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William J. Regan is director of the Office of Special Events.
The Distinguished Speakers Series is marking its 20th anniversary this year, and you've been there from nearly the beginning-first as associate director of conferences and special events, and now director of the Office of Special Events. How has the series changed over the years?
The early series were themed "Power and the Presidency" and were limited to three lectures per year. For the first few years, the series featured only one sponsor—the Don Davis Auto World Lectureship Fund. The more recent series have more speakers, with lineups that are more diverse in terms of topics and speakers. The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration event was incorporated into the series during the 2000-01 academic year. The series presently has the support of many on- and off-campus sponsors, making it a true town-gown program.
How do you go about choosing the speakers?
It's an ongoing process that involves working with our sponsors and stakeholders to define their preferences, conducting surveys and working with a multitude of speaker agencies. A key strategy is to identify and sign the headline quality speakers first, and fill in with speaker choices that add depth and range of topics to complete the series.
How do you pay for the speakers?
There are three sources: ticket revenue, sponsorships and endowment sources—the Don Davis Auto World Lectureship Fund and the Martin Luther King Jr. Endowment.
You've met a lot of famous people and heard a lot of speeches. Who has given the best speech? Who have you most enjoyed meeting?
I've really enjoyed most all of the speakers. My personal favorites would include Michael Eric Dyson, Morris Dees, Jane Goodall, Elie Wiesel, Conan O'Brien, Toni Morrison, Steven Squyres, Ken Burns, Alice Walker, Andy Rooney and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It was great meeting Sidney Poitier, who flew in to Buffalo months in advance of his lecture to go over setup and logistics. At the time, he had not been doing lectures and UB would be his first attempt. Our offer was timely, as he had recently been planning a one-man show for the theater that stalled due to personal reasons. He took a few of us out to dinner and really proved to be friendly and engaging. Conan O'Brien was also a terrific guest and gave 200 percent while he was here. After his program, he took some of us out to Duff's for wings and treated us to a great time.
Are you ever star-struck?
I would be lying if I said no, because how can you not be awed when someone like His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns to you to say hello and present you with a khata? But at the same time, I'm there to be sure our guest speakers are properly handled and this gives me a certain helpful detachment that allows me to keep things on an even keel and focused on what needs to get done.
Any funny or interesting behind-the-scenes stories you can share?
Andy Rooney was a real different sort. He represented himself, which is very unusual, and answered his own phone, which really threw me. He didn't want anyone picking him up at the airport, claiming he liked to get a feel for a place by managing alone and taking a cab. Well, seeing my speaker get off the plane is a critical moment for me because it means the lecture will actually happen. So unbeknownst to Mr. Rooney, I did go to the airport to spy on his arrival. There are other things that have happened that have helped turn my hair gray—some funny, some not. I once locked my keys in the car just before taking a speaker to campus for the lecture. One speaker's eyeglasses—with seriously thick lenses—fell apart before coming to campus. A "diva" speaker berated me for failing to have fresh flowers in her suite at the Hyatt. Jane Goodall used my head to make a point about certain primate behavior in front of a packed reception. I got a call at 6 p.m. the night Katie Couric was due in, telling me her plane was still on the ground at LaGuardia and likely to be there until a severe storm passed. Somehow she made it in and our program started on time. Tom Wolfe's lecture was interrupted by a fire alarm that nearly emptied the arena. Bill Cosby, unable to fly in due to a severe winter Nor'easter, called me on my cell phone at 10 a.m. to break the news, only to then say that he would be driving from New York City. I told him that I hoped he was leaving soon! At 5 p.m., he called to report that his car was just outside of Syracuse and that traffic was not moving; could I arrange to have the state troopers pick him up? That got a laugh from troopers at the Syracuse barracks, who obviously couldn't do anything. Cosby miraculously arrived minutes before his 8 p.m. event and went on stage still wearing the sweats he wore in the car.
Al Gore will speak tomorrow as this year's final speaker. He's become an Academy Award winner since you first booked him for the series. How hard was it to book him for the second lecture?
Once it was determined that we wanted to invite Vice President Gore to make a second presentation for the express purpose of hosting Buffalo-area high school students and additional UB students, it was only a question of appealing to the Gore people about the merits of such a program. It was our good fortune that he is scheduled to be in the Syracuse area tonight, so the logistics were very favorable. The invitation was accepted and the Gore people have been great working with us on the many details of his visit tomorrow. According to Gore's executive assistant, the 12:15 p.m. program will be the first time Gore has spoken to this many high school students from so many schools at one time. UB will be hosting 80 high schools with 3,500 students attending.
This year's star-studded lineup arguably was the most impressive overall in the series' 20 years—you opened with the Dalai Lama and close with Al Gore, with three other notable people in between. How do you top that next year?
That's always the challenge. Stay tuned!