Six Buena Vista University students will get the chance of a lifetime to interact in person with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during his appearance on campus this fall.

Blair, who was prime minister from 1997 to 2007, will be the guest laureate for the 20th William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture on Oct. 7. His activities that day will include an afternoon discussion with the panelists before an audience of BVU faculty, staff and students. That evening, he will present a formal lecture to invited regional leaders in the fields of business, law, politics, education and religion.

According to Dr. Matt Packer, assistant professor of English and moderator for the student panel, the following students have been selected through a competitive process from a field of 26 applicants:

• Lauren Whitt, a sophomore from Sloan, majoring in English and political science
• Seth Lindokken, a sophomore from Sibley, majoring in mathematics / business economics
• Ida Cassandra Ndahiro, a first-year from Kigali, Rwanda, majoring in international relations
• Ronald Forsell, a junior from Norfolk, Neb., majoring in political science and public administration
• Jennifer Welch, a first-year student from Afton, majoring in biochemistry
• Zach King, a junior, from Yankton, S.D., majoring in psychology, philosophy and religion

“These students are outstanding - really thoughtful, bright and dedicated,” says Packer. “I’m sure they'll do a fine job representing BVU in this exciting conversation with Mr. Blair.”

“I applied to be a panelist because this is a once-in-a -lifetime experience for me, and I am truly honored to have been selected,” says Ron. “As a political science major, I jumped at the opportunity to get to ask one of the most important and influential world political leaders over the last decade a question or two. Through my questions I want to find out how Prime Minister Blair made the tough decisions he did while serving in office.”

Lauren says, “I applied to be on the panel because it is an amazing opportunity to speak to a world leader. Issues that American leaders are facing today, such as the economy and the War on Terrorism, are soon going to be in the hands of our generation to fix. It is important to take a global perspective on these issues, and speaking with Tony Blair is certainly an excellent way to learn another perspective. I know I will gain wisdom and insight through this experience. It is an honor to be selected.”

In applying to be a panelist, students were asked to formulate two questions they would like to ask Blair, and the reasons for their interest in being on the panel. “Our largest consideration in selecting students was how thoughtfully they had framed their questions, which was hard because we had so many good questions to choose from,” says Packer. “Another, lesser factor was getting some balance in the representation of the various academic disciplines and schools across campus.”

Over the summer, the students will read Blair's 2010 bestselling memoir, A Journey: My Political Life, to learn more about him and especially his time as prime minister. They will also read other works that examine the various aspects of his career, in particular the international political, environmental and religious themes.

When the students return to classes in the fall, Packer and the faculty coaches will help them shape and practice the delivery of the questions, and develop stage etiquette. “We'll be discussing and exploring the questions students have already provided in their submissions, as well as incorporating some of the discoveries from their summer reading,” explains Packer.

The faculty coaches are: Dr. Brad Best, associate professor of political science; Dr. Neal McNabb, assistant professor of criminal justice/criminology; and Dr. Annamaria Formichella-Elsden, professor of English.

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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair Speaks at BVU

Tony Blair, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, said at Buena Vista University Friday evening that the West is under challenge in a way different from anything it has faced for many years.

“After decades — you might even say centuries — of the acceptance of the supremacy of the West, we are beset by attacks of whether we’re up to it from without and a certain measure of self doubt from within.”

Blair, who was prime minister from 1997-2007, was the guest laureate for the 20th William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture at Buena Vista University.  About 400 invited guests attended Blair’s lecture.  In the afternoon, Blair participated in a Q&A program with a panel of students before an audience of BVU students, faculty and staff.

In his speech, Blair referred to the problems facing the West, including the financial crisis, job insecurity and the increasing power of China.  He said these and other challenges give rise to the question: “The 20th century belonged to us, but will the 21st century belong to someone else?

“We are not in decline, we are suffering a temporary absence of belief and self-confidence,” he said. “The world is changing and we are going to have to change with it.  And there is no option in circumstances where change is so fast, so intense and so profound.” 

But he said that the optimism of the United States and its allies, and dedication to its core values can be a foundation for overcoming these challenges.

Following Blair’s lecture, BVU announced details of a $27.5 million capital campaign, entitled See Tomorrow: The Campaign for Buena Vista University to provide resources for investments in students, faculty and the campus.  BVU President Fred Moore says thanks to a number of early leadership gifts from BVU trustees, alumni and friends the campaign has already raised more than $21 million.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.bvu/edu/campaign

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