Guest Speaker Series
Explore thought-provoking discussions and insights from distinguished speakers.
Yeonmi Park
North Korean Defector
Born in North Korea, Park grew up in a punishing society devoted to the worship of Kim Jong-Il. At the age of 13, she and her family made a daring escape to China in search of freedom. Park and her mother endured severe hardships, including human trafficking. In 2009, they crossed the Gobi Desert to Mongolia, ultimately finding freedom in South Korea. Park recounts her story in her memoir In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom.
Date & Time:
February 19th, @ 6:00 PM in Club Down Under @ Student Union
Jeffrey Rosen
President and CEO - National Constitution Center
Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, where he hosts “We the People,” a weekly podcast of constitutional debate. He is also a professor of law at George Washington University and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. Rosen’s new book, The Pursuit of Happiness, explores how classical writers on virtue inspired the lives of the Founders and defined America.
Date & Time:
February 24th, @ 6:00 PM in Club Down Under @ FSU Student Union
Charles C.W. Cooke & Alexander Tsesis EVENT OVER
Charles C.W. Cooke | Senior Writer - National Review
Alexander Tsesis | D’Alemberte Chair, Constitutional Law - Florida State University
Charles C.W. Cooke is a British-American journalist and the Senior Writer at National Review, where he provides commentary on U.S. conservatism and constitutionalism. He hosts the Charles C.W. Cooke Podcast and has authored The Conservatarian Manifesto, which examines a blend of libertarian and conservative thought. His work appears regularly in major publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. Known for his rigorous and thoughtful analysis, Cooke became a U.S. citizen in 2018 and resides in Florida, where he focuses on issues of free speech, governance, and civic liberties.
Alexander Tsesis holds the D’Alemberte Chair in Constitutional Law at Florida State University and serves as the general editor for major legal series, including the Cambridge Studies on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. His research covers constitutional reconstruction, civil rights, free speech theory, and legal interpretation. Tsesis has published influential books and articles exploring how constitutional rights evolve within legal and historical contexts. As a professor, he is dedicated to guiding future lawyers and scholars through complex constitutional issues, including the tension between freedom of expression and the regulation of misinformation.
Date & Time:
March 19th, @ 6:00 PM in Student Services Building 201
Beth Akers EVENT OVER
Resident Fellow - American Enterprise Institute
Beth Akers is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she focuses on labor economics and the economics of higher education. Her research has explored student loan debt and its impact on individuals and the economy. Previously, she was a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, the Brookings Institution, and a staff economist with the Council of Economic Advisors under President George W. Bush. Akers co-authored the book Game of Loans: The Rhetoric and Reality of Student Debt.
Date & Time:
March 25th, @ 6:00 PM in Club Down Under @ Student Union
Word of South - Featuring:
Jess Bravin & Mollie Hemingway EVENT OVER
Jess Bravin | Supreme Court Reporter - Wall Street Journal
Mollie Hemingway | Editor-in-Chief - The Federalist
Jess Bravin is the Supreme Court correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering major legal decisions since 2005. He authored The Terror Courts, an analysis of Guantanamo’s military trials, and Squeaky, a biography of a Manson Family member. Bravin has earned the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award and holds degrees from Harvard College and UC Berkeley School of Law.
Mollie Hemingway is the Editor-in-Chief of The Federalist, where she writes on judicial issues, media, and constitutional law. As a Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College, she mentors students and teaches media-related courses. She co-authored Justice on Trial and wrote Rigged, both bestsellers.
Date & Time:
April 5th, @ 5:00 PM at Word of South (AC Marriot Ballroom)
Glenn Loury CANCELLED
Professor of Economics - Brown University
Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University. He has published extensively on applied microeconomic theory, game theory, industrial organization, natural resource economics, and the economics of race and inequality. Loury hosts The Glenn Show with John McWhorter, often addressing questions of race and education.
Date & Time:
Update 4-7-2025: Due to inclement weather, Dr. Loury's flight has been cancelled. This event has been cancelled. We will reschedule for a future date.
Religious Liberties at the Supreme Court:
Marci Hamilton & Denise Harle EVENT OVER
Marci Hamilton | CEO - CHILD USA
Denise Harle | Partner at Shutts & Bowen
1.0 General CLE approved (CLICK HERE FOR RESOURCES)
Marci Hamiltonis a Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science and a Fox Family Pavilion Senior Fellow in the Program for Research on Religion at the University of Pennsylvania. Before moving to Penn, Professor Hamilton held the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Hamilton is the author of numerous scholarly books and articles including God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty (Cambridge University Press), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Hamilton successfully challenged the constitutionality of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”) at the Supreme Court in Boerne v. Flores (1997), and defeated the RFRA claim brought by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee against hundreds of child sex abuse survivors in Committee of Unsecured Creditors v. Listecki (7th Cir. 2015). Hamilton is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, J.D., where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Denise Harle is a Partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she focuses on appellate litigation, constitutional law, and administrative law. Previously, she was Senior Counsel at a national legal nonprofit and served as Florida’s Deputy Solicitor General, handling major constitutional cases. Harle has argued before state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a finalist for a seat on the Florida Supreme Court and currently serves on Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commission for the Second Circuit. She earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law.
Date & Time:
April 16th, @ 6:00 PM in Law School Main Classroom Building
1.0 General CLE Approved