Two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Deborah Norville will open the UCA Distinguished Lecture series on Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
Norville’s appearance will be the first of four Distinguished Lectures of the 2010-11 Reynolds season.
“Tough,” “savvy” and “a survivor” are among the words used to describe Norville, anchor of Inside Edition, America’s top-rated syndicated newsmagazine.
Those words can also be used to describe the path that Jerry Biebesheimer, director of UCA Public Appearances, took in getting the veteran journalist to the UCA campus.
“We actually tried to get her last fall,” he said. “It wasn’t that it was hard to get her to come to Conway, but it was hard to find a time in her schedule that matched with ours.”
Norville is probably most famous for taking the adage “the show must go on” to a new level when she anchored Inside Edition from her hospital bed nine hours after the birth of her daughter.
Before becoming host of Inside Edition, Norville was with CBS News where she was a correspondent for Street Stories, 48 Hours and co-anchor for America Tonight. She has also written three best-selling novels and two books for children.
It is that wide range of success in both print and broadcast that should be attractive to an audience Biebesheimer said.
“People who watch her television shows, women who have read her books or people interested in television journalism are going to want to hear her speak,” he said.
Tickets, available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office, are $10 for adults, $5 for students and children, $5 for UCA faculty and staff, and free for UCA students with a current student I.D. (limit of two tickets). For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at 1-866-810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.
For more information, contact Biebesheimer at (501) 450-3682 or jerryb@uca.edu. – Phil Seaton
