To: The OSU Community
From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President
January 13, 2021
Dear OSU community,
I am excited to present a series of lectures and events this winter and spring featuring renowned external speakers and our own outstanding faculty. They are all focusing on timely ideas and scholarship that will engage our community, challenge our thinking, and create opportunity for enriching dialogue. I hope you will mark your calendars and join us.
Angela Davis – January 18
Educator, prolific author, philosopher and activist Dr. Angela Davis is keynote speaker for OSU’s 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, the university’s longest running annual event focused on racial and social justice and transformative change. Led by the Office of Institutional Diversity, the celebration kicks off January 18, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. with an awards ceremony and keynote. The event will be virtual. Please register here.
Mae Jemison – February 4
Dr. Mae C. Jemison—engineer, physician, former NASA astronaut, the first African American woman in space, ambassador for science literacy, and author—is this year’s second speaker in the Provost’s Lecture Series, a partnership of the Office of the Provost and the OSU Foundation to bring renowned thinkers and leaders to OSU to engage the community on topics of global significance. She will speak via Zoom at 6:30 pm on February 4. Registration information is available here.
OSU Authors and Editors – March 3, 10 & 15
The Authors and Editors Series celebrates the remarkable range of literary and scholarly books OSU faculty publish each year by featuring selected authors/editors for readings and panel conversations. Selected authors and editors will be announced in February and events will be held virtually at 5:30 pm on the dates noted. Special thanks to the Center for the Humanities for helping to co-host this series.
Ibram X. Kendi – April 14
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi—historian, Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, National Book Award Winner and New York Times bestselling author—is the third and final speaker in this year’s Provost’s Lecture Series. I am grateful to the colleges of Science and Liberal Arts for co-sponsoring this lecture. Dr. Kendi will speak via Zoom at 5:00 pm on April 14. Registration information is available here.
Lynda Barry – April 29
Cartoonist, writer and teacher Lynda Barry—the 2021 recipient of Oregon State University’s Stone Award for Literary Achievement—will speak at OSU on April 29, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. The Stone Award was established in 2011 through a gift by Patrick and Vicki Stone and is one of the largest prizes of its kind given by a U.S. university. The award highlights OSU’s exceptional Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. For more information and to register for the lecture, visit this page.
OSU 2021 Distinguished Professors – May 5 & 6
The University awards the Distinguished Professor designation to members of the faculty who have made extraordinary and pioneering contributions in research and creative work, teaching and mentoring, and engagement and service. OSU’s Distinguished Professors have achieved sustained distinction and are nationally and internationally recognized for their accomplishments. Join us on May 5 and 6 for lectures by the 2021 Distinguished Professors to be announced in March. Times and registration information for these events will be released in March.
Thank you once again for all you do for OSU and I wish you a good start to the winter term.
Sincerely,
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President