Tickets required for free event, which is part of the National Society of Leadership and Success 2010 Live Speaker Series 
If you only attend one presentation on a college campus this year ... make it this one.
Bertice Berry, Ph.D. -- comedienne, talk-show host, and bestselling author of such acclaimed books as “I'm On My Way, But Your Foot Is On My Head,” the hilarious “Sckraight From the Ghetto: You Might Be Ghetto If,” and her latest work, “The Ties that Bind: A Memoir of Race, Redemption and Memory” -- will speak at Indiana University Northwest on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. in Raintree Hall 102.
Tickets are free to the campus and to the public, but they do require an RSVP. Call (219) 980-6755 to reserve seats.
Attendees must arrive by 5:50 p.m. in order to be seated in the Raintree auditorium. Overflow seating will also be available for a closed-circuit broadcast in a separate location on campus. This presentation will be broadcast live to students at more than 200 other campuses across the country.
Berry, a former Kent State University professor, has appeared on “The Tonight Show,” “Oprah,” and ABC’s “20/20,” and has hosted her own syndicated talk show, “The Bertice Berry Show.” She is the second guest speaker in the 2010 Live Speaker Series sponsored by Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Berry’s presentation, entitled “Becoming the Highest Version of Yourself,” will encourage attendees to evolve into a version of themselves that transcends competition, and to find a unique journey that will lead them to accomplish their purpose.
As a speaker, Berry uses her skills as a sociologist and researcher, and her love of laughter, to move audiences to action. She regularly speaks to university groups, professional associations and other organizations, and typically has a very profound effect on her audiences.
The IU Northwest chapter of Sigma Alpha Pi is proud to host this free ticketed event in cooperation with the Office of Student Life and Athletics. Chapter board members and president Shelli Henry extend a warm welcome to Bertice Berry, and to the campus and Northwest Indiana community, for this special Feb. 23 presentation.
IU Northwest joined the National Society of Leadership and Success in 2008. Sigma Alpha Pi has more than 80,000 member students representing 213 colleges and universities. Its monthly speaker series is intended to support the Society’s mission of creating lasting, positive change by helping young people discover and achieve their goals.
“We at IU Northwest are extremely excited about hosting Dr. Bertice Berry at our campus,” said Charlotte Reed, Ed.D., executive director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the chapter founder and lead advisor for the IU Northwest chapter of Sigma Alpha Pi. “We are one of three IU campuses with Sigma Alpha Pi chapters — the other two are IU Bloomington and IUPUI. Our students are taking a lot from their participation in the Society’s events and programs.”
Student Life Coordinator and chapter advisor Scott Fulk said he expects Berry’s presentation to be a campus highlight for 2010.
“The Live Speaker Series is a wonderful way to connect the many different member campuses and let them share in a common learning experience,” Fulk said. “Our students are looking forward to meeting Dr. Berry and sharing in this exciting program with their counterparts from other schools across the country.”
Berry is an acclaimed author, scholar, comedienne, lecturer, and talk-show host. The sixth of seven children from a low-income Wilmington, Del. family, Berry was told by a high-school teacher that she was “not college material.” Determined to pursue her education, Berry applied and was accepted to Florida’s Jacksonville University, where she found scholarship support through a wealthy benefactor who wanted to assist a student with great potential but little means to capitalize on it.
Berry graduated magna cum laude and earned the President’s Cup for leadership. She later earned her Ph.D. in sociology at Kent State University and went on to become one of that school’s most popular teachers. Berry’s penchant for using humor in her lectures established a strong connection with her students that facilitated frank discussions about such difficult topics as racism and sexism.
Berry later left Kent State and pursued a career on the college-lecture circuit, where her humor and insight made her a hit on campuses across the country. Berry earned a national Comedian of the Year Award, among other honors, and eventually she became host and co-producer of her own syndicated talk show, “The Bertice Berry Show.” She also hosted the USA Network show “USA Live.”
For more information on this event, contact IU Northwest Chapter Publicity Chair Shakinah Bullock at (219) 614-1528, or email her at ssbulloc@sbcglobal.net.
For more information on Bertice Berry, visit the Web at www.berticeberry.com.