Leadership Luncheon with Dan Rather Rescheduled

Needless to say, throughout his career covering national politics and world events, longtime CBS News anchor Dan Rather has learned a thing or two about leadership.

Rather will be this year’s Rockhurst University Leadership Series speaker, with the legendary journalist speaking at a luncheon scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, in the Basie Ballroom at the Downtown Marriott, 200 W. 12th St. in Kansas City, Mo. The luncheon had been postponed from an earlier date due to illness.

The title of the presentation is “Dan Rather: Leadership Principles From the World’s Most Powerful Leaders.” During his talk, Rather will draw on his considerable experience interacting with world leaders to explore the traits of successful leadership.

Bill Conway, chairman of the Rockhurst University Leaders Council, said the talk aims to give community members, along with Rockhurst University faculty, staff and students, an inside look at some of the most powerful men and women on the planet.

“Hearing those stories on the national level, the international level and at the local level is important for our community,” he said. “It’s useful to be able to say ‘here is a leader, let’s learn and let’s see what they have done.’”

Rather’s career started with delivering newspapers in Dallas before moving to radio and then the local CBS affiliate, where he became the first to report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Eventually, Rather became a correspondent for CBS News. In the years following, he reported on a host of major world events, from the Vietnam War to the Iraq War, from Watergate to the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion.

Starting with nationally syndicated columnist George Will last year, Conway said the Rockhurst University Leadership Series is both a way to bring world-renown speakers to the Kansas City community and reinforce that Rockhurst is “Where Leaders Learn.”

“The RULC is focused primarily on making sure the community knows who Rockhurst is and what we’re all about,” he said. “We have a great story to tell and bringing in world-class speakers like Dan Rather is a good way to promote that story in the community.”

To register for Rather’s speech, visit rockhurst.edu/leadershipseries.