ITHACA, N.Y. -- Sheila C. Johnson, philanthropist and co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), will give a public address on the Cornell University campus Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m. in the Statler Hotel Ballroom. Johnson's address is part of the Moses and Loulu Seltzer Lecture Series at Cornell and it is free and open to the public.

A reception will follow the talk. Both events are sponsored by Cornell's university-wide Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program.

In 1980, Johnson and her former husband, Robert L. Johnson, co-founded BET, the first cable television network aimed at African American viewers. Serving as executive vice president of corporate affairs, Sheila Johnson was primarily responsible for investigating various community and philanthropic activities and helped build the highly rated cable network into a media powerhouse, which Viacom acquired in 1997 for $3 billion. Johnson was a member of BET Holdings Inc.'s board of directors until January 2001.

Johnson currently is focused on various philanthropic activities, as well as the construction of the Salamander Inn and Spa on land she owns in Middleburg, Va.

An accomplished violinist, Johnson's diverse background includes 19 years as a music educator in the Washington, D.C., area. During that time, she founded Young Strings in Action for children, in 1975. A textbook she wrote about her teaching methods, Young Strings in Action , is still used in many U.S. schools.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Johnson serves on the board of the Salvation Army and the Hill School in Middleburg, Va., where she donated funds for the Sheila C. Johnson Performing Arts Center. She has served as a trustee for Carnegie Hall, is on the board of the United States Equestrian Team and is president of the Washington International Horse Show.

In 2002, she received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Music. The Moses and Loulu Seltzer Lecture Series was established in the mid-1980s by Cornell alumnus Sam Seltzer '48 to honor his parents for their commitment to education. The series brings outstanding business creators, developers and leaders to campus to interact with students. Seltzer firmly believes that small and mid-sized businesses are the backbone of the nation's economy and embody the spirit of self-reliance and individual freedom that is synonymous with democracy.

For more information on Johnson's address or on the Seltzer Lecture Series, call the Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program at (607) 255-1576, or visit the EPE Web site at .