Building an empire out of ice cream is what Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have done. The co-founders of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream have taken what started as a dream in 1978 and developed one of the largest ice-cream companies in the nation. They will be sharing their experiences from the past 17 years in the business when they come to lecture Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Recreation Hall at UC Davis. Friends since junior high school, Ben and Jerry decided to pursue their dream of starting a food business together. They settled on ice cream and began researching the industry. After receiving A's in a $5 college correspondence course in ice-cream making, they set up their first Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vt. Ben and Jerry will provide free ice cream for everyone at the 8 p.m. event, according to Student Forums sponsor John Reedy. News reporters will have an opportunity to interview Ben and Jerry at 7:30 p.m. in the Special Events Room in Recreation Hall.