Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin coming to Drew University as visiting professor this spring

Just in time for the 2024 presidential election, Drew University has hired renowned presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as a visiting professor for the spring semester.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" and "No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II," as well as other bestsellers, will make two public appearances and five teaching visits to the Madison campus as part of the Thomas H. Kean Visiting Professorship.

“We are thrilled and honored to have world-renowned scholar Doris Kearns Goodwin join our faculty this semester as a visiting professor,” Drew University President Hilary Link said. “This will be a fantastic learning experience for not only our students, but the entire Drew community.”

Goodwin’s instruction will focus on "leadership in turbulent times and offer lessons from past presidents that can provide a roadmap to leadership in any field," school officials said in announcing her arrival.

Kearns Goodwin's public events

The Pulitzer Prize winner's first speaking event will take place Feb. 15 on the Drew campus. The second will be available online via Zoom and YouTube on March 14 as part of the Drew Forum speaker series. James Carville made a similar appearance for the last Forum Series talk on Tuesday with a free Zoom talk on the current political scene.

The school said details of the Kearns Goodwin appearances will be announced at a later date.

'The end of days:' James Carville takes on Trump, Jersey jughandles during talk at Drew

Kean, the former two-term New Jersey governor, established the Visiting Professorship program in 2008 after he served as Drew president from 1990 to 2005. Goodwin will be the first Kean visiting professor to have an on-campus teaching presence.

Past speakers in the program have included President Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Newt Gingrich, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, ex-Ohio Gov. John Kasich, David McCullough, Condoleezza Rice, Barbara Walters and Ron Chernow.

While on campus, Goodwin also will take part in several more small events, meeting with students, alumni, and other members of the Drew community, the university said.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Doris Kearns Goodwin to be visiting professor at Drew University