Former presidential candidate Howard Dean and political analyst Elise Jordan – a regular contributor to NBC News, MSNBC and Time magazine – will debate the ideological rift in modern American politics during the next installment of the 2018-19 Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Erie native and C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully will moderate the Nov. 13 program, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the college’s Junker Center.
Dean and Jordan will debate a range of issues, which will be approached in the spirit of democratic argument, rather than partisan politics. Dean, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will offer a liberal perspective. Jordan, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, will provide the conservative view.
“Our Speaker Series is designed to provide opportunities for our campus community – our students, certainly, but also members of the general public – to hear firsthand from experts and cultural influencers with different perspectives on the issues we face today,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “Each of our speakers is uniquely positioned to spark a larger, ongoing conversation about the political, business and societal challenges that too often divide us.”
Other speakers in this year’s series include actor David Harbour, from “Stranger Things”; Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency; technologist Linda Bernardi, the co-lead of IBM’s Watson team; and Tarana Burke, founder of the “Me Too” movement.
The debate with Dean and Jordan is presented in partnership with the Jefferson Educational Society and its Global Summit Lecture Series.