UTM will host former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Louis Freeh, as part of its Academic Speaker Series on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elam Center.

Freeh, who served as director of the FBI from 1993 to 2001, will present “National Security and Civil Liberties: Pros and Cons.” The presentation will include a discussion on the clash between desires for national security and personal privacy and what needs to be done to maximize both desires while sacrificing neither.

“National security and how to protect our personal privacy rights during this time of national tension are issues of the first importance in our public life… These are complex issues and there are no easy answers to them. As a former director of the FBI and a prominent law enforcement official for decades, Mr. Freeh has important insights that will allow us greater understanding of these crucial issues and these difficult times,” said Dr. Dan McDonough, Honors Program director.

A question and answer session will follow the presentation. Freeh will be available to sign copies of his bestselling book, My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror. The book can be purchased in the UTM bookstore and, on the evening of the presentation, in the concourse of the Elam Center.

Freeh joined the FBI as a special agent in the New York City field office after his graduation from Rutgers Law School in 1974. In 1981, he became chief of the Organized Crime Unit and an Associate United States Attorney after joining the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Freeh assumed the lead role in the investigation and prosecution of the New York Mafia, was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service from 1987 and 1991 and served as a United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York from 1991-1993.

In 1993, Freeh was appointed director of the FBI. During this eight-year term, he modernized and internationalized the bureau, doubled the number of global FBI branches and increased focus on counterintelligence and cybercrime.

Freeh also expanded and enhanced the use of DNA technology and state-of-the-art electronic surveillance.

Freeh, as director of the FBI, was described by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as “the singularly best-suited person in America to run the FBI.”

Currently, Freeh serves as a consultant on security issues and on several corporate boards.

The Academic Speaker Series is sponsored by UT Martin Honors Programs, First – Year Initiative, Office of Student Affairs, Student Activities Council and the American Democracy Project.