Al Franken, Norm Ornstein inaugurate Glickman Lecture Series
By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Political satirist and actor Al Franken and political analyst Norm Ornstein will inaugurate Wichita State’s Glickman Lecture Series on Public Policy with a night of humor, commentary and discussion.
The pair will present "The Lighter Side of Washington: A Serious Perspective" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in Lowe Auditorium, Hughes Metropolitan Complex.
Franken is perhaps best known for his work as a writer and actor for NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," during which he played new age cable TV host Stuart Smalley. He’s also well known for his work as a political satirist.
His book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" was a New York Times best seller and sold nearly a million copies.
He provided commentary for CNN at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, anchored Comedy Central’s "Indecision ‘92" in 1992 and covered party conventions and election night in 1996 for ABC’s "Politically Incorrect."
Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise for Public Policy Research. He also writes regularly for USA Today and writes a column called "Congress Inside Out" for Capitol Hill’s newspaper Roll Call.
He has served as an election analyst for CBS News and has made frequent appearances on "Larry King Live," "Nightline," "Face the Nation" and "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." The Columbia Journalism Review has referred to him as "the nation’s hottest pundit."
The Glickman Lecture Series is sponsored by WSU’s Milton and Gladys Glickman Institute for Public Policy. Former agriculture secretary Dan Glickman and his siblings Norman and Sharon, all Wichita natives, created the institute in June as a memorial to their late parents.
The institute perpetuates the Glickmans’ memory by facilitating citizens’ discussion of public issues, by encouraging the recognition of humor as a valuable tool for productive public discourse, and by encouraging the study of major public policy concerns of the times.
