Delta State University’s Spring 2019 Colloquia Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series will feature Steve Forbes, the publishing magnate and two-time candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. president. His talk, “In Money We Trust? The American Dollar and Your Everyday Life,” takes place on Monday, March 4, at 6 PM in the Jobe Hall auditorium on the Delta State campus. The event is free and open to the public.
“I am thrilled that Steve Forbes has agreed to be our Spring Colloquium Distinguished Lecturer,” said Delta State President William N. LaForge. “The Delta State family and our visiting guests for this event are in for a real treat. Our students and faculty especially will have the opportunity to meet and hear from one of the top thought leaders in the world on public policy issues ranging from monetary and fiscal policy to social issues and the role of the media in today’s society. There will certainly be something in this program to meet everyone’s interest, especially the topic of money—something to which we can all relate!”
Forbes’ upcoming talk is based on a related one-hour documentary, also called In Money We Trust?, that debuted on public television late last year.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to participate in Delta State’s prestigious forum,” said Forbes. “Our film, In Money We Trust?, is an illuminating exploration of how money functions in an economy and why its stability is essential not only for prosperity but also for social trust. When money is trustworthy, we flourish. When it isn’t, we stagnate, and destructive social tensions erupt.”
Chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, Forbes controls a global business media and branding company with a footprint of 115 million touchpoints each month. Forbes, the nation’s leading business magazine, counts a U.S. readership of 6.2 million and 38 editions worldwide. Forbes.com amasses almost 60 million unique visitors a month. Forbes writes editorials under the heading of “Fact and Comment.” A respected economic prognosticator, he is the only writer to have won the prestigious Crystal Owl Award four times. The prize was formerly given by the U.S. Steel Corporation to the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate. BrandVoice is Forbes Media’s thought leadership marketing platform; since 2010, its 230 partners have published 16,000 posts, garnering 255 million page views, 25 million social actions and referrals, and almost 11 million search referrals.
In 1996 and 2000, Forbes campaigned for the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency. His platform included a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, parental choice of schools for their children, term limits, and a strong national defense.
Forbes graduated from Princeton University in 1970. At Princeton, he was the founding editor of Business Today, which became the country’s largest magazine published by students for students. It remains in circulation and continues to be published Princeton undergraduates. After graduation, Forbes became a researcher at Forbes magazine, which his father, Malcolm S. Forbes, ran, and grandfather, B. C. Forbes, had founded in 1917. The progeny started writing a column in 1973, became president and COO of Forbes, Inc. in 1980, and became CEO and magazine editor-in-chief in 1990 after his father’s death.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan named Forbes the chairman of the bipartisan Board for International Broadcasting to oversee Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Forbes was reappointed by President George H. W. Bush and served until 1993.
Forbes’ most recent book is Reviving America: How Repealing Obamacare, Replacing the Tax Code and Reforming the Fed Will Restore Hope and Prosperity, co-authored by Elizabeth Ames (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2015). Some of his other works include Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy—and What We Can Do About It, co-authored by Ames (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2014), and Power Ambition Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today… and the Lessons You Can Learn, co-authored by John Prevas (Crown Business, 2009).
Forbes serves on the boards of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute and of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He is on the board of overseers of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He previously served on Princeton’s board of trustees for 10 years. Forbes has received honorary degrees from two dozen institutions of higher learning.
Delta State President LaForge established the Colloquia Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series in 2013 upon his inauguration. The first speaker was former Mississippi Gov. William Winter. The most recent, in fall 2018, was NCAA President Mark Emmert. Others include former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, former U.S. Comptroller General Charles Bowsher, and current UPS CEO and chairman of the board, David Abney, a Delta State alumnus.
