Springfield, Ohio - Parker J. Palmer, a nationally recognized education activist, will be the featured speaker at the Fred R. Leventhal Family Endowed Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6, as part of the Wittenberg Series. The presentation will be held in the Wittenberg University Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center.

Palmer's speech titled "Let Your Life Speak: Education, Vocation and the Needs of the World" is based on his recently published book, "Let Your Life Speak," which was selected as the Book of the Year in 2000 by the Association of Theological Booksellers.

In 1998, The Leadership Project, a national survey of 11,000 administrators and faculty, named Palmer as one of the 30 "most influential senior leaders" in higher education. Palmer's work spans a wide range of institutions, and he serves as senior associate of the American Association of Higher Education, senior adviser to the Fetzer Institute, and is the founder of the national Teacher Formation Program for K-12 teachers. The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, CBS News and National Public Radio have featured his work.

The author of six books, Palmer's writing has been recognized with six honorary doctorates and two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association.

The Fred R. Leventhal Family Endowed Lecture is the sixth Wittenberg Series event this year and is made possible by a gift to Wittenberg University from the Springfield, Ohio, family. Previous Leventhal lecturers include the late Malcom S. Forbes, Boston Globe syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, Charles Osgood of CBS News, and William Gray III, president of the United Negro College Fund. The lecture is free and open to the public.