On Jan. 31, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, will present the 2017 Flora Cameron Lecture on Politics and Public Affairs. Cameron served as prime minister from 2010 to 2016 and will focus on the issues he brought forward while in office during the lecture on Tuesday.

The Flora Cameron Lecture has been made possible by the generosity of Flora C. Crichton, a Trustee Emerita of Trinity. The lecture has brought many world leaders to Trinity to talk about their careers and current events. Former speakers include Margaret Thatcher, Condoleezza Rice and George H.W. Bush.

“These lectures that we have at Trinity are a wonderful opportunity for students that might not occur at other colleges or universities or that might be limited to donors and other people who can afford to go,” said Sharon Schweitzer, assistant vice president of External Relations.

Trinity University works with agencies out of Washington, D.C. and New York City to find speakers that work well with specific lecture series held. The Flora Cameron Lecture revolves around politics and public affairs.

“David Cameron is the most recent Prime Minister of Great Britain, and Great Britain is going through a lot of social, cultural and economic flux in the same ways the United States is,” Schweitzer said of Cameron’s relevance to the recent political atmosphere.

Although a lecture on public affairs may seem dull to some, the Trinity community looks forward to the former Prime Minister’s perspective on current politics. Some professors are bringing classes to a student meeting with David Cameron to ask questions before the lecture.

“Events like this one give students direct contact with someone who is a true mover and shaker in current politics,” said Nanette Le Coat, director of international studies and one of the professors who will bring a class to the student meeting.

Le Coat suggests her students do some research beforehand to have well-thought questions for Cameron.

“I think people will get the most out of the lecture by doing their homework, by researching and formulating questions,” Le Coat said.

This lecture intends to get the community thinking more globally. The Flora Cameron Lecture offers the opportunity to listen to international leaders speak about current events from their perspective.

“Every time a big person comes to campus “” or a small person for that matter “” I always tell students that this is the only time in their lives that they can see interesting people for free,” said David Crockett, chair of the political science department.

Attending the lecture will allow students to focus less on the intricacies of their lives and take a look at a broader scope of what is going on in the world. Because this is such a great opportunity, Trinity will be offering tickets for the lecture.

“I think we’ll have a packed house, so we’re offering tickets to faculty, staff and students first. Whenever we have someone coming who will bring such a big draw, we make the determination to issue tickets to ensure we don’t oversell the auditorium,” Schweitzer said.

Cameron will be escorted by his security detail from Scotland Yard. Because of security risks, students are asked not to bring backpacks or large bags, as they will have to leave them outside of the auditorium.

Donors endow the lectures, so they can be made available for the Trinity community and the San Antonio community. Tickets will be given at a first come, first served basis on Jan. 24 and 25 at the Laurie Auditorium box office, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students must bring their student ID to reserve tickets and to attend the lecture.