William J. Bennett
September 30, 1992, Greencastle, Ind. - "The success of children has a lot to do with the values of their parents," William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education and "Drug Czar," told a DePauw University audience tonight. "It's not just a big difference, it's an overwhelming difference if children learn values ... because values determine one's fate."
Bennett delivered the Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture in East College, Meharry Hall. "The Real Stakes in the Family Values Debate" was the topic of Bennett's speech.
Earlier in the day, Bennett also participated in an open forum on the 1992 elections in the Center for Contemporary Media, Watson Forum.
This marked Mr. Bennett's second Ubben Lecture. He first appeared at DePauw on October 6, 1988.
William Bennett has been rated, in various surveys, as the best appointment by both President Reagan and President Bush. Political commentators predict that he has one of the brightest political futures in the country. In August Bennett introduced Vice President Dan Quayle, a 1969 graduate of DePauw, at the Republican National Convention.
As Secretary of Education, Bennett declared that we must attend to the "Three C's" of American education: Content, Character and Choice. He engaged in a highly publicized debate on the failures of American higher education.
Bennett became director of the Office of National Drug Policy ("Drug Czar") in 1989. Even his critics concede that he led a vigorous national debate on drugs, education, and the condition of children and culture in America.
Prior to serving as Secretary of Education, Bennett was chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a current member of the senior research staff at the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis.