| 2009 Levin Family Dean’s Forum |
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March 24, 2009,
Volume 55, No. 26
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A Celebration of Intellectual Excellence
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, will deliver the 2009 Levin Family Forum on Thursday, April 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the Harrison Auditorium, Penn Museum. His lecture, Genetics & Genealogy, is free and open to the entire University community and the public.
Dr. Gates is the author of several award-winning works of literary criticism, including Figures in Black and The Signifying Monkey, as well as the memoir Colored People. Host and executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentary series African American Lives, Dr. Gates is also editor-in-chief of The Root, a daily online magazine published by the Washington Post Company featuring news commentary from a variety of black perspectives. Named a MacArthur Fellow in 1981 and one of Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Americans” in 1997, he is the recipient of a National Humanities Medal and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is also the writer and presenter of the recently aired PBS documentary film Looking for Lincoln. His latest book, In Search of Our Roots, combines rigorous historical research with DNA analysis to recreate the family trees of 19 notable African Americans.
The Levin Family Dean’s Forum is a celebration of the arts and sciences. Initiated in 1984, the Forum presents leading intellectual figures who exemplify the richness of the liberal arts. Previous Dean’s Forum speakers have included Toni Morrison, Susan Sontag, John Updike and Craig Venter.
As part of the Dean’s Forum, 20 SAS undergraduate and graduate students will be honored as 2009 Dean’s Scholars in recognition of their exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
The Levin Family Dean’s Forum is made possible by a generous gift from Stephen A. Levin, C’67, in honor of his son Eric T. Levin, C’92. |
