Tickets go on sale at all TicketsWest outlets at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, for a lecture by Sir Ken Robinson, the British expert on creativity and innovation who is the most-watched speaker in the TED Talk video series throughout the world. Robinson will speak at Montana State University at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Strand Union Ballrooms. “An Evening with Sir Ken Robinson - How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
"The reason so many people are opting out of education is because it doesn't feed their spirit, it doesn't feed their energy or their passion,” Robinson has said.
Connor Mulvaney, a student associate of the MSU Leadership Institute, which is bringing Robinson to MSU, and a general science broadfield education major, said that his questioning of traditional education has made Robinson one of the world’s leading speakers.
“He addresses the issues in our modern education system,” Mulvaney said. “His thought-provoking ideas question the dated industrial model of education and advocate for the value of creativity in the classroom.”
A best-selling author, Robinson’s books include New York Times best-sellers “Finding Your Element” and “The Element and Out of Our Minds.” His latest book, “Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education,” tackles the issue of how to transform the nation’s troubled education system.
Named one of “the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation” by Fast Company magazine and featured in the 2011 Thinkers50 list of the world’s top business thinkers, Robinson works with governments, education systems, international agencies, global corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural institutions to jump-start innovation by unlocking the creative energy of people and organizations.
“(Robinson’s message) is especially powerful for students,” Mulvaney said. “It is not just a critique on the current system, but a call to action. He shares with us a simple message: We can do better.”
Robinson’s lecture is sponsored by MSU’s Leadership Institute, Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Honors College, College of Education, Health and Human Development, Office of International Programs, Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Office of Student Engagement, ASMSU, as well as Murdoch’s Home and Ranch Supply. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with live music featuring local artists until the start of the lecture. There is free parking in all MSU SB, E or F lots after 6 p.m.
