Jim Avila will also promote ethical decision-making.
By Cassi Armstrong
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
ABC journalist Jim Avila will speak at the St. Philip’s College presidential lecture series at 11 a.m. Oct. 1 in Watson Fine Arts Center.
The lecture is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the community.
Avila, the network’s senior law and justice correspondent, will discuss “Current Events That Affect Us All.” Avila also serves as White House correspondent for Fusion, a new partnership between ABC and Univision.
Beautrice Butler, director of enrollment management and chair of the series, said the series committee recommended Avila to SPC President Adena Williams Loston.
“Once we received approval from our president, we extended an invitation to Mr. Avila to be a speaker and he accepted,” Butler said.
Avila has had a large role in the Hispanic American community covering immigration issues, politics, education and other important issues in a growing Latino community.
The presidential lecture series at St. Philip’s started in 2002-2003 as the Inaugural Series, with guest speaker Dr. Osvaldo Berneche, visiting professor from Mexico.
Past speakers include former Mayor Julian Castro, American novelist Tim O’ Brien, and filmmaker-writer Roya Hakakian.
The series provides opportunities for staff and students of Alamo Colleges and the community to hear speakers’ different perspectives on local and international issues.
The committee and Loston, SPC president for eight years, will open the lecture.
Avila also will emphasize ethical decision-making, which is part of SPC’s Quality Enhancement Plan.
The QEP is a multiyear project to improve student learning. This is a requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Collages (SACSCOC).
There are three expected outcomes for the students involved in the program: values, knowledge in ethical issues and various ethical perspectives.
Actor LeVar Burton of “Reading Rainbow” will speak at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 for the spring presidential lecture series.
For more information, call Butler at 210-486-2670 or email bbutler@alamo.edu.