Kofi Annan, Tony Blair and Bill Maher are among seven guests headlining the University at Buffalo’s 2009-10 Distinguished Speaker Series.

The series, at UB’s North Campus in Amherst, opens Sept. 16 with former U. N. Secretary-General Annan and is followed by Blair, the former British prime minister, on Oct. 7 — both appearing in Alumni Arena.

The remainder of the series follows:

Oct. 28 — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times columnist and author of the book that inspired the recent movie “The Soloist,” Alumni Arena.

Feb. 5 — Princeton University professor and political activist Cornel West, author of “Race Matters,” “Democracy Matters” and “Hope on a Tightrope,” Alumni Arena.

March 3 — Best-selling Canadian author Margaret Atwood, winner of the Booker Prize, who has written more than 35 volumes of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, Center for the Arts.

March 31 — Scientist Neil de- Grasse Tyson, host of “NOVA scienceNOW” on PBS, an astrophysicist and best-selling author, Center for the Arts.

April 24 — Maher, political satirist and host of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Alumni Arena.

Dennis R. Black, UB’s vice president for student affairs, said the series will offer something more valuable than big-name entertainment.

“I always call it a timeout. We’re all running in a thousand different directions, thinking about a thousand different things, and the speakers we choose allow us to focus on an idea or an issue or place in a way we often don’t do anymore,” said Black, who announced the series Tuesday.

Annan, the series’ Student Choice speaker, is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a member of Global Elders. He also serves as the president of the Global Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, and as the chairman of the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa since he left his post at the United Nations in 2007.

“We wanted to focus on international relations and policies. With Tony Blair being here, it was sort of an international focus more than anything,” said Hassan Farah, president of UB’s Student Association. “[Annan is] well-known, and he’s an intellectual, a good voice for many things.”

Blair, the graduate students’ Distinguished Speaker selection, served as prime minister for a decade, until his resignation in 2007. He is credited with helping to restructure public and social services in Britain and now serves as Middle East Quartet representative.

Black noted UB has pursued Blair for years for the series.

Lopez, author of “The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of Music,” was chosen as “UB Reads” author of the year.

West, known for his fight for racial justice, holds two bachelor’s degrees from Harvard University, from which he graduated magna cum laude, as well as a Ph. D. from Princeton — and more than 20 honorary degrees from colleges nationwide.

Wrapping up the series for the season is Maher, a four-time best-selling author and former host of ABC’s “Politically Incorrect.”

The programs start at 8 p. m.