Editor’s note: Anthony Shadid’s presentation on Thursday, Sept. 1, has been moved to the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union.

Several distinguished speakers, including Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Shadid, one of four New York Times journalists kidnapped in Libya this year, will give talks at the University of Central Florida this fall.

Hosted by UCF’s Global Perspectives Office, the talks are part of the office’s mission to sharpen UCF’s international focus. The office is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Shadid will discuss his experience covering affairs in the Middle East and share his story of perseverance while in captivity for several days in Libya. Speakers also will include Peter Bergen, CNN’s national security analyst, and Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Many of the speakers reflect the office’s annual theme of People Power, Politics and Global Change. Other themes this year are the Environment and Global Climate Change, Covering Global Crises from the Frontlines and the India Speaker Series.

Shadid, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, will present “Dispatches from the Middle East: Covering the ‘Arab Spring’” at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The presentation is free and open to the public.

A foreign correspondent for the Times based in Baghdad and Beirut, Shadid and three colleagues were caught in the crosshairs of the uprising against Libyan dictator Col. Muammar Gaddafi. The reporters were kidnapped and held for six days before being released in March.

Other highlights this semester include:

–Journalist and terrorism expert Peter Bergen will present “After Osama bin Laden: Terrorism’s Future Prospects” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.

–Samantha Nutt, a medical doctor with more than 15 years of experience in war zones, will be the keynote speaker at the Women and Leadership forum. She’ll present “Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.

–Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi, also a survivor of the South African apartheid, will present “Lessons Learned from My Grandfather: Non-Violence in a Violent World” at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. Free.

–Author and activist Mariane Pearl, the widow of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, will be the keynote speaker at the International Education Week Breakfast. She’ll present “Fighting Violence: Open Up a Dialogue” at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Advance registration required.

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit http://ucfglobalperspectives.org.