Southeast Missouri State University announced the eight speakers to be featured in the 2016-2017 University Speakers Series on Tuesday.

The lineup of speakers includes inspirational speaker and burn survivor John O’Leary; Emmy-award winning journalist and co-anchor of ABC’s “Nightline” Byron Pitts; NPR arts correspondent Mandalit del Barco; political contributors Van Jones and Kayleigh McEnany; NASA astronaut Captain Scott Kelly; former chairperson of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Mary Frances Berry; and gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson.

Joanna Shaver, coordinator for campus programming, said the Speakers Series is important for students because it introduces them to individuals who have been involved in a variety of events, and it allows them to experience a variety of “worldly views” being brought to campus.

O’Leary is the first speaker to visit campus and he will speak during the new student welcome convocation, at 11 a.m. Friday in the Show Me Center. Students other than freshmen are welcome to join in hearing the lecture. As a child, O’Leary burned himself from playing with fire and gasoline, leaving 100 percent of his body burned. His parents’ book “Overwhelming Odds” about his survival led to the idea for O’Leary to share his recovery with the world.

“An Evening With Byron Pitts” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Academic Hall Auditorium. Pitts’ professional resume includes his current position as an anchor and chief national correspondent at ABC, his former role as the chief national correspondent at CBS’ “Evening News with Katie Couric” and his past role as the lead correspondent at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks, which won him an Emmy.

del Barco will speak at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 in the University Center Ballroom in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. As an arts correspondent for NPR West, del Barco is responsible for reporting and producing about film, television, music, visual arts, dance and other topics. Some of the topics del Barco has covered include streets gangs, race relations, Lation arts and urban culture and natural disasters. Her work can be found on “All Things Considered,” “Morning Edition,” “Weekend Edition,” “Alt. Latino” and npr.org.

Jones and McEnany will speak together in the “Election 2016 — Political Contributors’ Point/Counterpoint Debate” at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. Jones is a civil rights leader, former White House adviser and CNN political correspondent. Jones also is the founder and president of Dream Corps, a platform that empowers individuals who are viewed as vulnerable in our society. McEnany graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor, earned a BSFS in International Politics and at Oxford University studied politics and internal relations. She is a political correspondent for CNN.

Kelly will deliver his presentation, “The Sky Is Not the Limit: Lessons From a Year in Space,” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Show Me Center. Kelly has been on the cover of TIME magazine, interviewed on the “TODAY” show and featured in other news outlets because of his personal stories and life lessons about being a leader and working as a team in demanding conditions.

Berry is the keynote speaker for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Jan. 18. She is recognized for being a respected voice in civil rights, gender equality and social justice for more than 40 years. Berry’s position as the chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights caused four presidential administrations to enforce equal rights and liberties for all Americans. She was the first woman to head a major research university at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Former Olympic gold medal-winner Johnson will close out the Speakers Series at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Show Me Center. Competing for the United States in the Olympics is a goal Johnson had as a child. Johnson was already a two-time national champion and world all-around champion when she was chosen for the United States Olympic gymnastic team in 2008. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Johnson won an individual gold medal on the balance beam along with three silver medals in all-around, floor exercises and team categories.

According to Shaver, the process for finding the speakers for the series is long. In late fall, Shaver conducts a survey on Survey Monkey via the portal that has a list of predetermined topics she thinks maybe interesting to students.

“I try to come up with names of people that match the favored topics,” Shaver said. “For instance, if somebody said they wanted to hear about sports, I go out and do research to try to find people who are on the list who would speak about sports.”

Shaver said she does a survey in the spring as well, except this time she compiles a list of the top 10 to top 15 people who fit into different categories and from there voting takes place.

The Pitts and del Barco presentations are open and free to the public, while the others require tickets.

University tickets are free with a Southeast ID at the University Center’s Center for Student Involvement, while general public tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at the Show Me Center Box Office or online at showmecenter.biz.