When organizers of the Roy and Margaret Shilling Lecture Series at Southwestern University booked the Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the 2004 Shilling Lecturer, they anticipated that there would be great community interest. However, no one could have predicted the overwhelming response from students, faculty, staff and alumni, who annually are afforded the first opportunity to obtain tickets. Indeed, the event–to be held March 26 at 7 p.m. in the University’s largest public space, the Corbin J. Robertson Center–quickly reached seating capacity. In turn, Southwestern has made plans for a simulcast of the event with seating made available in the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Theater, which holds 850.

“The response has been enormous,” says Cindy Locke, associate vice president for university relations, who oversees the event. “We are honored to have a global citizen of Archbishop Tutu’s stature coming to campus and want to ensure that we can accommodate as many people as possible.”

There will be no charge for simulcast seating but a reservation will be required. To make a reservation, call 863-1483 or contact June Cody via email .

The Roy and Margaret Shilling Lecture Series was endowed by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston, to honor the 13th Presidential Couple of Southwestern University for 19 years of service to Texas’ First University. The intent of the lecture series is to present internationally prominent speakers on topics relating to ethics, public service, and public policy. Past speakers have included Bill Moyers, Jimmy Carter, Marian Wright Edelman, William Sloane Coffin, John McGuire, and Karen Hughes.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa. His father was a teacher, and he himself was educated at Johannesburg Bantu High School. After leaving school he trained first as a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal College and in 1954 he graduated from the University of South Africa. After three years as a high school teacher he began to study theology, being ordained as a priest in 1960. The years 1962-66 were devoted to further theological study in England leading up to a Master of Theology. From 1967 to 1972 he taught theology in South Africa before returning to England for three years as the assistant director of a theological institute in London. In 1975 he was appointed Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg, the first black to hold that position. From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho, and in 1978 became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. Archbishop Tutu is an honorary doctor of a number of leading universities in the USA, Britain and Germany. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.