Alan Brinkley, renowned historian, author and professor of history at Columbia University, to speak at Vassar College, September 24

Alan Brinkley, a progressive historian of 20th century American history and the current chairman of the board of trustees of the Century Foundation, will deliver the Charles Griffin Memorial Lecture on a topic entitled "'Alone in the World' The Idea of An American Century," at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, in the Blanche Brumback Spitzer Auditorium of Eleanor Butler Sanders Hall, Vassar College.

Brinkley's lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Department of History. The Charles Griffin Memorial Lecture is given in honor of Charles Griffin, former dean of the faculty and professor of history at Vassar.

Brinkley, who has taught at Columbia University since 1991, is currently the Allan Nevins Professor of History and chair of the history department. He is a member of the editorial board of the American Prospect, a member of the board of directors of the New York Council for the Humanities, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

After completing his undergraduate work at Princeton in 1971, and post-graduate work at Harvard in 1979, Brinkley was the recipient of the Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Prize at Harvard in 1987. During the 1998?99 term, he served as the Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University, in London, England.

Brinkley is the author of such monumental works as "Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression" (1982), which won the 1983 National Book Award; "The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People' (1992); and "The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War" (1995).

Brinkley's books often deal with the the emergence of "postwar liberalism" on the
political landscape and discuss the erosion of the New Deal following the 1937 recession and the traumas of World War II. Presently, Brinkley is writing a biography of Henry R. Luce.

In addition to his status as an expert historian, Brinkley is a frequent commentator on current events. He corresponds regularly for magazines such as Newsweek and the New Republic and is a strong advocate for progressive issues.

For additional information, call the Department of History at (845) 437-5670. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings at (845) 437-5370 as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Tuesday, September 24th, 2002.