The media, fake and real, are the focus of this semester’s featured speaker series at the Kent State Stark Campus.

For the past 17 years, the Kent State regional campus has welcomed nationally and internationally renowned educators, entertainers and politicians to grace its stage in the name of education. As the series grows in popularity, the pressure is on for the campus to continue bringing in big names.

“The featured speaker series is our gift back to the community,” said Stark campus dean Betsy Boze. “It’s a way to bring people to campus that may not come for anything else, and also a way for us to reach out and say thank you.”

This semester the series begins September 29 with Michele Norris, host of NPR’s newsmagazine “All Things Considered.” Norris is an award-winning journalist who has more than 20 years of experience. Before starting her work at NPR, Norris also reported for the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

“Seeing that this is a general election year, Michele Norris is perfect,” said Cynthia Williams, public relations coordinator for the Stark campus. “She’s someone who’s coming with that knowledge of both sides and can give a neutral, nonpartisan opinion.”

Actor and comedian Rod Corddry will visit the campus October 27.

According to Boze, Corddry falls in the “just for fun” category.

A former correspondent for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Corddry also played the title role in “Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story” and has starred in movies such as “Old School” and “Semi-Pro.”

According to Williams, the series is something students, faculty and the community can all learn from.

“We’re here to broaden everyone’s horizons, so educationally we want them to see these experts as people who shape the world in which we live,” said Williams

For the spring semester, the campus has scheduled Mike Brown, California Institute of Technology astronomy professor, and nature television host Jack Hanna.

The events are free and open to the public. Tickets are required and can be obtained as early as three weeks before the event by calling the Stark campus at (330) 244-3300.

Contact Regional Campus Reporter Justin Metz at [email protected].