Distinguished Speakers

The Academy of Leadership & Liberty and Oklahoma Christian University are committed to developing leaders who want to make a positive difference in their community.  Leaders must be circumspect in their decision making which requires being informed about the interests and issues of those around them.  To that end the Academy brings distinguished speakers to the OC campus at least twice a year to give students, faculty, staff, and the public an opportunity to engage national leaders about the issues of the day. 

The primary focus of the Distinguished Speaker Series is the students of Oklahoma Christian University.  Accordingly, the speakers invited to the campus address issues that connect with the interests of the students and challenge them to consider new ideas.  The Academy constantly polls the students in an effort to find speakers who both appeal to the students and have a message that encourages personal growth.

As an institution of higher learning and critical thinking, our intention is not to provide speakers representing only one particular view point.  Rather, speakers are representative of a spectrum of viewpoints on political, social, religious, and economic issues.  To hone in on specific issues, students are given access to speakers in the form of question and answer periods.  Occasionally the two speakers will engage a topic from opposing viewpoints in the form of a debate.  Ideally, the speakers will raise questions for the audience that cannot bear to go unanswered but require further research and consideration.

The distinguished speak series is made possible by the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation and other sponsors interested in public discussion of issues related to our communities.