Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times foreign affairs columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman will speak at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Monday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Macky Auditorium.
Doors for the event will open at 6:45 p.m. CU-Boulder's student-run Distinguished Speakers Board, or DSB, is sponsoring the event.
"The mission of the Distinguished Speakers Board is to bring great minds to the university community, and Thomas L. Friedman certainly qualifies," said Tim Swales, chair of the DSB. "We think this is a great opportunity for everyone on campus, especially students, to increase their understanding of global realities by interacting with perhaps the foremost contemporary thinker on the subject. We are very excited about the visit of Mr. Friedman and look forward to a fascinating evening on Feb. 16."
All seating will be general admission. CU-Boulder students can purchase tickets for $1 at the UMC Connection, located on the first floor of the University Memorial Center. The public can purchase general community tickets for $10 by visiting , in person at any Denver-area King Soopers and selected City Market stores, or by calling Tickets West at 866-464-2626. Tickets are expected to go on sale at noon on Monday, Feb. 2.
"The visit of Thomas L. Friedman is an unparalleled opportunity for CU students," said DSB secretary Jessica Metzler. "With Mr. Friedman's lecture, DSB is continuing the high standard of excellence we have established in recent years with events that have featured former U.N. General Secretary Kofi Annan, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and South African Bishop Desmond Tutu."
Friedman will discuss his latest book "Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution - And How It Can Renew America." After the talk there will be a question-and-answer session, which will be followed by a book signing in the Eaton Humanities Building.
"I think it speaks volumes about our students that they selected Thomas Friedman as this semester's distinguished speaker," said CU-Boulder Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson. "Our student body has a long record of commitment to global issues and a keen understanding of the interconnected world that Mr. Friedman writes about so eloquently. I applaud the Distinguished Speakers Board's selection of Mr. Friedman, and I look forward to welcoming him to the University of Colorado at Boulder for an evening that will truly enrich our community."
Friedman joined The New York Times in 1981 and has served as bureau chief in Beirut and Israel, chief economic correspondent in the Washington, D.C., bureau and chief White House correspondent, before becoming the paper's foreign affairs columnist in 1995. His work has earned him Pulitzer Prizes in 1983, 1988 and 2002.
He has traveled extensively reporting on the Middle East conflict, the end of the Cold War, U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy, international economics and the worldwide impact of terrorism.
Friedman received a bachelor's degree in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University in 1975, and a master's degree in modern Middle East studies from the University of Oxford in England in 1978. He also is the author of several award-winning and best-selling books including "From Beirut to Jerusalem," "The Lexus and the Olive Tree," "Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11" and "The World is Flat."
For more information about the event contact the Distinguished Speakers Board at 303-735-6653.