Frequently Asked Questions About Celebrity Forum

What is the Celebrity Forum?
How do I get on the Wait-List?
What kind of seating is available?
How do I get reserved seating?
When do tickets go on sale?
When do I get my tickets?
How long is each lecture?
Can I get an audiotape, videotape or transcript of the talk?
Why are there not refunds for a postponement or substitution of a speaker?
What if I do not agree with a speaker's views?
Is the speakers series only for adults?
Why is it only sold as a series?
Why is the Celebrity Forum speakers series so popular?
Was the Celebrity Forum speakers series always popular?

What is the Celebrity Forum?
The three Celebrity Forum Speakers Series are sponsored by the Foothill/De Anza Community College District which presents seven different speakers, one a month from September through April or May at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on the De Anza College campus in Cupertino, California. Why is there a speakers series sponsored by a college district?
Distinguished people share with the audience their experiences and perspectives on a wide variety of topics providing students and community members with a deeper understanding of politics, world affairs, science, economics, education, business, the arts and the entertainment world. It is an opportunity to hear formal presentations and to ask questions of knowledgeable heads-of-state, brilliant scientists, prominent educators, members of royalty, outstanding business leaders and various notable newsmakers. The Celebrity Forum stands for the relevance and power of ideas. In a very important way, it represents one of the significant ways our society has of thinking things through, of applying reason and intellect to the frequently intractable problems of our times – and doing this in the belief that ideas are important in today's world. We need ideas in our society – fresh ideas, relevant ideas, ideas for new times and old ideas made relevant through new application. Return to Top How do I get on the Wait-List?
Telephone us at (650) 949-7176, give us your name, address and a daytime phone number, and we will add your name. Please tell us which Celebrity Forum you wish. The Forums meet on Wednesdays (CF III), Thursdays (CF II) and Fridays (CF I); the same speaker appears in all three. We do not provide your name or address to any outside source. What kind of seating is available?
We have both open and reserved seating. Open or general seating allows you to choose a different seat each evening (except in the reserved seating section or corporate boxes.) If you are in the reserved section, your seat is assigned throughout the series. Each year, an attempt is made to improve the reserved seats, assuming people in better seats drop out. However, if you wish to remain in the same seats, you can indicate that on your renewal form. Ninety seven percent (97%) of the audience renew their subscriptions. Return to Top How do I get reserved seating?
Indicate that you want reserved seats on your order form. Reserved seats, as with general subscriptions, are renewable from year to year. Once renewals are complete, remaining seats in the reserved section become available. These seats become available first to current subscribers wishing to upgrade from open to reserved seating, and then to new subscribers. When do tickets go on sale?
The seven speakers comprising the next "season" are announced at the final lecture of the current season which is in April or in May. Renewal information and descriptions of the speakers are mailed at the end of the season to all current subscribers. Subscribers are given three-weeks to respond before tickets are sold to those on the Wait-List. Applications for series tickets from those on the Wait-List are accepted on a "first-come, first-served" basis; all orders, whether by fax or U.S.mail are time-stamped. Orders may be faxed or mailed using credit cards (Visa or MasterCard only) or checks. Orders cannot be taken over the telephone or Internet at the current time. Return to Top When do I get my tickets?
Tickets ordered in April-May will be confirmed with a postcard. Tickets are sent out in late August/early September. How long is each lecture?
Each evening lasts one and one-half hours, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The evening begins at 8 p.m. with a short introduction by Celebrity Forum founder Dick Henning. The speaker begins at about 8:05 p.m. with remarks usually lasting until about 9 p.m. During the talk, members of the audience have the opportunity to fill out a question-card for the speaker. Following the speaker's formal remarks and beginning at approximately 9 p.m., audience questions are read by Dr. Henning to the speaker. During this 30-minute session, the speaker clarifies and/or amplifies previous remarks or offers spontaneous and revealing new information. It is often the most interesting part of the evening. Can I get an audiotape, videotape or transcript of the talk?
By contract, the Celebrity Forum can not record the speakers' talk for public use. We are prohibited from distributing the program in any form. Some speakers allow their talks to be recorded for our college archives only. Return to Top Why are there not refunds for a postponement or substitution of a speaker?
When dealing with such high-profile people, there is a small chance that a postponement or substitution of a speaker will occur. This has happened only a few times in past years. When you purchase tickets to the series, you must assume this very small risk. Our brochure and application state that speakers are subject to substitution and/or rescheduling. We make every attempt to reschedule the same speaker at a later time or bring in a comparable speaker on the same date. What if I do not agree with a speaker's views?
It is often the speakers with whom you don't agree that you learn the most. These are the speakers who challenge our views and opinions and intellectually stimulate our thinking. It does not matter whether you accept another's views or ideas, but it is helpful and wise to listen to them. You are not expected to agree or accept the views of the speaker just because he or she is famous. Moreover, if you do not agree with a speaker, ask the speaker a question and challenge his or her views! Hopefully, we will always have speakers with whom you disagree; otherwise, the series could be boring. There is tremendous value in having diverse opinions – that is what makes the speakers series interesting and makes our country great. Return to Top Is the speakers series only for adults?
The Speakers Series is an opportunity to share informative and inspirational programs with community members, including mature high school and college-age children. It provides a wonderful opportunity for family dialogue on important issues, such as international affairs, American politics, current events, science, economics, popular books and authors. Foothill and De Anza College students, as well as local high school students routinely attend the programs. Why is it only sold as a series?
There are several reasons why tickets to individual lectures are not available. Selling it as a series allows us to advertise the Celebrity Forum at one time which tremendously reduces the marketing cost. Marketing each of the speakers individually would greatly increase the cost of the series. In addition, besides the added cost, if tickets for individual lectures were sold, then it is no longer a "Speakers Series". There is great benefit to attending all of the lectures instead of choosing two or three of favorites. (This is called "cherry-picking" well-known names only.) Since you will already have purchased your tickets to the series, there is a good chance you will attend a speaker you don't know or one with whom you think you will disagree. The vast majority of at people have discovered that they get more out of the series if they attend every lecture. The series is a Gestalt. The total value gained in attending the series of speakers is much greater than the sum of the individual speakers. Attending all of the speakers year after year, a huge body of knowledge can be amassed. Single tickets to individual events are not sold. If a series is not sold out when it begins in September, tickets remain available by series only, pro-rated for the remaining events. Return to Top Why is the Celebrity Forum speakers series so popular?
The Celebrity Forum is popular because it is, unlike television, an interactive experience. You get to see and hear famous people up close such as William Clinton, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Brokaw, Madeleine Albright, Ken Burns, Queen Noor of Jordan, Jane Goodall, David McCullough, Gary Grant, Walter Cronkite, Margaret Thatcher, Colin Powell, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mario Cuomo to name a few, coming from all walks of life to share their views and opinions with the Celebrity Forum audiences. Again, unlike television, our guests have time to elaborate at length about their topic as opposed to TV "sound bites." This is a rare, educational experience for little time and money. The Celebrity Forum is an easy, effective, enjoyable way to keep up-to-date on current affairs, which includes domestic and international perspectives. Often, friends and small groups attend together and discuss the program after the session. Some groups have pre-study meetings. Following a speaker's appearance, the talk around Silicon Valley often times has to do with what that speaker said the night before. Return to Top Was the Celebrity Forum speakers series always popular?
Yes. From the beginning night in January, 1968, it was a sell-out. In 1967-68, Dick Henning was Director of Student Activities at Foothill College, and he had a challenge when students coming back from Vietnam and other liberal-types decided they didn't want the community college lumping in the cost of student body cards into enrollment fees. His job was to convince the students that the card was worth well in excess of the $20 they were paying. When he was finishing formulating the perfect solution, the school was offering four new programs, two of which were a concert series and a speakers series. The concert series included such greats as Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin (four weeks before she died), The 5th Dimension, B. B. King, Taj Mahal, Joan Baez, The Doubie Brothers and The Grateful Dead which drew capacity student crowds. The first speakers series in 1968, which was held in the Foothill College gymnasium, featured Louis Leakey, Dick Gregory, Indira Gandhi, Pearl S. Buck and Alistair Cooke. It drew a capacity crowd of 1,500 but only about 50 students attended. Evidently, the students had better things to do on Friday nights. However, the highly-educated, inquisitive residents were happy to pay the $2 entrance fee. In those early days, each speaker's fee was a flat $600; so a nice profit was realized the very first year. Return to Top