Frank Bruni leads off 2015-16 Presidential Lecture Series
September 10, 2015
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Guest speaker Frank Bruni expresses a point as President Mitch Daniels listens during a Presidential Lecture Series event. Bruni, author and columnist at the New York Times, spoke Wednesday (Sept. 9) in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. The projected backdrop shows the New York Times building. (Purdue University photo/Mark Simons) |
New York Times columnist and best-selling author Frank Bruni on Wednesday (Sept. 9) launched the 2015-16 Presidential Lecture Series, a diverse series of lectures on policy, leadership, culture and society. Bruni spoke on "Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania" in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall.
Bruni is a New York Times op-ed columnist and author of three best-selling books: a 2002 chronicle of George W. Bush's initial presidential campaign, "Ambling into History"; a 2009 memoir, "Born Round," about the joys and torments of his eating life; and a 2015 reflection on higher education, "Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania."
His career at the Times spans 20 years and includes stints as a White House correspondent, chief restaurant critic, Rome bureau chief and staff writer for the Sunday magazine. He came to the Times from the Detroit Free Press, where he was, alternately, a war correspondent, chief movie critic and a religion writer.
In his op-ed columns, which appear every Sunday and Wednesday, Bruni reflects on diverse topics, including American politics, higher education, gay rights, religion, entertainment and even football. He is the Times's first openly gay op-ed columnist. He appears occasionally as a commentator on CNN, MSNBC and other networks; was a guest judge on "Top Chef"; and showed up briefly in the movie "Julie & Julia," written and directed by his friend, Nora Ephron.
Bruni graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 and was a Morehead Scholar at the university. He received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1988. He lives in New York City.
The Presidential Lecture Series, launched in 2014, features prominent experts and practitioners from various fields that are of interest to both the campus and community at-large. Connected with each public presentation, speakers are integrated into relevant curricular activities on the West Lafayette campus during their visits. The series will add speakers at various points during the year.
The series aims to tap into a network of talented individuals from divergent fields of inquiry and bring thoughtful people to campus who can contribute to academic and public discourse. The speakers are leaders in their respective fields who can contribute to Purdue's culture of intellectual thought and rigor.
All lectures are free and open to the general public.
Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations, which assists the Office of the President with the series, said, "One of the unique opportunities we have with this series is that President Daniels' network is so broad, there are always individuals who are conducting business in Indiana or elsewhere such that a meaningful visit to Purdue can be arranged, even on a shorter timeframe. The magic for Purdue is that we can capitalize upon these opportunities."
Contact: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-9712, aeeddy@purdue.edu
