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Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series
My generation’s journey of carrying the torch is closer to its end than to its beginning. The day when we pass the torch to your generation is dawning. You will be called upon to confront challenges that are, at the same time, new and unique, but also rooted in the age old struggle between freedom and tyranny.
To meet these challenges you must understand them and the fundamental disagreements you will face. As you’re well aware, there remain very different points of view about America’s role in the world. Some question our values, some question the means we use to promote them, some question both.
In many ways, it’s the basic disagreement between two Johnnies, Eugene McCarthy and Mark Kennedy. We are both perhaps best known for bold stands on foreign policy that, though absolutely the opposite of each other, represent sincerely held beliefs. McCarthy captured the imagination of the country by championing an anti-Viet Nam war message. For my strong advocacy of advancing Freedom’s Frontier, Britt Hume from Fox News called me the most honest Republican in the 2006 election because I stood up for what I believed in even though it was politically unpopular and damaging electorally.
The goal for the Frontiers of Freedom lecture series is to add real intellectual diversity to the McCarthy Center, to ensure that you hear both sides, so you can critically evaluate the challenges we face. My earnest desire is that the McCarthy Center becomes known first and foremost for promoting standing for the courage of your convictions.”
-Excerpt from Congressman Mark Kennedy’s speech inaugurating the Mark Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Lecture Series
The Honorable Mark Kennedy ’79 served as a U.S. Congressman from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 and as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation (ACTPN). Kennedy was recently named the 23rd president of the University of Colorado on May 2, 2019, and officially started leading the CU system July 1, 2019. He oversees a university system with four campuses (Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus), more than 67,000 students, 37,000 employees, and a $4.8 billion annual budget. Kennedy previously served as president at University of North Dakota from July 2016 – June 2019 and as director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University
Prior to his service in government and academia, Kennedy was an executive at Pillsbury and Macy’s. The author of Shapeholders: Business Success in the Age of Activism, Mark Kennedy introduced the concept of shapeholders to business strategy. The shapeholder business model enages media, activist, and political interests to benefit companies and society.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and a master’s in business administration with distinction from the University of Michigan.
Kennedy equips leaders to succeed by sharing insights that fuse the perspectives he has gained from:
Academics – University president, and head of the world’s first and foremost school of applied politics and teaches at leading business schools around the world.
Politics – United States Congressman from 2001 to 2007, and presidentially appointed trade advisor to both President Bush and President Obama.
Business – Fortune 100 senior executive (Macy’s) and more
Global Engagement – Three decades of extensive speaking and involvement with foreign business leaders and government ministers across 40 countries.
Kennedy has acquired a unique combination of perspectives from his experiences leading in C-suites, serving in the halls of Congress, and traveling across the world to engage in business, civic, and political leaders in nearly 40 countries. In his speeches and lectures, Kennedy shares insights taken from his broad experiences that overturn conventional business wisdom. Read more…
Excerpt from markkennedy.com