AMES, Iowa -- Acclaimed author, combat veteran and Rhodes Scholar Wes Moore will present the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Series keynote address at Iowa State University on Thursday, Feb. 11.
"Social Justice, Public Service and the Search for a Life that Matters” will be at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.
Moore's most recent book, “The Work: My Search for a Life That Matters,” explores the meaning of success in "a volatile, difficult and seemingly anchorless world." In his intimate narrative, Moore reasons that people can find the most value in work when it is based in service, selflessness and risk taking. The book debuted at No. 15 on The New York Times Best Seller List.
Despite early academic and behavioral struggles, Moore graduated as a commissioned officer in 1998. He went on to play football at Johns Hopkins University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied international relations at Oxford University. He then served a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan as a paratrooper and captain in the United States Army. Moore went on to serve as a White House fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Moore is also the author of “The Other Wes Moore,” a personal story of the mentorship and support networks that refused to let him fall into crime and drugs. He produced and hosted the three-part PBS series “Coming Back with Wes Moore,” which tells the story of soldiers attempting to reintegrate into society after returning from war.
Moore is the founder of BridgeEDU, a unique, first-year college program that combines core courses, internships and service experiences with coaching that helps students succeed. And he founded the organization STAND!, which works with Baltimore youth involved in the criminal justice system.
Moore serves on the board of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America and The Johns Hopkins University. He has been featured in USA TODAY, TIME and People magazines; and on "Meet the Press," "The Colbert Report," MSNBC and NPR, among many other media outlets.
Events in the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Series at Iowa State University are co-sponsored by Ames Community Schools; Ames Human Relations Commission; Black Graduate Student Association; the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine; Dean of Students Office; Division of Student Affairs; George Gund Lecture Fund; Liberal Arts and Sciences Diversity Committee; Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Planning Committee; Multicultural Student Leadership Council; the offices of the president, the senior vice president and provost, and the senior vice president for student affairs; the departments of political science and sociology; Parks Library; Veterans Center; United Way of Story County; Volunteer Center of Story County; YWCA Ames-ISU; Youth and Shelter Services; and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government.
More information on ISU lectures is available online, or by calling 515-294-9935.
