Fayetteville State University (FSU) Chancellor T.J. Bryan recently announced the lineup for the 2006-07 Chancellor's Distinguished Speaker Series.

The speaker series, held in the J.W. Seabrook Auditorium, has become a highlight for students and citizens of Fayetteville and surrounding communities. It brings to the campus some of the leaders in politics, entertainment, business, sports and civil rights.

It is free and open to the public.

On Nov. 14, Dr. Manning Marable, author, historian, political theorist, human rights activist, professor, and journalist will appear.

Marable is known for his writing and has written or edited more than 200 academic articles and 21 books.

Since 1993, Marable has been a professor of public affairs, political science, history, and African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York City. Marable was the founding director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia.

Next in the series lineup is actor Cheech Marin. Also a director, writer, musician, art collector, and humanitarian, Cheech Marin is best known for his role in the popular 1980s films "Cheech and Chong." He attracts fans through his comedy and films, as well as his projects for children.

To this day, "Cheech and Chong" films are the No. 1 weekend video rentals. Marin will appear on Jan. 24.

On Feb. 6, Bernice King, the daughter of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, will be the guest speaker.

Due to her profile and skill in public speaking, Bernice King has been asked to speak around the world. Ebony magazine named her as one of its "Ten of Tomorrow" future leaders of the black community.

King was only 5 years old when her father died. At 17, she was invited to speak at the United Nations in the absence of her mother. She is a graduate of Douglass High School in Atlanta, and she graduated from Spelman College with a degree in psychology before earning a joint degree in theology and law at Emory University.

Bernice King says she once considered suicide before God intervened.

At the age of 24, she decided to become a minister and completed a master's degree in divinity from the Candler School of Theology. With her brother Martin Luther King III, Bernice King has played an active part in reforming the Southern Christ-ian Leadership Conference once led by their father.

She is currently an elder at New Birth, a licensed attorney and member of the Georgia Bar, and works as a mediator.

National Football League (NFL) Coach Herman "Herm" Edwards visits FSU March 13. Edwards is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. He previously was a player in the NFL, playing the position of cornerback for eight seasons (1979-1986) with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and Atlanta Falcons.

Before being hired with the Chiefs, Edwards was the head coach of the New York Jets from 2001-2005.

He is famous for the quote and sound bite, "You play to win the game!", a message that Edwards gave during a New York Jets press conference. It also became the title of his book, a collection of "leadership lessons" for the reader to use as personal motivation.

Edwards played college football at the University of California in 1972 and 1974, at Monterey Peninsula Junior College in 1973, and at San Diego State in his senior year, 1975. He graduated from the latter with a degree in criminal justice.

In the NFL, Edwards played nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1977 to 1986, making a championship appearance with the team in Super Bowl XV. His 33 career interceptions are just one short of the franchise record.

He appeared in 135 consecutive regular-season games for the Eagles, and then played briefly for the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons in 1986 before announcing his retirement.

The highlight of Edwards' playing career occurred on Nov. 19, 1978, in the final seconds of a game against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. The Giants led 17-12 and the Eagles had no time-outs remaining; but instead of simply taking the snap from center and falling on the ball, Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik attempted to hand the ball off to running back Larry Csonka.

However, the ball came loose, and Edwards picked it up and returned it for a touchdown, enabling the Eagles to win 19-17.

This play became known in Philadelphia as "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" and in New York as simply "The Fumble."

Rounding out the series, on March 21, is Anita Hill. Hill was a colleague of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas prior to Thomas' appointment to the Supreme Court. Hill became a public figure during his Senate confirmation hearing when she accused Thomas of sexual harassment and using coarse language.

Hill received her undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University in 1977 and her law degree from Yale University in 1980.

Upon graduation from law school, she became a practicing lawyer with the Washington, D.C., firm of Ward, Hardraker, and Ross.

In 1981, she met Thomas, and became his assistant at the U.S. Department of Education. It was during this period, according to Hill's later testimony, that the alleged sexual harassment took place. After Thomas became chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hill joined the Commission's legal staff.

When Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1991, Hill's accusations to the FBI that Thomas had used coarse language with her were leaked to the media by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Hill, by then on the law school faculty at the University of Oklahoma, testified before the committee about Thomas's alleged verbal harassment. Thomas made a blanket denial of the accusations, and, after extensive debate, the U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Thomas.

Hill is a professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

For more information about the series, call 910-672-1474.