A Pioneer Of Environmental History To Speak At CWU

May 12, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - As part of Central Washington University's One Book, One Campus program, history professor and author Dr. Donald Worster will be giving a lecture at Central on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre. Worster's presentation, "Feeling the Heat: Climate and History on the Great Plains and American West," is free and open to the public.

Considered one of the pioneers of environmental history, Worster, who currently holds the Hall Distinguished Professorship Chair in American History at the University of Kansas, focuses his research and teaching on North American and world environmental history and the history of the American West.

Professor Worster's publications include "A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell," "Rivers of Empire," which deals with the development of water resources in the West and which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and "Dust Bowl," a study of the Southern Plains in the "dirty thirties" which won the Bancroft Prize, just to name a few.

CWU Geology Professor Dr. Karl Lillquist says Worster's speech "will address the possibility that global warming may bring back the environmental conditions that helped create the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and may be forcing the Interior West into a future with less agriculture and inadequate urban water supplies." He adds, "This is a must-see for those interested in the past, present and future of the Arid West. Worster's message is especially appropriate for drought-prone and often water short central Washington."

This is the third year for Central's One Book, One Campus project, a shared reading experience that cultivates reading and critical thinking skills among first year students. The project encourages members of the CWU and Ellensburg communities to read the same book and take part in events throughout the year that generate discussion and allow them to share their thoughts. The main goal of the One Book, One Campus project is to emphasize the importance of reading and discussion as significant elements of Central's academic life. For more information about the program, visit www.cwu.edu/~provost/one_book.

Media Contact: Dr. Karl Lillquist, CWU Geography & Land Studies, lillquis@cwu.edu, 509-963-1184
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.