The University of Iowa Lecture Committee will kick off its fall semester lecture series on Wednesday, Aug. 22, with Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers.

“An Evening with Seth Meyers,” the fifth annual Cassandra S. Foens, M.D. Lecture, will begin at 8 p.m. in the Main Lounge of the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU). Doors open at 7 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

Meyers is entering his 11th season as an SNL cast member and his sixth season as both head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor. Before focusing his attention solely on “Update,” Meyers was a regular player in sketches, performing numerous characters.

A graduate of Northwestern University, he studied and performed at ImprovOlympic, where many SNL cast members and writers got their start, before moving on to Boom Chicago theater in Amsterdam. His acclaimed show, Pick-ups and Hiccups, with partner Jill Benjamin toured Europe and eventually caught the eye of SNL.

Other upcoming lectures for the fall semester include:

• Barbara Ehrenreich, political activist and author of Nickel & Dimed, 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 24, at the Englert Theater
• L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions,7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, in Room W10 of Pappajohn Business Building
• Junot Diaz, 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning author of Drown, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and the forthcoming This is How You Lose Her, Friday,7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12, at the Englert Theater.

For more than 30 years, the University Lecture Committee has brought some of the world’s great thinkers to the UI campus. Speakers have included an impressive roster of national and international figures in science, politics, business, human rights, law, and the arts. The series is funded through student fees with additional private support.

For more information or special accommodations to attend, contact 319-335-3255.