National speakers continue Plaster Center grand opening theme
Monday, April 20, 2015 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
This week’s grand opening of the Robert W. Plaster Center at Pittsburg State University will be a celebration of partnerships and economic opportunity. That theme will continue in a presentation that afternoon by a nationally known economist and a celebrated historian.
The ribbon cutting, which will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, will focus on the partnerships that have allowed the construction of the 154,000-square-foot facility to take place. And at 3 p.m. that day, in the Dotty and Bill Miller Theater, Larry Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education, and Burt Folsom, a professor of history at Hillsdale College, will provide a closer look at the economic and historical factors that will help make the Plaster Center an economic driver for the region.
“We’re incredibly excited to be able to welcome Drs. Larry Reed and Burt Folsom to our campus,” said Kathleen Flannery, interim vice president for advancement. “They are renowned experts in their field and are certain to provide great insight and thought provoking questions during their presentations.”
Both presentations, which are free and open to the public, are made possible by a generous gift from the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation.
Larry Reed is president of the Foundation for Economic Education. His topic will be “Adam Smith and the Birth of Economics.” It will focus on how Smith changed the world with his devastating critique of mercantilism and advocacy of free trade and free markets.
Burt Folsom, a professor of history at Hillsdale College, will share remarks from his book, “The Myth of the Great Robber Barons.” His presentation will focus on the unknown story behind the invention of the telegraph and airplane.
Both presentations will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, in the Dotty and Bill Miller Theater, which is located at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.
The Robert W. Plaster Center is a 154,000-square-foot indoor event center on the campus of Pittsburg State University. The facility is home to a 300-meter track, 100-yard turf field, the 11,000-square-foot ProMaxima Strength and Conditioning Center and much more.
The $13 million facility was funded through a unique partnership of private donors, students, the Robert W. Plaster Foundation, the City of Pittsburg and Crawford County.
It has been selected to host the 2016 and 2018 NCAA Division II National Indoor Track Championships and the 2017 and 2019 NJCAA Indoor Track Championships.