Michael Beschloss, who Newsweek has called “the nation’s leading presidential historian,” will speak at Meredith on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in Jones Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Beschloss is an award-winning historian and New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including “Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989,” which was published in May 2007. He serves as NBC News Presidential Historian, and appears regularly on all NBC Network news programs including “Meet the Press” and “Today.”

He has also received the State of Illinois’s Order of Lincoln and the Harry S. Truman Public Service Award from Independence, Missouri. He is a trustee of the White House Historical Association, the National Archives Foundation and the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs.

Beschloss’ lecture is part of the 2007-08 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Presidential Lecture Series. The lecture series follows Meredith’s annual campus theme.

For 2007-08, the theme is “Ethical Leadership.” Through a series of speakers and events related to the theme, the Meredith community will explore some of the core ethical questions that individuals and organizations face in today’s increasingly global society.