Political commentator Cokie Roberts will be the featured speaker at the 23rd R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at 含羞草社区 this fall. The Convocation at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 in the M.O. Looney Complex Arena is free and open to the public.
鈥淲ith a very important presidential election coming up Nov. 1, we are fortunate to have one of the country鈥檚 leading political commentators to reflect on it,鈥� said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western鈥檚 president. 鈥淚 am particularly looking forward to her insights on what is shaping up to be the most unusual presidential race of my lifetime.鈥�
In addition to the Convocation, Roberts will be the guest of honor at the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon Sept. 13 in the Fulkerson Center. Ticket and sponsorship information for the luncheon will be announced at a later date.
Cokie Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News and NPR. From 1996 to 2002, she and Sam Donaldson (who was the Convocation speaker in 2007) co-anchored the weekly interview program 鈥淭his Week.鈥� In her more than 40 years of broadcasting, she has won countless awards, including three Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.
In addition to her appearances on the airwaves, Roberts and her husband, Steve Roberts, write a weekly column syndicated in newspapers around the country by United Media. They are also contributing editors to USA Weekend Magazine, and together they wrote 鈥淔rom this Day Forward,鈥� an account of their more than forty-year marriage and other marriages in American history. The book immediately went onto The New York Times Bestseller list, following Cokie Roberts鈥� number one bestseller, 鈥淲e Are Our Mothers鈥� Daughters,鈥� an account of women鈥檚 roles and relationships throughout American history. Her earlier books, 鈥淔ounding Mothers鈥� and 鈥淟adies of Liberty鈥� (published in 2004 and 2008 respectively), also became instant bestsellers.
Cokie Roberts holds more than twenty honorary degrees, serves on the boards of several non-profit institutions, and on the President鈥檚 Commission on Service and Civic Participation. In 2008, the Library of Congress named her a 鈥淟iving Legend,鈥� one of the very few Americans to have attained that honor.
Missouri Western inaugurated the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues program in 1993. The program was started as part of an overall commitment to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community. The Convocation is held in honor of R. Dan Boulware, former president of the Board of Regents. Previous Convocation speakers include: Bill Bradley, Douglas Brinkley, James Carville & Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, Thomas Friedman, David Gergen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jeane Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Joseph Nye, T. Boone Pickens, Colin Powell, Tom Ridge, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, J. C. Watts and Bob Woodward.
含羞草社区 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .