STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Casey Thompson, political science instructor, has been selected to deliver the fifth talk in Tarleton State University’s Last Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, on the Stephenville campus.
The free, public event takes place in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Auditorium. Doors open at 6 p.m. A reception with light refreshments follows Thompson’s talk, “Citizen Role Model.”
At Tarleton, the Last Lecture Award is the only faculty honor bestowed entirely by students. Students are invited to nominate a professor who has inspired and influenced their academic pursuits and outlook on life.
“It’s extremely humbling that the students want to hear more from me,” Thompson said.
Thompson has a bachelor’s degree in management from Texas Tech, a master’s with honors in political science from American Public University, and a law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Prior to joining Tarleton he was an adjunct instructor at Weatherford and Tarrant County colleges.
Besides teaching political science, Thompson heads Tarleton’s Town Hall program, designed to improve students’ civic engagement and community involvement.
Outside the classroom, he is a singer/songwriter with three commercially available albums to his credit. In fact, his recorded music will serve as a backdrop to Tuesday’s event.
The lecture is free, but tickets are required. They are available at the Center for Instructional Innovation and at the Student Government Office on the lower level of the Thompson Student Center.
Tarleton students previously selected Dr. Rudy Tarpley in 2017, Dr. James “Jim” Gentry in 2016 and Dr. James “Jim” Kirby in 2015 after the university’s inaugural presentation by the late Dr. Christopher Guthrie, professor of history and A&M System Regents Professor.
Tarpley is a professor of agricultural education, Gentry is associate professor of curriculum and instruction, and Kirby a retired professor of mathematics.
The Last Lecture Series invites professors to share what they would say if it were their last opportunity to address colleagues and students. The tradition began in 1955 when six distinguished UCLA professors offered their life philosophy through the lens of discipline, interests and personal experiences.
Since then, the series has become a tradition at many universities, gaining popularity in 2007 when Dr. Randy Pausch delivered a talk, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” at Carnegie Mellon University. Pausch’s lecture—and subsequent book, The Last Lecture—became famous as he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with only months to live.
For more information about the Last Lecture Series at Tarleton, visit www.tarleton.edu/facultyfellows/lastlecture.html.
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