Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, will visit the University Feb. 22.
Friedman, three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and author of five bestselling books, including “From Beirut to Jerusalem,” “The World is Flat,” and his most recent, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded,” will speak to students in a question-and-answer format in the afternoon before delivering an evening lecture open to the public.
The question-and-answer session titled “A Conversation with Thomas Friedman” will occur between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Theater.
Tickets to the session are free but limited and are available under the “My Football Ticket” tab on the ACTion Card website of mybama.ua.edu. Students who receive an electronic ticket will need to bring their ACT cards to gain admittance to the event.
Students can submit questions they would like to be answered by Friedman via the e-mail [email protected].
Friedman’s evening talk will begin at 7 p.m. in Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center and will focus on the topic “Hot, Flat, and Crowded.”
Tickets are free but limited and are available through the website www.crimsonartstickets.com. Those who do not have a Crimson Arts Tickets account must register with the website before requesting tickets. Up to two tickets can be requested by each person.
Because the barcode to each ticket will be scanned at the entrance door to Sellers Auditorium, ticket holders must either print out their tickets or bring a digital copy of their tickets (via an iPhone or other digital device) with them.
Tickets will be for sale until Feb. 17 unless availability depletes beforehand.
In “The World is Flat,” Friedman argues for the need of innovation and creativity among America’s workforce who must adjust to the trend of globalization and modernization in overseas markets.
His ideas give focus to the direction the American economy should take as the global economy becomes integrated and ‘flattened.’
“Friedman has been a spokesperson for giving us a critical reflection on the challenges of the next decade,” said J. Michael Hardin, associate dean of research.
The evening lecture will touch upon themes discussed in Friedman’s most recent publication “Hot, Flat, and Crowded.”
“One of the many points is that we need to find other sources of energy,” Hardin said.
Friedman argues for a dramatic change in the way people produce and consume energy, according to a UA news release.
“Current efforts to find alternative energy sources are not only inadequate, Friedman said, they’re hopelessly haphazard and piecemeal,” according to the news release. “Friedman argued it’ll take a coordinated, top-to-bottom approach, from the White House to corporations to consumers.”
A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will accompany Friedman’s evening speech to depict how the current models of energy consumption deteriorate the environment and impact the global economy, Hardin said.
West Honeycutt, member of Capstone Conversations and a junior majoring in finance, said in an e-mailed statement that Friedman can offer clarity to students who will step into a job market determined by the forces of a global economy.
“[S]tudents can benefit from gaining a better insight as to how the flattening of the world’s economies can benefit the United States, Alabama and even the University of Alabama,” he said. “In this economic downturn and tough job market, students can gain largely from his knowledge of what employers in this new global economy are looking to hire and how to tailor their studies to fit the job market.”
