JOHNSON CITY -- He is best known as one half of the duo Big & Rich, but Kenneth "Big Kenny" Alphin will have something more than country music on his mind when he visits East Tennessee State University this Thursday.

Alphin will talk about caring for others and humanitarian aid when he appears as the latest speaker in the "Leading Voices in Public Health" lecture series, which is sponsored by the ETSU College of Public Health.

Alphin's talk will begin at 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Millennium Centre. The lecture is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

Students from the College of Public Health will be distributing tickets on the second floor of the D.P. Culp University Center. For more information, call 439-4243.

The Grammy Award nominee may play a few songs.

But his lecture, "Personal Responsibility and Social Action: Sudan, Haiti, and Appalachia," will be front and center and will relate Alphin's commitment to providing a hand up to people in Appalachia, as well as those living in Haiti and the Sudan.

"Big Kenny has made a name for himself in the music world, but what's even more impressive is his world view and desire to help others," said Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health.