Southeast Missouri State University is hosting the 28th annual Michael Davis Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 7, presented by the president of FUSE, Clifford Franklin.
FUSE is the fourth largest independent African American owned advertising agency in the country. The lecture is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Rose Theatre at Southeast.
The event is free and open to the public and is one of several Black History Month events at Southeast.
"We're excited to bring a speaker of his stature to campus," said Dr. Tamara Zellars Buck, chairperson of the Department of Mass Media. "He took his St. Louis-based agency and made it a dominant player in the media world. Students from across campus will be able to learn from his experiences."
A lifelong resident of St. Louis, Missouri, Franklin is a graduate of the University of Kansas. His clients have included Entergy, CNN, Hyundai, Anheuser Busch, IBM, Access Heath CT, United States Department of Justice, Lumiere Hotel & Casino, and the National Education Association. FUSE was also the African American advertising agency of record for the historic Obama for President Campaign in 2008 and 2012, Mark Warner for Senate in Virginia, Nixon for Governor of Missouri, Kay Hagan for Senate in North Carolina, Stacey Abrams for Governor, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic National Committee, and Warnock for Senate.
The annual lecture is hosted by the Southeast Department of Mass Media and began in 1995. The lecture is in memory of Michael Davis, a journalism student who died due to fraternity hazing in 1994. The lecture annually features African American professionals working in public relations, television, film, news, and other mass media related fields from across the country.