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�鶹��ѡ’s College of Communication and Information Global Initiatives Office is launching World Class, a new podcast focused on fostering interesting global conversations within the College of Communication and Information and across the �鶹��ѡcommunity.

The podcast, hosted by College of Communication and Information seniors Daniel Henderson and Hana Barkowitz, will premiere on Monday, Sept. 11, with a show that examines 9/11 and features as its inaugural guest Charles (Chuck) Banks, a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) senior executive who was instrumental in the logistical planning for the CIA’s post 9/11 mobilization to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Banks retired from the CIA in 2012 after 33 years in which he led government and military organizations, supported international intelligence gathering and paramilitary operations, and provided executive-level strategic planning. Banks was vitally engaged in global logistics and supply operations on 9/11 and its aftermath. Banks founded and leads High-Stakes Logistics LLC, a company that provides consulting services, training and public speaking on leadership, international logistics, crisis operations and interagency collaboration and communications. He has conducted seminars for the National Security Agency, CIA and U.S. Special Operations Command staff, while also consulting with Fortune 500 companies and startups on operational logistics. Banks was the keynote speaker for the City of Albuquerque’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in 2016.

“We conceived this podcast as a way to stimulate global conversations across the College of Communication and Information and Kent State,” says Stephanie Danes Smith, director of global initiatives for the College of Communication and Information. “We want to bring together global thinkers and influence leaders to discuss the forces shaping our world, and how communication and information-sharing impact these issues. Chuck Banks is that type of influence leader. He is also deeply reflective about 9/11, and on our podcast, he discusses lessons that students today should take away from 9/11.”

Barkowitz says she feels incredibly honored to have the opportunity to talk about important subjects on a broader scale.

“For students to be able to listen to global subjects who otherwise would be difficult to relate to, and hear how it directly affects all of us, is a very cool experience,” Barkowitz says. “When somebody thinks of College of Communication and Information, they might not directly think of worldly cultures, people and traditions. But the goal of College of Communication and Information Global is to make that correlation clear to students and to the rest of the university.”

“College of Communication and Information Global is there to provide opportunities for students to experience the world, grow as global citizens and broaden their perspectives,” Henderson says. “By speaking to world-class guests and approaching topics that cross national and cultural boundaries, we are attempting to expose fellow students to a world outside of Kent, Ohio, and outside the United States.”

Other episode topics will include the North Korean conflict and the social (and social media) movements that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia.

“We think it is especially important to host these conversations in podcast form so that our audience can have easy, on-demand access,” Smith says. “Great conversations that bring the world closer to College of Communication and Information students is very much part of the mission of College of Communication and Information Global.”

The podcast can be accessed at www.kent.edu/cci/global/world-class-podcast.

For more information about College of Communication and Information Global, visit www.kent.edu/cci/global.