A gift by Dr. James H. and Jane Macon Baird will establish the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture Series at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ. Details...
Winners of the Pulitzer Prize, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards in journalism, writing and music, will speak at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ College thanks to a gift by Dr. James H. and Jane Macon Baird of Burlington, N.C.
Funds from the $250,000 endowment will establish the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture Series, an annual public lecture to be held on the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ campus. Speakers will be chosen from among winners in all fields in which the Pulitzer Prize is awarded: journalism, photography, fiction, drama, biography, poetry, history, non-fiction and music. The inaugural lecture in the series will be held during the fall 2001 semester.
“This generous gift by the Bairds will enable ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ to host some of the nation’s leading journalists and scholars,” says Leo M. Lambert, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ president. “Our students, faculty and staff, along with members of the entire community, will enjoy the benefits of this exciting endowment for years to come. They will have the opportunity to meet and interact with distinguished reporters, photographers, editors, commentators, authors and composers.”
“We’ve seen ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ develop over the last 30 years,” says Jim Baird, a retired physician. “We wanted to do something that will make it possible to expose ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ students to the best and brightest minds from many different fields.”
The Bairds were the first presidents of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Parents Council and have been actively involved with the college for many years. Their son, Macon, is a 1987 ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ graduate.
The Pulitzer Prizes, established by legendary newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, were first awarded in 1917. Pulitzer’s innovative New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch reshaped newspaper journalism, and his awards serve as a continuing incentive to excellence. More than 2,000 entries are submitted each year in the Pulitzer Prize competitions, and only 21 awards are normally made.