CORVALLIS, Ore. — Award-winning global journalist and author Nicholas Kristof will discuss homelessness, poverty and the rural-urban divide in Oregon and the U.S. while giving the 2023 McCall Lecture at Oregon State University on April 24.

Kristof’s lecture, “How can we fix the problems all around us?” will expand on his 2020 book co-written with his wife and fellow journalist Sheryl WuDunn, “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope.” The book discusses the challenges facing rural communities across the country, including in Yamhill County, Oregon, where Kristof grew up and currently resides.

In 1990, the authors were the first husband-wife pair to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, which was awarded for their New York Times coverage of China’s pro-democracy student movement and Tiananmen Square protests. Kristof won a second Pulitzer in 2006 for his commentary writing on the genocide in Darfur. He has been a Pulitzer finalist seven other times, and has received other awards and accolades for his writing about human rights abuses and advocacy around the world.

Kristof and WuDunn have co-written four other bestselling books: “China Wakes,” “Thunder from the East,” “Half the Sky” and “A Path Appears.”

Kristof’s lecture will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, April 24, in the Learning Innovation Center (LINC) Room 100 at OSU’s Corvallis campus. The lecture is free and open to the public, though registration is required. The lecture will be livestreamed; recordings will not be available afterward. The event is presented by the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Public Policy and the School of Writing, Literature and Film.

OSU’s College of Liberal Arts created the Gov. Tom McCall Memorial Lectureship in 1982 in honor of the former Oregon governor, who briefly taught political science and journalism courses at the university after holding office from 1966-1974.  

The lecture series brings speakers to campus to talk about the values McCall espoused as governor in the fields of public service, journalism and environmental protection. Past speakers include Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and former U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio.

For disability accommodations, contact University Events by April 17 at 541-737-4717 or [email protected].

College of Liberal Arts

About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts encompasses seven distinct schools, as well as several interdisciplinary initiatives, that focus on humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts. Curriculum developed by the college’s nationally and internationally-renowned faculty prepares students to approach the complex problems of the world ethically and thoughtfully, contributing to a student's academic foundation and helping to build real-world skills for a 21st century career and a purposeful life.

Story By: 

Molly Rosbach, [email protected]

Source: 

Catherine Bolzhendahl, [email protected]

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