POSTED:  Sept. 25, 2012 – Best-selling author and influential thinker Dinesh D’Souza will present a speech to the University Economics Club at noon, Oct. 3, at River City, 1400 Main Street, Wheeling. The speaking event includes lunch ($10) and is open to the public.

“We are pleased to present an author who is in great demand and invite the public to take advantage of an opportunity to hear his thoughts. He will also be available to sign any of his books that the audience may have in their possession,” said Dr. Erik Root, WLU associate professor of political science and chair of the Center for Economic Philosophy.

Director of the current movie, “2016: Obama’s America,” and author of the New York Times Bestseller, “Obama’s America: Unmaking the American Dream,” D’Souza’s appearance is sponsored through the generosity of a gift from BB&T charitable foundation that supports the study of economic philosophy.

In 2010, D’Souza was named the president of The King’s College, a Christian college located in New York City. The mission of The King’s College is to transform society by preparing students for careers in which they help to shape and eventually to lead strategic public and private institutions. D’Souza brought a distinguished 25-year career as a writer, scholar, and public intellectual to The King’s College. A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D’Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Called one of the “top young public-policy makers in the country” by Investor’s Business Daily, D’Souza quickly became known as a major influencer on public policy through his writings. His first book, Illiberal Education (1991), publicized the phenomenon of political correctness in America’s colleges and universities and became a New York Times bestseller for 15 weeks. It has been listed as one of the most influential books of the 1990s.

In 1995, D’Souza published, “The End of Racism,” which became one of the most controversial books of the time and another national bestseller. His 1997 book, “Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader,” was the first book to make the case for Reagan’s intellectual and political importance. D’Souza’s “The Virtue of Prosperity,” (2000) explored the social and moral implications of wealth.

In 2002, D’Souza published his New York Times bestseller “What’s So Great About America,” which was critically acclaimed for its thoughtful patriotism. His 2003 book, “Letters to a Young Conservative,” has become a handbook for a new generation of young conservatives inspired by D’Souza’s style and ideas. “The Enemy at Home,” published in 2006, stirred up a furious debate both on the left and the right. It became a national bestseller and was published in paperback in 2008, with a new afterword by the author responding to his critics.

In recent years he has been a forceful defender of Christianity. “What’s So Great About Christianity,” not only intelligently explained the core doctrines of the Christian faith, it also explained how the freedom and prosperity associated with Western Civilization rest upon the foundation of biblical Christianity. “Life After Death: The Evidence,” shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reasonable to believe in life after death.

In 2010, he wrote “The Roots of Obama’s Rage,” which was described as the most influential political book of the year and has proven to be another best-seller.

During the past 20 years, D’Souza has appeared at hundreds of colleges and universities, and has spoken with hundreds of thousands of students in these live settings. Recently, he has appeared at Azusa Pacific University, the University of South Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Stephen F. Austin University, Gordon College, Grand Canyon University, the University of Oklahoma, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania.

Born in Mumbai, India, D’Souza came to the U.S. as an exchange student and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

Named one of America’s most influential conservative thinkers by the New York Times Magazine, D’Souza is listed as one of the nation’s 500 leading authorities on international issues by The World Affairs Council. Newsweek cited him as one of the country’s most prominent Asian-Americans.

D’Souza’s articles have appeared in virtually every major magazine and newspaper, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, New Republic, and National Review. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Today Show, Nightline, The News Hour, The O’Reilly Factor, Moneyline, and Hannity.

Founded in 2009, the BB&T Center for Economic Philosophy at West Liberty University seeks to engage faculty, students and the public in serious and sustained examination of the free market. In recent years BB&T’s charitable foundation awarded grants to dozens of colleges and universities to support teaching about capitalism. For more information on this event or to RSVP for the lunch, payable at the door, please call 304-336-8301.