Talk: "Project 500's Rich History and Financial Future" by Stan West

• Event Date: Thursday, September 20, 2018
• Time: 4:00 pm (CDT)
• Location: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free Admission

• Talk

The history of the University of Illinois is filled with stories of innovation and inspiration.

At 4:00 pm, journalist Stan West will mark the 50th anniversary of Project 500. In 1967, African-American students made up less than 2% of the University of Illinois population. In the fall of 1968, the University began the Special Education Opportunities Program, an early attempt to expand educational opportunities for a more diverse student population from the state. “Project 500’s Rich History and Financial Future” will include information on the origins, history, and legacy of Project 500, much of it gathered for the News-Gazette by guest commentator Terry Townsend, observations by University Illinois alumni, and personal anecdotes.

This event is part of the Spurlock’s Third Thursday Series highlighting University history and is held in conjunction with the Spurlock Museum’s temporary exhibit Knowledge at Work: The University of Illinois at 150. This exhibit explores the history of campus as a community of educators, researchers, and students engaged in learning, research, and public service. Learn about the contributions of a wide variety of people and groups to campus history and ways the University has changed how it relates to the people it serves. The exhibit runs through December 21, 2018.

About the speaker:

A former foreign correspondent for the San Francisco-based Pacific News Service, Stan West remains a working journalist, reporting for the Wednesday Journal. He’s been a conflict journalist and culture reporter most of his career. A documentarian who co-coordinates the Oak Park International Film Festival, West has written and co-authored several award-winning nonfiction books including Suburban Promised Land, which won the 2010 Illinois State Historical Society Award for Excellence. This book will be on sale after the talk. He has worked for decades in broadcast and print journalism. He teaches writing, television and media literacy. Stan West received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. His thesis was on American expatriate writers in Paris and Madrid. His form was creative nonfiction. West holds a Master’s in the Teaching of Writing from DePaul University and a Bachelor’s in Rhetoric from University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana.