Santa Monica College will host a late morning lecture by LMU Prof. Tom Plate this Thursday on its main campus. The prof’s presentation — “The Role and Realities of the UN Brokering Global Issues” — comes as part of this famously forward-thinking college’s 2013 lecture series “The World in 2013: Hows Does the Leadership of the United Nations Matter?” The speaker will draw on findings from his latest book: CONVERSATIONS WITH BAN KI MOON. WHAT IS THE UN IS REALLY LIKE: THE VIEW FROM THE TOP,” published by Marshall Cavendish and available at Amazon.com. The lecture begins at 11:15 a.m. in the large Humanities and Social Sciences Lecture Hall (known by the cool campus kids as HSS-165). There will be a lengthy questions and answer period. As is his custom, the professor will award an inscribed copy of his new book to the student asking the most penetrating question.