College of the Southwest's most prestigious honor, the Trustee of Free Enterprise Award, will be announced at this year's Free Enterprise Dinner on Monday, April 18, at the Lea County Event Center at 6:00 p.m.
Hosted by CSW's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the annual event honors an area businessperson for "outstanding business achievements, an established reputation for conducting responsible and ethical business practices, community leadership, and investment of time and resources toward the preservation of a free society."
Keynote speaker for this year's event is Dinesh D'Souza, CSW's Hatton W. Sumners Speaker and nationally acclaimed author. That evening, D'Souza will discuss "Why America is Loved, Why America is Hated."
Author of the New York Times bestsellers Illiberal Education and What's So Great about America?, D'Souza is currently the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a think tank of scholars dedicated to research in domestic policy and international affairs. Called one of the "top young policy makers in the country" by Investor Business Daily, D'Souza's areas of research include the economy and society, civil rights and affirmative action, cultural issues and politics, and higher education.
Having graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983, D'Souza served as senior domestic policy analyst at the White House during the Reagan administration during 1987 and 1988. Prior to that, he was the managing editor of Policy Review.
D'Souza's books have had a major influence on public policy, including Illiberal Education (1991) and The End of Racism (1995). His recent works include What's So Great About America? (2002), Letters to a Young Conservative (2002), The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Values in an Age of Techno-Affluence (2000), and Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader (1997). His articles, essays, and other works have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Harper's, and the Atlantic Monthly.
An engaging and dynamic speaker, D'Souza has appeared as a featured guest on numerous programs, including The Today Show, Nightline, The O'Reilly Factor, The Dennis Miller Show, and Good Morning, America.
Past recipients of the award include: Ben Alexander - 1980; Larry White - 1981; Cecil Brown - 1982; Robert M. Moran - 1983; Bill Daniels - 1984; Finn Watson - 1985; Joan Tucker - 1986; Don Maddox - 1987; Thelma Webber - 1988; Zearl Young - 1989; Al Arnold - 1990; Robert O. Anderson - 1991; Jean Gray - 1992; Bonnie A. Moran - 1993; Kenneth J. Fadke - 1994; William G. McPherson - 1995; S. P. Yates - 1996; Senator Don Kidd and Senator Gary Don Reagan - 1997; Jim Miller - 1998; Samuel S. Spencer, Jr. -1999; Dr. Talbot (Mac) and Dot McCormick - 2000; Peyton Yates - 2001; Jack Daniels - 2002; Charley Smith - 2003; and Betty King - 2004. Tickets for the Free Enterprise Dinner are $50.00 per person or $350 for a table of eight. For tickets or for more information, call College of the Southwest at (505) 392-6561, extension 1029, or come by the College at 6610 Lovington Highway, Hobbs.
The following evening, Tuesday, April 19, D'Souza will take the stage at the Pecos River Village Conference Center in Carlsbad at 7:00 p.m. as the 2005 Hatton W. Sumners Speaker. He will speak on "Islam vs. The West: A Clash of Civilizations."