Political theorist to present 2013 Vickers Memorial Lecture

LAWRENCE — David Azerrad, research fellow and associate director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics at the Heritage Foundation, will present “The Contested American Dream: Reflections on Opportunity, Prosperity and Income Inequality” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Lied Center.

The public is invited to attend the free lecture, which is part of the 44th annual J.A. Vickers Sr. and Robert F. Vickers Sr. Memorial Lecture series presented by the University of Kansas School of Business.

Azerrad devotes his research and career to increasing public knowledge of America’s founding principles.

As associate director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics, Azerrad oversees The Heritage Foundation’s lectures, seminars, research papers and publications. The foundation is dedicated to educating policymakers, elected leaders and the public at large about American political tradition.

Before joining The Heritage Foundation in September 2010, Azerrad spent two years at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, promoting civic literacy and working to improve higher education. In 2007, he was a Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute in California.

As a doctoral candidate in politics at the University of Dallas, Azerrad is writing a dissertation on the foundations of John Locke’s political thought. He has also written numerous articles, op-eds and editorials that have appeared in various newspapers, magazines and academic journals, including The Times of London, New York Daily News and Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy.

A native of Montreal, Azerrad received his Master of Arts in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa. He also has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from Concordia University in Montreal. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.

The lecture series was created in 1969 in honor of J.A. Vickers, KU alumnus and founder of Vickers Petroleum Co. in Wichita. His son, Robert, administered and coordinated the lecture until his death in 1995, when Robert’s wife, Susan, added her husband’s name to the lecture series.

Previous Vickers speakers include Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole.