Wilma Dykeman to Replace Leon Botstein as Keynote Speaker at Humanities Conference Sept. 14

Due to air travel restrictions, noted writer and historian Wilma Dykeman will replace Bard College President Leon Botstein as the keynote speaker at a statewide conference on the Humanities hosted by UNC Asheville and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College on September 14-15. Dykeman will speak at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at A-B Tech’s Laurel Auditorium. The talk, "Humanities and the Public Good," is free and open to the public.

Born in Asheville, Dykeman is author of 16 highly acclaimed books, many of which focus on local culture and history. Her many honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and the 1985 N.C. Award for Literature.

The conference, "The Humanities and Social Justice: Teaching for the Public Good," is sponsored by the Humanities Educators of North Carolina (HENC). Some 75 faculty and administrators from University of North Carolina sister institutions and the state's community college system are expected to attend. Conference speakers will discuss UNCA's Humanities Program, which serves as a national model for other institutions, and the UNCA/A-B Tech Bridge Program, which offers UNCA's Humanities courses at A-B Tech for students considering transferring to UNCA.

For additional conference information, call UNCA's Humanities Program at 828/251-6808 or visit the conference's Web site.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Margaret Downes, Humanities Educators of North Carolina Co-Director and UNCA Literature Professor, 828/251-6577
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant, 828/251-6526