Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will speak at Lisner Auditorium this October as part of a University lecture series.

Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, will moderate the Oct. 6 event, which is part of the Public Affairs Project Conversation Series. The event will focus on “the reach of American influence and power as well as ‘smart’ methods of conducting foreign policy,” according to the event description from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

“We are thrilled to be playing an integral role in advancing the public policy debate,” Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, said in a news release about the event.

On Sept. 23, former Vice President Walter Mondale will engage in a “conversation” with Sesno for the first installment of the series.