Wall Street Journal Columnist Jason Riley to Deliver Third Annual Brauer Lecture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fulton, Mo. – April 9, 2024: Westminster College is pleased to announce that Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley will deliver the Third Annual Brauer Lecture at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in the Coulter Science Center Lecture Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Riley’s column “Upward Mobility” has run in the Journal since 2016.

In addition to his duties with the Journal, Riley is also a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute, a public think tank focused on urban issues.

For more than 25 years, Riley has written about politics, economics, education, immigration, and social inequality. He is also a frequent public speaker who provides commentary for television and radio news outlets, including Fox News, ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, and NPR.

After joining the Journal in 1994, Riley was named a senior editorial page writer in 2000 and a member of the editorial board in 2005. He joined the Manhattan Institute in 2015.

Riley is the author of five books, the most recent of which was published in 2022: The Black Boom, an analysis of Black economic progress prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maverick, published in 2021, is a biography of the economist and social theorist Thomas Sowell. He subsequently narrated the documentary film Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World.

In 2018, Riley won the Bradley Prize, which is an honor recognizing individuals of extraordinary talent, whose accomplishments reflect those of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has also worked for USA Today and the Buffalo News. He lives in suburban New York City.

“We’re excited to have Mr. Riley on campus and believe that his lecture will be thought-provoking for our students and the community,” said Ashley Dodson, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies and Coordinator of the Brauer Lecture. “We’re incredibly fortunate for the ability to bring individuals of this caliber to campus to share ideas and promote honest conversations.”

ABOUT THE BRAUER LECTURE: Sponsored in conjunction with the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the Brauer Lecture Series seeks to highlight the leadership characteristics of its speakers. Featured lecturers are encouraged to discuss how their values guide their daily lives while also highlighting the importance of free-market economics.

This lecture series is designed to bring to campus world-renowned speakers who will address the contributions of free enterprise to economic growth, public policy, and world affairs.

The Brauer Lecture Series is made possible by a generous gift from Stephen F., ‘67, and Camilla T. Brauer of St. Louis.

ABOUT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College is ranked prestigiously by The Princeton Review as one of the “Best 150 colleges in the Midwest” for 2024. New graduates experience a more than 90% placement rate within six months of graduation, while Westminster alumni are in the top 16% nationwide for graduate earnings. The only National Liberal Arts college in Missouri, Westminster has long been recognized for its focus on educating and inspiring students to make an impact on the world around them. Find out more about Westminster College by visiting our website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573-220-9038 or [email protected].

 

 

Sarah Rummel Backer

Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.