The annual Bonner and Bonner Lecture continues this year with Evelyn Hill, a former member of the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Education, who will be speaking about civic leadership for the common good. 

“We want to bring in people who are exercising leadership, people who are actually making progress on important issues of the day,” said Gary Wyatt, assistant provost and director of the honors college. “We are pleased with her response and willingness to come down earlier and spend time with students.”

Hill values education and believes every child has the right to receive quality education, according to a pamphlet from the Honors College. She embraces the fact that we are lifelong learners and that everyday we have opportunities to learn new things.

 “Hill believes we need to prepare this generation of students for the global workforce which is very different from the workforce of yesterday,” the pamphlet said. “This new generation of learners must be prepared to excel in the technical fields of the new laptop, smartphone and iPad learning tools and beyond. Technology is changing rapidly therefore education should be changing rapidly.”

The Bonner and Bonner Lecture Series was established in 1992 by Thomas and Mary Bonner, according to emporia.edu. The Honors College began sponsoring and organizing the event in 2015. 

The Honors College has been putting on the lecture series for a few years now about diversity and leadership, according to Wyatt. In the past they have brought in nationally known speakers, but this year they decided to bring in a speaker from the Kansas City area.

“She will be talking about her efforts in working with others in the Kansas City area to help homeless children become successful,” Wyatt said.

The Honors College is expecting around 250 people to attend, according to Wyatt. This lecture will be free to all students, as well as the community of Emporia. 

“We do want people to get tickets, they are free of charge in the Memorial Union ticket office,” Wyatt said.  “We prefer those attending to have a ticket but we will not turn those down who just show up at the door.”

Along with the main lecture, Hill will have a Q&A discussion with students at 2 p.m. in Visser Hall room 118 and dinner with students, faculty and community members at 5  p.m. in the Veterans Hall of Honor. 

Hill will speak at 7 p.m. tonight in Albert Taylor Hall.