This year's Speaker Series includes a diverse group of speakers.

The first speaker this year is Richard Picciotto. Picciotto was the last fireman to escape the devastation of the World Trade Center collapse. He was on a stairwell between the sixth and seventh floors of the North Towers when it collapsed. Picciotto also wrote a book, titled, "Last Man Down." The book is a tribute to the firefighters and civilians who died on Sept. 11, 2001. He will be coming for Patriot's Day on Sept. 10.

"He was the highest ranking fireman, fire chief, involved in the Twin Towers. He was actually there for that experience and he's coming to share some of his thoughts," Michelle Irby, the faculty advisor for Student Government Association, said.

The next speaker is Anderson Cooper. He is the anchor of CNN's, "Anderson Cooper 360." Cooper covers the major issues of both the United States and the world. He often reports from the scene of whatever is going on. He's covered major events like the Boston Marathon bombing, the conflicts in Syria and Egypt, the NSA surveillance programs, and he recently reported from Ferguson, Missouri. He has won numerous journalism awards, eight Emmy awards and the Edward R. Murrow award. Cooper will speak on Sept. 21, the Sunday of family of weekend.

"We've not done a Sunday event before, so it'll be kind of new for us and we're kind of excited about it," Irby said. "Anderson's going to do kind of a Q&A, so it's not really a lecture format. It's more pre-designed questions to prompt some discussion."

Joanna Shaver, coordinator of campus programing, is particularly excited to see Anderson Cooper.

"I have watched Anderson Cooper since I was in high school so since the late 90's when he was on Channel 1 news, and I just thought he was amazing then. He's just become stronger as a person, as a news correspondent, and I think he's just a wealth of knowledge about current events. He's so smart, and I'm just really excited to see him and hear what he has to say," Shaver said.

Next is Mara Liasson. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR's award-winning "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition." She is a contributor for Fox News Channel and is a panelist on "Fox News Sunday." Each year, Liasson provides key coverage of the candidates and issues in both presidential and congressional races. She has received several awards and honors, including the White House Correspondents' Association Merriman Smith Award for excellence in daily news reporting in 1994, 1995 and 1997. She will speak on Oct. 28.

"She's actually sponsored by KRCU, so she will be here. She's going to talk and do some political analysis sort of before the November election cycle," Irby said.

After Liasson, Soledad O'Brien will be speaking on Jan. 21 to start off the new semester. She launched Starfish Media Group, a media production company that seeks to explore powerful stories.

"We have had Soledad O'Brien speak on campus about eight years ago. I think she was our first speaker of what we now know as the University Speaker Series, but we're bringing her back to be the MLK keynote speaker. She's the only one that's coming for a second time," Shaver said.

The next speaker is Hill Harper. Harper is a humanitarian, actor, author, heath and wellness ambassador and a philanthropist. Harper is currently starring in USA Network's "Covert Affairs" as Calder Michaels. He has written four New York Times best sellers, including "The Wealth Cure," which discussed how he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and his road to recovery. Harper created the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on inspiring young people and leading them toward a better future. President Barack Obama appointed Harper as a member of the President's Cancer Panel. Harper will speak on Feb. 25.

"He is going to be working with the Michael Davis Lecture with us in cooperation with the mass [communication] department," Irby said.

The final speaker of the year is Ozzie Smith, also known as "The Wizard." He was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. After four years with the San Diego Padres and 15 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith retired from baseball in 1996.

"People have asked me if he's going to do a back handspring or a backflip, and I said I don't know at his age if he still does that, but we'll ask him," Irby said.

Figuring out what the students' favorite might be was a challenge for Irby.

"I've heard really good feedback from students that I've talked to about Hill Harper. I've heard lots of Cardinals enthusiasts who are excited about Ozzie Smith, but I've also had great feedback about Anderson Cooper, so I'm not sure I could narrow it down to what might be a student favorite this year. I hope that, in the variety, there's sort of something for everyone and that at least one of our speakers resonates with each of our students," Irby said.

Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $10 for general admission and are available at showmecenter.biz and the Show Me Center Box Office. Student tickets are free with a Redhawks ID in UC 204 or at the Show Me Center Box Office. For more information, go to semo.edu/speakers.