Indiana State University Newsroom

Chairman of the Special Olympics, an FBI legend and Vietnam veteran-turned-NFL champion will be presenters for this year's Indiana State University Speaker Series.

John Douglas, legendary profiler and FBI Investigative Support Unit founder, will kick off the series on Sept. 16. Douglas is best known for his development and authority of criminal profiling, which emerged in the 70's as a tool to help hunt down violent offenders. In his most recent book, "The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter", Douglas takes a look at the life and minds of several notable criminal cases, discusses details about the profiling process and takes a look at the strategies used to crack the most challenging cases.

 

 

 

Singer/songwriter Mandy Harvey be the second speaker on Oct. 22. Harvey lost her hearing at age 19 but has not let that stop her from chasing her dream. She now tours the world playing her original music and presents her inspirational story of continuing to try. Some of her speech topics include: Embracing the Silence: Finding New Reasons to Smile, Facing Your Fears: One Small Step at a Time, and Surviving the Death of your Dream.

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, will follow Harvey on Nov. 6. Shriver is the son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Shriver and currently serves more than 3 million athletes in over 180 different countries. Shriver speaks on subjects related to the history of the disability rights movement, the creation of Special Olympics, the importance of inclusion, respect and acceptance and discovering and acting upon what matters most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Criminal justice reform activist Victoria Pratt will speak on Feb. 3. Pratt has gained national and international recognition for her work to reform the criminal justice system. Her experience with the court system has allowed her to use creative problem solving to help find alternatives to jail to low-level offenders. Her speech addresses "Why What We Do Matters".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rocky Bleier will be on Tilson stage on Feb. 24 to share a message about "Leadership Through Teamwork, Perseverance and Hope". After being drafted in the Vietnam War not long after he was drafted for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bleier was seriously wounded and many thought his NFL career was over. Against all odds, he reconditioned himself and was drafted by the Steelers as a running back and went on to win four Super Bowls.

 

 

 

 

The season's final speaker and second speaker in the Indiana State University Jamal Khashoggi Address on Journalism and the Media will be Steve Inskeep, a host for NPR's ‘Morning Edition'. Inskeep has reported in countries across the globe and told stories of the less famous, including Pennsylvania truck drivers, Kentucky coal miners, U.S.-Mexico border detainees, Yemeni refugees, California firefighters and American soldiers. Inskeep will speak on March 16.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Speaker Series events start at 7 p.m. in Tilson Auditorium on Indiana State's campus. Before the events, the speakers' books will be available for purchase with a signing to follow the presentation.

These events are free and open to the public. For more information, go online to www.hulmancenter.org or call 1-877-ISU-TIXS.

 

 

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-3XkfVJR/0/61c6c46f/O/JohnDouglas.png - John Douglas

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-G3qZZK8/0/a3f7bf2e/O/Mandy-Harvey---Web.jpg - Mandy Harvey

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-XJP3H7R/0/abec0a9b/O/TimShriver.jpg - Tim Shriver

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-tXSLZmF/0/43bb850b/O/VictoriaPratt.jpg - Victoria Pratt

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-mbr6xm6/0/c6bf53b2/O/RockyBleier.jpg - Rocky Bleier

Photo: https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Media-Services/Submitted-Photos/Staff-Uploads/i-cx3Qcc2/0/327eba3a/O/SteveInskeep.jpg - Steve Inskeep