News & Events

Ben Stein waits to be introduced before his lecture Tuesday night in Memorial Chapel. (Photo by Timothy. D. Sofranko)

Actor, lawyer, author, game-show host, and former White House speechwriter Ben Stein advised students crammed into Memorial Chapel Tuesday night on how they could “ruin” their lives.

Stein has published 16 books, including How to Ruin your Financial Life and How to Ruin your Love Life. Students erupted in laughter as he provided advice dripping with sarcasm:

-- Don’t learn any useful skills. Just play video games or listen to rap music.

-- Don’t learn any self-discipline. Just be a big baby all your life. Don’t study or deny yourself anything.

-- Convince yourself that you are the center of the universe. Truth is, God went away on vacation and left you in charge.

In a more serious moment, Stein stressed to students the importance of hard work.

“Work is an incredibly redemptive experience. Work gives you a feeling of self-worth and gives you a feeling that you belong on earth and you’ve earned your place on earth,” he said.

Stein’s lecture was the first of a series of activities scheduled for Colgate’s Welcome Back Week, which includes an ice cream social, barbecue, open mic night, and concerts.

Andrew Spano ’10 helped organize Stein’s appearance, which was primarily sponsored by the College Republicans, Student Lecture Forum, and Pre-Law Society.

Spano had a chance to take Stein on an impromptu campus tour, and during his lecture Stein raved about Colgate’s beautiful campus, urging students to take full advantage of “this little slice of heaven.”

Several students also had a chance to have dinner with Stein and ask him about his incredibly varied career.

Stein served as a speechwriter for Presidents Nixon and Ford. A former lawyer, he has written for The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and The Washington Post.

He is also a well-known actor; the scene where he played a boring teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was recently ranked as one of the 50 most famous scenes in American film. He also hosted the popular quiz show, Win Ben Stein’s Money.