Award-winning journalist to host free lecture series at Lenoir-Rhyne University

Press release:

Diplomacy & Media in a Chaotic World: Award-winning journalist, former U.S. diplomat to speak at Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A series of four free public lectures will be held at Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville’s downtown location of 36 Montford Ave. The Monday-night events will cover topics of diplomacy, politics, and news, and will be led by Lenoir-Rhyne’s Diplomat in Residence, Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Colton, an accomplished veteran of international journalism and diplomacy. Colton is an award-winning journalist who has worked for ABC News, NBC News, Newsweek, and NPR. The Asheville native also had a distinguished career as a U.S. Foreign Service diplomat in seven Middle Eastern countries.

Doors will open each night at 5pm, and lectures will begin at 5:30pm. The first lecture of the series will take place on February 27, and will explore Global Adventures in Hot-Spots of Diplomacy, Politics, & News.

The following lectures will be:
·         March 27 – Beyond the Headlines: Deciphering News of Global Politics & Diplomacy
·         April 24 – Navigating Flash Points of U.S. Politics, Foreign Policy, & World Diplomacy
·         May 22 – “Glocal” Diplomacy: Asheville & Western North Carolina

Colton’s career bridges diplomacy, international journalism, and global education. She speaks, writes, teaches, and advises worldwide on diplomacy, the news media, world politics, and international relations. A retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, former United Nations development planner, and Peace Corps volunteer, Colton is an author, social anthropologist, and international journalist who has covered diplomacy, politics, conflict, and development issues.  She also serves as a moderator/trainer for diplomacy courses conducted globally by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Colton grew up in Asheville and then lived and worked around the world in more than 100 countries on 6 continents. Educated in Asheville public schools, Colton holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and also earned degrees from Vanderbilt University and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.

Lenoir-Rhyne is excited to welcome this series to the Asheville campus. Nearly 240 students are enrolled at the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville, which offers graduate programs in business administration, community college administration, clinical mental health and school counseling, nursing, public health, religious studies, teaching, writing, dietetic internship, and sustainability studies. Programs are specifically designed to meet the needs of graduate students balancing work and school, offering evenings and weekend classes to offer flexibility in scheduling. Every program features full-time, qualified faculty and staff who are readily available to answer questions and provide guidance to students as they plan for the future. Several open houses are scheduled each year for anyone interested in learning more about Lenoir-Rhyne Asheville’s higher education opportunities. The Center is now enrolling students for the summer semester. For more information, visit asheville.lr.edu.

About Lenoir-Rhyne University:
Lenoir-Rhyne University was founded in Hickory, NC in 1891 and has been offering graduate education for more than 50 years. In 2012 the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville was established to provide excellent graduate education that develops innovative leaders prepared to serve the current and future needs of Western North Carolina and beyond. More information is available at asheville.lr.edu.