On Sept. 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch delivered a lecture titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at Carnegie Mellon University. The lecture was part of an ongoing series in which academics were asked to speak about what they would say if it were their last chance to tell others what mattered most to them. In Pausch’s case, the lecture was truly his last – he died less than a year later of pancreatic cancer.
Midwestern State University’s version of the Last Lecture will premiere at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Market Street Learning Commons Multipurpose Room. Inspired by Pausch and his Last Lecture, MSU Associate Professor of Political Science Jeremy Duff (pictured below) will present the inaugural Last Lecture, “Two Significant Things I’ve Learned So Far.”
The Last Lecture Series will feature highly regarded professors speaking about what matters most to them as they give a hypothetical last lecture. Associate Professor of Art Steve Hilton said that introducing this type of series at MSU was something he had wanted to do for some time. When Legacy Hall, MSU’s newest residence hall, opened, Hilton became Faculty in Residence at Legacy. He worked with Kristi Schulte, Director of Residence Life, and took student nominations for the first speaker, with resident assistants choosing the finalist. Hilton hopes to have three lectures per year.
Duff came to MSU in 2008 after a year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He earned his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in political science from Michigan State University. Duff, his wife Tracy, and their two children live in Burkburnett where he serves as a city commissioner.
Pausch’s lecture inspired the New York Times best-selling book, The Last Lecture, released in 2008.
Contact Hilton at 940-397-4270 or steve.hilton@ mwsu.edu for more information.
