Pulitzer Prize winning essayist William Safire to lead fall 2002 University Lectures lineup at Syracuse University

Pulitzer Prize winning essayist William Safire to lead fall 2002 University Lectures lineup at Syracuse UniversityMay 08, 2002Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Syracuse University alumnus William Safire, New York Times columnist and recipient of a 1978 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, will present “What’s Going to Happen in Washington?” on Oct. 3 to kick off the fall 2002 University Lectures at Syracuse University. Safire leads a lineup of speakers that include Nobel Laureates, distinguished writers, designers, scientists and intellectuals. All of the lectures are free and open to the public.

“Multidisciplinary discourse and intellectual excitement are critical objectives of the University’s Academic Plan,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Deborah A.. Freund. “Without a doubt, the University Lectures have made a tremendous impact upon the intellectual climate on campus. I am proud of what we have accomplished with this series in a short period of time.”

Associate Vice Chancellor Michael Flusche says the energy and excitement the lecture series generated on campus exceeded expectations. “Next year’s program will continue to bring to Syracuse some of the world’s leaders in many fields of intellectual and cultural endeavor,” he says.

In addition to Safire, the fall lineup will also feature:

? Oct. 10: “Working Toward Peace: An Evening with Nobel Peace Prize winners Jody Williams and Betty Williams.” Betty Williams is the co-founder of the Community of Peace People in Northern Ireland, and Jody Williams of Putney, Vt., is the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. The Rev. Thomas V. Wolfe, dean of Hendricks Chapel, will moderate the discussion.

? Oct. 22: “The Multicultural Imagination” presented by Latin American novelist Carlos Fuentes, author of the best selling “Old Gringo” (Paperback/ Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1997), “Inez” (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2002) and “The Years with Laura Diaz” (Paperback/ Harcourt, 2001), among others, and professor at large at Brown University.

? Nov. 5: “Conflicting Narratives in the Arab-Israeli Conflict” presented by Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and leading expert on the Middle East conflict. Telhami is a frequent op-ed contributor to major newspapers, including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and has appeared as a guest commentator for the major news networks.

? Nov. 14: “An Evening with Rem Koolhaas” the world-renowned Dutch architect who was named the 2000 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate; and

? Nov. 20: “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: Stress, Disease and Coping” presented by Robert Sapolsky, a MacArthur “Genius Fellow,” professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and research associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya.

“I am sure the upcoming fall lineup of speakers will generate a great deal of excitement,” Freund says. “I am especially pleased that a number of participants will speak to international and multicultural ideas.”

The University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications. The series is consistent with the goals of the University’s Academic Plan directed at expanding multidisciplinary discourse for students, faculty and staff. The series is generously supported by the University’s Trustees, alumni and friends,