Columnist Thomas Friedman to Discuss 'the Global Economy and U.S. Foreign Policy Oct. 1 at Duke

DURHAM, N.C. -- Thomas Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, will discuss "The Global Economy & U.S. Foreign Policy" when delivering the 2003 Lester Crown Lecture in Ethics Oct. 1 at Duke University.

The event, which begins at 6 p.m. in Geneen Auditorium at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, is free and open to the public, with auditorium seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. Overflow rooms featuring a live feed of the lecture will be available. Doors to Geneen will open at 5:30 p.m.; parking will be available in the Whitford Drive lots and in the visitor lot across from Fuqua.

"The global economy and U.S. foreign policy are critical issues both to the U.S. and to the greater international community," said Bruce W. Jentleson, director of Duke's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. "They are also key components of one of our areas of specialization: globalization, development and democratization. We are very pleased Tom Friedman will join us for the Crown Lecture."

The Crown Lecture series is sponsored by the Sanford Institute and was established by the Crown family of Chicago. Its purpose is to bring outside speakers to campus to discuss the ethical implications of issues in the arts, sciences, medicine, business and other fields. Lester Crown is chairman of Material Service Corp. and serves on numerous business and charitable boards.

Crown's daughter-in-law, Duke alumna and Board of Trustees member Paula Hannaway Crown, helped plan the event. "Our family is thrilled to have Tom Friedman deliver this year's Crown Lecture," she said. "His outstanding writing, research and analysis of global issues represent the spirit of this lecture."

Friedman is well-known for his columns and books, including the recently published "Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11," a collection of his post-9/11 columns for the Times, and "The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization," an international best-seller that makes understandable the concept of globalization. The Gothic Bookstore in Duke's Bryan Center will have Friedman's books available for sale before and after the lecture.

Previous Crown lecturers at Duke have included former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley; Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work on banning land mines; and author Doris Kearns Goodwin, whose books about three different U.S. presidents have all made The New York Times' best-seller list.

The lecture will be followed by a brief question-and-answer period.