Dan Rather's highly visible presence in American journalism earned him the respect of CBS viewers for years, but he will now make his mark on Oxford.

The Miami University Lecture Series will be hosting the nationally acclaimed journalist at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 in Hall Auditorium.

Rather made a name for himself after being the first broadcast journalist to cover the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. Shortly after, Rather started work as the CBS White House Correspondent and went on to become anchor of CBS Evening News.

"Rather is an addition to our series for this year," said Lana Kay Rosenberg, chair of the Lecture Series Committee. "Because the only date Miami had open was Feb. 23 and Obama was just inaugurated, it made sense to bring in someone who is politically oriented."

Rather will speak on "The First 100 Days" of the new Obama administration, as well as this time period for past administrations.

"Rather has expertise in American society and American politics," said Patricia Gallagher Newberry, journalism program lecturer and member of the Lecture Series Committee. "He brings observations and deep knowledge of events in this country and across the globe for half a century."

According to Newberry, the committee is composed of students and faculty who meet year round to plan and host lectures throughout the year.

"The committee tries to get a mix of speakers," Newberry said. "The Lecture Series Committee has a budget from the university that allows them to host three to four speakers per year who are either well-known or who have well-known work. One reason Dan Rather was chosen is because he is so well-known."

Additional events scheduled for Rather's visit include a dinner and a small question and answer session.

Newberry explained the Lecture Series Committee selects faculty, staff, administration and students to attend the small group question and answer session. The Lecture Series Committee usually seeks out students from departments relating to the speaker, so in Rather's case: journalism, communication, history and political science.

Journalism professor Joe Sampson encourages his journalism students to attend the lecture, saying it will be a beneficial experience for all students.

"It is a good opportunity for students to see someone who has been at the forefront of covering world events," Sampson said. "Students can learn more because it is a first person narrative, rather than a faculty member talking about how something was covered. Dan Rather was there-he was a witness to history."

Aside from faculty, students are excited to hear a speech from such a familiar figure.

"I am really looking forward to seeing a speaker who has been in Washington and who has covered many political events," junior Olivia Hallquist said.

Junior Samantha Panzero said she is going to see Rather because of the problems he has faced within the last few years.

"It seemed vague why he left CBS and I would like to know more information on the problems within his career," Panzero said.

Students will be encouraged to ask questions after the lecture to learn more about Rather or the events he has covered throughout his career.

Tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the Shriver Center box office. The tickets are free of charge and each student can pick up two tickets.