Bucknell Forum to Feature Four Renowned Speakers on 'World in Transition'

Pioneering actor and civil rights leader George Takei, entrepreneur, investor and renowned ABC Shark Tank panelist Kevin O'Leary; NBC News Washington correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, and Emmy Award-winning comedian, TV host and producer W. Kamau Bell will appear at Bucknell University for the 2024-25 Bucknell Forum series, where they will discuss the theme "World in Transition."

Alcindor will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 24; Bell on Tuesday, Oct. 22; Takei on Tuesday, Jan. 28, presented in partnership with University's MLK Week; and O'Leary on Tuesday, Feb. 18. All of this year's Bucknell Forum events will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts and are free and open to the public, although tickets are required (see details below).

"This year’s theme, 'World in Transition,' reflects upon the dynamic and rapidly changing global landscape we are experiencing today," says Bucknell President John Bravman. "We are proud to welcome such distinguished speakers who will share their unique perspectives on these critical changes and their impact on society."

Yamiche Alcindor, Tuesday, Sept. 24
A Washington correspondent for NBC News, Alcindor is a trusted voice for news and analysis in today's rapidly changing political landscape. Since joining NBC in early 2022, she has covered the Biden administration, the impact of federal policies on communities and issues at the intersection of race, culture and politics. She is also a former anchor and moderator of PBS' Washington Week, and was PBS's White House correspondent for the network's national news program NewsHour. As an MSNBC contributor, Alcindor frequently appears on Morning Joe, Meet the Press and Andrea Mitchell Reports. Earlier in her career, she was a national reporter for The New York Times, writing about politics and social issues, and a journalist with USA Today, covering criminal justice and breaking news. She is a recipient of the White House Correspondents' Association's Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and the National Association of Black Journalists' Journalist of the Year Award.

W. Kamau Bell, Tuesday, Oct. 22
Bell is a stand-up comedian, director and producer. For seven seasons, he was the host and executive producer of the five-time Emmy Award-winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. In 2023, he won an Emmy for his HBO documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed. He also won a Peabody Award for his 2022 Showtime docuseries We Need to Talk About Cosby. He is the co-author of the New York Times-bestseller Do the Work!: An Anti-Racist Activity Book. His comedy special Private School Negro is available on Netflix. Bell is on the board of directors for DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that helps teachers raise money for class projects, and Live Free, a nonprofit dedicated to ending gun violence, mass incarceration and mass criminalization. He is also the ACLU's Celebrity Ambassador for Racial Justice.

George Takei, Tuesday, Jan. 28
Presented in partnership with Bucknell's MLK Week, Takei is globally renowned for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek series. He boasts an acting career spanning six decades with appearances in more than 40 feature films and numerous television shows. Beyond his iconic role on Star Trek, Takei's life is marked by his advocacy for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality. As a child, Takei and his family were wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II, a personal history that has fueled his passion for activism and that he recounted in the New York Times-bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, which was the first-year Common Reading for Bucknell's Class of 2026. Takei's extensive voiceover work includes appearances on The Simpsons, Futurama and Avatar: The Last Airbender. He also provided narration for the PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea and the Peabody Award-winning radio documentary Crossing East. He earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Recording category for the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In addition to his screen work, Takei made his Broadway debut in 2015 with the musical Allegiance, inspired by his wartime experiences. Takei's contributions to U.S.-Japanese relations earned him Japan's Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. He continues to inspire through his YouTube series, Takei's Take, his social media presence and ongoing advocacy.

Kevin O'Leary, Tuesday, Feb. 18
O'Leary is the chairman of O'Shares Investments and Beanstox, an automated, internet-based, investment advisory service. He also holds investments in over 50 private venture companies across a wide range of sectors. He is a member of Boston's 120-year-old Hamilton Trust, the oldest investment club in the U.S. He is a venture capitalist who has been a contributor to CNBC, ABC News and Good Morning America. O'Leary is also an investor/host of ABC Television's five-time Emmy Award-winning venture capital reality programs Shark Tank and Beyond the Tank, produced by MGM/Sony/ABC. O'Leary is the author of three No. 1 New York Times bestselling books: Cold Hard Truth, Men, Women and Money, and Family Kids and Money. He has been founder, co-founder or founding investor in such successful companies as SoftKey Software, which changed its name to The Learning Company in 1996 and was acquired in 1999 by the Mattel Toy Company for $4.2 billion; Storage Now, a leading developer of climate-controlled storage facilities, which was acquired by the In-Storage REIT in March 2007 for $110 million; and Stream Global Services Inc., which is focused on the growing outsourcing business services market.

Event Information
All Bucknell Forum events are free and open to the public, although tickets are required. Current Bucknell students and employees may receive up to two free tickets at any campus box office location, or online, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. one day prior to the event. A valid Bucknell University ID is required to receive advance tickets. Use of multiple Bucknell IDs to pick up additional sets of tickets is prohibited.

Remaining tickets will be available for the general public at the Weis Center box office beginning at 6 p.m. on the day of the event. All individuals may receive up to two free tickets, depending on availability.

An ASL interpreter will be signing at the event for the deaf community. Attendees who need this service should contact sebright@bucknell.edu for seating arrangements.

Questions regarding this event may be directed to the Division of Marketing & Communications at 570-577-3260 or theforum@bucknell.edu.

The Bucknell Forum
Since 2007, The Bucknell Forum speaker series has featured national leaders, scholars, and commentators who have examined various issues from multidisciplinary and diverse viewpoints. Past Forum speakers have included famed primatologist Jane Goodall, award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, and CNN broadcast journalists and political commentators Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, among others.