Pueblo to host philosopher, author, activist Cornel West

Prominent and provocative author and activist Cornel West will return to Colorado State University-Pueblo on Friday, November 2 as part of the new University Lecture Series sponsored by the Office of the President and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). West and CSU-Pueblo President, Timothy Mottet, will engage in a “conversation” about race relations, issues in higher education, and current events. The public event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. Doors will open at 6pm. The event is free and open to the public, and seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

"CSU-Pueblo's new vision is bold – to be the people's university of the Southwest United States by 2028 – and to achieve this vision, we must offer world class speakers, professional development opportunities, and timely discussions for our students, our educators, and our community," said Executive Director of Organizational Development, Dr. Donna Souder Hodge. "Our mission at CSU-Pueblo is steeped in student success and the ways CSU-Pueblo must help our students navigate work and family and their communities in a rapidly changing world; speakers like Dr. West are important to achieving these goals."

 Souder Hodge explained that West's writing, teaching, and public advocacy focus on complex issues of race and class that are increasingly important to Pueblo, southern Colorado, and the nation. This will be the second time West has visited the Pueblo campus; he visited in 2016 and spoke to a crowd of more than 600.

 "We're excited to welcome Cornel West to our campus again. Dr. West was incredibly generous with his time and expertise in 2016, and I am thrilled that, this time, we will have the opportunity to hear Dr. West and President Mottet sit together and talk about the future of higher education," she said.

 Cornel West is Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He has also taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. Cornel West graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. West has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice. West is the author of 20 books, and he is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His most recent book, Black Prophetic Fire, offers an unflinching look at 19^th and 20^th century African American leaders and their visionary legacies.

In his major bestseller, Race Matters, West burst onto the national scene with his searing analysis of the scars of racism in American democracy. Race Matters has become a contemporary classic, still in print after 10 years, having sold more than 400,000 copies.

West is a frequent guest on the Bill Maher Show, CNN, C-Span and Democracy Now.  He made his film debut in the Matrix – and was the commentator (with Ken Wilbur) on the official trilogy released in 2004.  He also has appeared in more than 25 documentaries and films including Examined Life, Call & Response, Sidewalk, and Stand.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.

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