ACCENT Speakers Bureau
Encyclopedia
ACCENT Speakers Bureau is the Student Government-run speakers' bureau of the University of Florida
. It claims to be the largest student-run speakers' bureau in the United States
The organization is a Student Government agency.
It was created in 1967 and its speakers' series was created originally as a symposium
, with the first featuring author Ralph Nader
and then Vice President
Richard Nixon
as the headline speakers. The next year the symposium featured a "liberal versus conservative
" debate featuring Harry Goldin and James J. Kilpatrick
. The symposium was accompanied by a politically-charged magazine which featured writing from political science students and professors at the University of Florida. Over time, ACCENT broke away from the symposium format and turned into a year-long speaker series.
, Hispanic Student Union, Asian American Student Union, Pride Student Union, Islam on Campus and the Board of College Councils work with the ACCENT to bring in speakers that are both relevant to their group and hold wide appeal.
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. It claims to be the largest student-run speakers' bureau in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The organization is a Student Government agency.
It was created in 1967 and its speakers' series was created originally as a symposium
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
, with the first featuring author Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
and then Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
as the headline speakers. The next year the symposium featured a "liberal versus conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
" debate featuring Harry Goldin and James J. Kilpatrick
James J. Kilpatrick
James Jackson Kilpatrick was an American editorial columnist and grammarian. He was a legal abstractionist, a social conservative, and an economic libertarian according to Harvard ....
. The symposium was accompanied by a politically-charged magazine which featured writing from political science students and professors at the University of Florida. Over time, ACCENT broke away from the symposium format and turned into a year-long speaker series.
Speakers
In any given year, the Chairman must stretch the budget to bring in speakers that the Student Body would like to hear speak. While most shows are sponsored solely by ACCENT, many other student organizations turn to ACCENT for different events. Organizations like, but not limited to, Black Student Union, Jewish Student UnionJewish Student Union
The Jewish Student Union, or JSU is an organization aimed at educating youth in public schools about the Jewish culture, heritage, and religion...
, Hispanic Student Union, Asian American Student Union, Pride Student Union, Islam on Campus and the Board of College Councils work with the ACCENT to bring in speakers that are both relevant to their group and hold wide appeal.
Past speakers
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Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her starring role as Whitley Gilbert in the television sitcom A Different World.-Biography:... Jerry Greenfield Jerry Greenfield is a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc.Throughout his childhood, Greenfield lived in New York, on Long Island. In 1969, he enrolled at Oberlin College, where he followed a pre-med curriculum before graduating in 1973... Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to... Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... Jim Wright James Claude Wright, Jr. , usually known as Jim Wright, is a former Democratic U.S. Congressman from Texas who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the Speaker of the House from 1987 to 1989.-Early life:... Joel Siegel Joel Siegel was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show Good Morning America for over 25 years. Born to a Jewish family of Romanian descent, and raised in Los Angeles, California, he graduated cum laude from UCLA. His Romanian-born grandmother from Botoşani survived the Triangle... John Kerry John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W... José Canseco José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco... Kevin Nealon Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,... Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early... Kweisi Mfume Kweisi Mfume is the former President/CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , as well as a five-term Democratic Congressman from Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving in the 100th through 104th Congress... Kyle Maynard Kyle Maynard is a speaker, author and ESPY Award-winning Mixed Martial Arts athlete.Maynard works as a speaker for the Washington Speaker's Bureau, specializing in motivational speeches... Laurie David Laurie David is an American environmental activist. She serves as a trustee on the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the Advisory Board of the Children's Nature Institute and is a contributing blogger to The Huffington Post.-Personal life:David was born as Laurie Ellen Lennard, and... Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena... Liz Murray Elizabeth "Liz" Murray is an American inspirational speaker who is best known as having been homeless in her youth, and as having overcome her hardship to achieve success.- Biography :... Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude "Lou" Ferrigno is an American actor, fitness trainer/consultant, and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron... Loveline Loveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles.... 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Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries... Mike Reiss Michael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic... Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991... Mo Rocca Maurice Alberto "Mo" Rocca is an American writer, comedian and political satirist.-Early life and work:... Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and... Oliver North Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author.... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on... Omar Al Issawi Omar al-Issawi born June 4, 1967, is a Lebanese human rights activist and previously a journalist, director, producer, and television personality.... Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011... Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought... Patch Adams Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, M.D. is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971... Penn & Teller Penn & Teller are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard during their performance... Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy... Ralph Nader Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government.... Ray McGovern Raymond McGovern is a retired CIA officer turned political activist. McGovern was a Federal employee under seven U.S. presidents over 27 years, presenting the morning intelligence briefings at the White House for many of them.-Early life:... The Real World: New Orleans The Real World: New Orleans is the ninth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. The series was filmed... Riki Wilchins Riki Wilchins is an activist whose work has focused on the impact of gender norms. While she started out as a transgender leader -- founding the first national transgender advocacy group -- her analysis and work broadened over time to include discrimination and violence regardless of individuals'... Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. is an American radio host, activist, and attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the third of eleven children born to Ethel Skakel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy and is the nephew of John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy... Ron Jeremy Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list... Ronald Takaki Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki was an academic, historian, ethnographer and author. Born in Oahu, Hawai'i, his work addresses stereotypes of Asian Americans, such as the model minority concept.-Early life:... Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988... Roy Firestone Roy Firestone is an American sports commentator and journalist. Firestone is a graduate of Miami Beach High School and the University of Miami.-Television career:... Ruth Westheimer Ruth Westheimer is an American sex therapist, media personality, and author. Best known as Dr. Ruth, the New York Times described her as a "Sorbonne-trained psychologist who became a kind of cultural icon in the 1980s... Ruth Westheimer Ruth Westheimer is an American sex therapist, media personality, and author. Best known as Dr. Ruth, the New York Times described her as a "Sorbonne-trained psychologist who became a kind of cultural icon in the 1980s... Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of... Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. 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Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:... Vladimir Posner Vladimir Vladimirovich Posner , born 1 April 1934, is a Russian journalist best known in the West for appearing on television to represent and explain the views of the Soviet Union during the Cold War... Wesley Clark Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the... William Shatner William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T... Zach Braff Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his... |
Student government
ACCENT has the second largest budget out of all the agencies, as well as the largest staff. Chapter 563 of the University of Florida Student Body Statues outlines the general practices of the Speakers Bureau.Staff structure
Over 50 student volunteers work with the Chairman to put time and energy to bring speakers to the University of Florida. The Chairman is required to appoint three Vice Chairs, but the remainder of the organizational structure is left up to the Chairman. Vice Chairships, Directorships, and Assistant Directorships range from productions to promotions and every job in between. Applications are usually found on the official website at the beginning of each semester.Past Chairmen
| Corey Portnoy | 2011 - Present |
| Zack Goldstein | 2010 - 2011 |
| Jason H. Attermann | 2009 - 2010 |
| Andrew S. Guglielmo | 2008 - 2009 |
| Steven Blank | 2007 - 2008 |
| Andrew S. Brown | 2006 - 2007 |
| Evan Tyroler | 2005 - 2006 |
| David Buchalter | 2004 - 2005 |
| Seth Denison | 2003 - 2004 |
| Eric Trabin | 2002 - 2003 |
| Robert Heekin | 2001 - 2002 |
| Michael Mosseri | 2000 - 2001 |
| Justin L. Sternberg | 1999 - 2000 |
| Jason A. Collier | 1998 - 1999 |
| Andrew W. Rosin | 1997 -1998 |
| Adam Sheinkof | 1997 |
| David Meade | 1996 |
| Michael Namath | 1995 - 1996 |
| Michael Cotzen | 1994 - 1995 |
| David Seifer | 1993 - 1994 |
| Marshall Rothman | 1992 - 1993 |
| Scott Thomas | 1991 - 1992 |
| Richard Brilliant | 1990 - 1991 |
| Evan Plotka | 1989 - 1990 |
| Greg Kirby | 1988 - 1989 |
| Seth Bruckner | 1987 - 1988 |
| Lloyd Gilick | 1986 - 1987 |
| G. Mark Shalloway | 1985 - 1986 |
| Huber Cooney | 1984 1985 |
| Brian Paternak/Bruce Gross | 1983 - 1984 |
| Marilyn Stern | 1980 - 1981 |
| Kevin Hanks | 1979 - 1980 |
| Donny Epstein | 1976 - 1979 |
| Steve Weiner | 1975 - 1976 |
| John Fuller | 1974 - 1975 |
| Mike Snyder | 1973 - 1974 |
| David Aarons | 1972 - 1973 |
| Ed Boze | 1970 - 1971 |
| Joe Hilliard | 1969 - 1970 |