UB’s 2015-16 Distinguished Speakers Series to feature Kevin Spacey, John Legend, Siddhartha Mukherjee and more

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Singer/songwriter, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur John Legend and cancer physician Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Emperor of All Maladies: a Biography of Cancer,” will join Kevin Spacey, Academy Award-winning actor, director, writer and star of “House of Cards,” to headline the speakers in the University at Buffalo’s 2015-16 Distinguished Speakers Series.

The 29th annual series also will feature Laverne Cox, a transgender advocate and award-winning actress from “Orange is the New Black;” Liz Murray, the bestselling author of “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard” and this year’s UB Reads author; and Charles Ogletree, an internationally renowned legal theorist who will present UB’s 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration.

All programs will take place at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena, UB North Campus, on the following dates:

• Sept. 16: Laverne Cox
• Oct. 14: Liz Murray, UB Reads Author
• Nov. 18: John Legend, Undergraduate Student Choice Speaker
• Feb. 11: Charles Ogletree, 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration keynote speaker
• April 6: Siddhartha Mukherjee, sponsored by Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• April 27: Kevin Spacey, Undergraduate and Graduate Student Choice Speaker

“For nearly 30 years, the Distinguished Speakers Series at UB has played a vital role in fostering dialogue and discovery by sharing a broad range of ideas and perspectives from some of the most compelling and influential voices of our time,” said Dennis Black, UB vice president for university life and services. “By opening up a lively, open discussion of important national and global issues, the series brings our campus and surrounding communities closer together, and inspires our students to become knowledgeable, thoughtful and actively engaged citizens, in keeping with the university’s academic mission.

“This year’s Distinguished Speaker Series promises to once again deliver on this great UB tradition.

“From leading voices in social commentary and politics to pioneers of exploration and innovation in technology, the prominent public intellectuals and thinkers, they are certain to spark intellectual curiosity, further dialogue and inspire new lines of inquiry across our campus and throughout the community.”

Subscription orders for the Distinguished Speakers Series may be placed after Aug. 3.  Purchase options and instructions (downloadable forms, box office and online purchase) will be available at that time on the series’ website: buffalo.edu/dss

Tickets for individual lectures will go on sale Aug. 21 by noon.

For more information on the speakers, subscription and ticket prices, and sponsors, visit the series’ website: buffalo.edu/dss

The UB Distinguished Speakers Series continues to benefit from the vital support from a host of sponsors, including the program’s presenting sponsors, the Donald L. Davis Lectureship Fund and UB’s Division of University Life and Services, along with the undergraduate Student Association (SA), which is now the exclusive series sponsor for the 20th consecutive year.  The Distinguished Speakers Series is also made possible by the generous support of the community through the purchase of series subscriptions and individual lecture tickets. No state funds, tuition dollars or general gifts to the university or UB Foundation are used to underwrite the Distinguished Speakers Series.