"The Interview of a Lifetime" for Three DePauw Student Journalists at Mikhail Gorbachev's Ubben Lecture
October 29, 2005
Also: "We Only Have a Common Future," Mikhail Gorbachev Tells Overflow Crowd; Television and Newspaper Coverage of Gorbachev's Speech
October 29, 2005, Greencastle, Ind. - "For three DePauw student journalists, the interview of a lifetime may have come before they even left college," begins one of the story's published in Greencastle's Banner-Graphic on Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to DePauw. "Following his Ubben lecture Thursday, three DePauw media students, Eileen Park with D3TV, Lisa Chambers with WGRE and Kanishka Bhattacharya, a reporter from The DePauw, each took turns questioning former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev" before a packed house of 3,000 in DePauw's Lilly Center.
In introducing the students to Mr. Gorbachev and the crowd, DePauw President Robert G. Bottoms noted the long tradition of student journalism at the University and the many graduates who have achieved prominence in the field. Questions were submitted by e-mail from other students, faculty members and members of the 
public. The students determined which questions would be asked, and how, and had the option of asking queries of their own. The same procedure was used for retired General Wesley Clark's 2003 Ubben Lecture, which took place days after he announced his presidential candidacy.
The newspaper article, by Sarah Lipps, notes several of the questions that the students asked of the former Soviet leader. Eileen Park queried, "After the death of Pope John Paul II, you said the collapse of the iron curtain would have been impossible without the pope. How (would it have been impossible)?". Lipps writes, "Gorbachev said the pope had been essential to the reform because of the principles he pushed for in a new world order. 'After the victory, the West had a severe disease -- a complex of victory,' Gorbachev said, 'while Russia had an inferiority complex.'"
Read the complete story at the Banner-Graphic's website. The newspaper also reported on Gorbachev's post-speech news conference interactions with the youthful "Y-Press" reporters from the Indianapolis Star, of the anticipation before the lecture began, and there's a story on the Ubben Lecture itself.
DePauw.edu's report on Mikhail Gorbachev's address, "Security and Environment: The Challenges of the 21st Century," includes many photos and video and audio clips. You'll find it here.
The Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Series has brought distinguished individuals to the DePauw University campus since 1986, including British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, Spike Lee, Mike Krzyzewski, Ambassador Paul Bremer (pictured at left), Hotel Rwanda's Paul Rusesabagina, National Football League Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning, Shimon Peres, Harry Belafonte, and General Colin Powell.
To view a complete list of Ubben Lecturers, which includes links to video clips and news stories, click here.
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