Thomas Friedman, the internationally renowned and award-winning author, reporter, and columnist will deliver the annual Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding, Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 8:00 p.m. in Zoellner Arts Center’s Baker Hall. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Friedman. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Friedman is the bestselling author of The World is Flat and New York Times foreign affairs columnist. He is recognized for his direct reporting and straightforward analysis of complex issues shaping the world. The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, he has covered important stories internationally for the New York Times since 1981. At the Times he discusses the opportunities and challenges that “accelerations,” including technology and connectivity, present. He also explores solutions — on a local and global level — to ensure the future of work, skills, income, and prosperity.

“There are few writers who possess such a deep understanding of complex global challenges as Mr. Friedman,” said Robert Flowers, Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “At a time of intense international conflict, he is the perfect choice to deliver this year’s Kenner Lecture.  His deep understanding of today’s pressing issues and his ability to distill complex topics into accessible narratives influences policy makers, business leaders, and the general public. This makes him ideally suited to deliver the Kenner Lecture, which encourages us to find points of understanding by challenging us to view things from different perspectives and viewpoints. I am sure that Mr. Friedman will give us much to consider by the evening’s end.”

Friedman has written seven books since 1989 that have sold 10 million copies in 40 different languages. They include From Beirut to Jerusalem, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, The World is Flat and, most recently, his latest bestseller, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, in which Friedman offers a blueprint for overcoming the stresses and challenges of a world being transformed by technology, globalization, and climate change.

He was featured in Showtime's climate change documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously,” executive produced by James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kenner Lecture Series was endowed by Jeffrey L. Kenner ’65 ’66 and established in 1997. Kenner, who studied industrial engineering and business administration at Lehigh, became involved in private equity and venture capital after a career as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (then Price Waterhouse & Co.).

In 1986, Kenner formed his own firm, Kenner & Company Inc. He served as a university trustee from 1995-2002 and was an early sponsor of the IBE (Integrated Business and Engineering) Honors Program. Kenner has long been a member of the university’s Asa Packer and Tower Societies and was inducted into the Leadership Plaza in October 2000. 

Previous lecture speakers include former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic Anne Applebaum; New York Times columnist, podcast host and author Ezra Klein; David Ignatius, a novelist and longtime Washington Post columnist; former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent ‘93G, and PBS NewsHour Anchor Judy Woodruff.