Meredith College President Maureen A. Hartford will present a lecture on “Critical Thinking in Women’s Education”, on Monday, Feb. 28, 2011. The lecture, which will begin at 7 p.m. in Jones Auditorium, is part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Presidential Lecture Series.

Meredith's first female president, Hartford has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. She will retire in June 2011 after 12 years as president of Meredith College.

Hartford holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Arkansas, where her dissertation topic was “Profiles of Women Chief Executive Officers.” Prior to coming to Meredith in 1999, she was vice president for student affairs and a faculty member of the Center for the Study of Higher and Post-Secondary Education at the University of Michigan.

The lecture is free and open to the public. It is being held in observance of Founders’ Day, which is held each February to honor Meredith’s founding in February 1891.

Service Project to Support Women’s Non-Profits: The Office of Student Leadership and Service and the Major Events Committee are coordinating a service project in conjunction with Hartford’s lecture. During February, Meredith College will collect clothing and monetary donations for Dress for Success and Abbeygail’s Closet. Click here for more information.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Presidential Lecture Series at Meredith College stimulates and enhances the intellectual and academic climate at Meredith College and the broader community.

The series was established in 2005 with a generous grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The series has brought to campus a wide range of experts including documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Goodman Brinker and journalist Nicholas Kristof to discuss topics of national importance.

For more information, visit www.meredith.edu/campus-theme/presidential-lecture-series.htm.

Date Submitted: 2011-01-28