Nicholas D. Kristof to Present Rudin Lecture at CCNY March 29

NY Times Columnist to Speak on Empowering Women

Nicholas D. Kristof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for “The New York Times,” will present the 2012 Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture at The City College of New York 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29. His topic will be “Half the Sky: Changing the World by Empowering Women.” The lecture, held in The Great Hall of Shepard Hall, located at 160 Convent Avenue, Manhattan, is free and open to the public and is part of CCNY’s observance of Women’s History Month. 


Mr. Kristof is often called the “reporter’s reporter” for his human rights advocacy and his efforts to give a voice to the voiceless.  A Times staff member since 1984, he has been awarded Pulitzer Prizes in 1990 and 2006.  His 1990 award, reporting on the Tianamen Square movement for democracy, was shared with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, a fellow Times reporter at the time, making them the first married couple to win a Pulitzer.  His 2006 award was for his coverage of genocide in Darfur.

In 2009, Mr. Kristof and Ms. WuDunn wrote “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” which was published by Alfred A. Knopf. The book, about women fighting sexual oppression in Asia and Africa, spent 10 weeks on “The New York Times” Best Sellers list for hardcover nonfiction.  They have also written “China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power” (Vintage Books, 1995) and “Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia” (Vintage Books, 2001).

Mr. Kristof began his career with The Times as an economics reporter and later served as a correspondent in Los Angeles and bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo.  He became a columnist for the Op-Ed page in 2001.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, he has been honored with the George Polk Award, the Overseas Press Club Award, the Michael Kelly Award, the Online News Association Award and the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award.  


Mr. Kristof graduated from Harvard College, Phi Beta Kappa, and won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, where he studied law and graduated with first class honors. He went on to study Arabic in Cairo and Chinese in Taipei. 


About the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture

The lecture, a component of The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program at The City College of New York, was initiated in 1996. It provides an opportunity for members of the college community to interact with outstanding scholars, business leaders and government officials, enriching the education experience on campus. The program is also intended to foster communication within the academic community of New York City.

Samuel Rudin, a civic and philanthropic leader in New York City, was a member of The City College of New York Class of 1918 and went on to a prominent real estate career.  The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program is supported by a grant from the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation Inc. 

Previous Rudin Scholars include: Tom Brokaw, Ric Burns, Gov. Mario Cuomo, Walter Cronkite, Susan Lacy, Frank McCourt and Nobel Laureate Dr. Harold E. Varmus.