U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III, who presided over the landmark intelligent design trial in Harrisburg three years ago, and James B. Comey, the former U.S. deputy attorney general who was at the center of prominent and controversial cases in the Bush administration, are among the featured speakers and panelists who will participate in the day-long conference on public service at Dickinson College Monday, Feb. 23.

The conference — "What's wrong with public service? A challenge for higher education" — will be held in the Stern Center Great Room on West Louther Street between West and North College streets in Carlisle. It is free and open to the public.

Other participants in the program include R. Nicholas Burns, former undersecretary of state for political affairs, retired Admiral Gregory "Grog" Johnson, former commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, and Hollister Knowlton Petraeus, director of the BBB Military Line and wife of Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command.

Here are the scheduled programs:

• 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Presidential Panel
  President William G. Durden, Dickinson College; President Robert A. Kennedy, University of Maine; and President Mark D. Gearan, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
• 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Public Service and the Curriculum - panel discussion
  Stanley N. Katz, professor, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University; Susan J. Hunter, vice president for academic affairs and provost, University of Maine; and Chris Myers Asch, founder and advocate of a U.S. Public Service Academy. Moderator: Neil B. Weissman, provost and dean of Dickinson College.
• 11:00 - noon A Call to Public Service
  Address by R. Nicholas Burns, professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and former undersecretary of state for political affairs.
• 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. Why Public Service?
  Address by James B. Comey, senior vice president and general counsel Lockheed Martin Corp., and former deputy attorney general of the United States.
• 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. The Pros and Cons of Public Service - panel discussion
  Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, Navy (Ret.); U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III; and Hollister Knowlton Petraeus, director, BBB Military Line. Moderator: Daniel D. Churchill, chairman of the board of advisers, School of Policy and International Affairs, University of Maine.
• 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. Summary and Next Steps
  Bahman Baktiari, director, School of Policy and International Affairs, University of Maine; and H. L. Pohlman, executive director, Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues at Dickinson College.

The conference is sponsored by Dickinson College and the University of Maine and presented by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues at Dickinson College. For information, visit www.clarkeforum.org or call 717-234-1875.