Introduction
Lawrence Wittner announces his availability for radio and television interviews in connection with the recent publication of his novel, “What’s Going On at UAardvark?” (Solidarity Press, 2013).
“What’s Going On at UAardvark?” is a fast-paced political satire about commercialization and rebellion at a modern American university.
As the salaries of academic administrators skyrocket, faculty members are reduced to impoverished adjuncts, and student tuition soars into the stratosphere, this novel provides a laugh-filled but devastating indictment of the corporate takeover of higher education.
Contact Information
Amazon Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-S.-Wittner/e/B000APNKVG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Wikipedia Listing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_S._Wittner
Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceSWittner
Twitter Page
http://twitter.com/LawrenceWittner
Lawrence Wittner: Biography
Short Bio:
Lawrence S. Wittner is an award-winning American historian, writer, and activist for peace and social justice. The holder of a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, he taught for 43 years at American colleges and universities, finishing up in 2010 at the State University of New York/Albany, where he is now Professor of History emeritus.
He is also the author or editor of thirteen books and hundreds of published articles and book reviews, has given lectures or talks in seventeen nations, and has been interviewed on numerous occasions on radio and television programs.
He has received major fellowships or grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and has been honored with awards from many organizations, including the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Citizen Action, United University Professions, and Veterans for Peace.
At present, he serves as a member of the executive committee of the Albany County Central Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) and co-chair of the national board of Peace Action (America’s largest peace organization), and is giving talks and interviews in connection with latest book, What’s Going On at UAardvark?―a laugh-filled, over-the-top satire on university corporatization and rebellion
Long Bio:
Lawrence S. Wittner is an award-winning American historian, writer, and activist for peace and social justice. At present, he is giving talks and interviews in connection with his latest book, What’s Going On at UAardvark? (2013)―a laugh-filled, over-the-top satire on university corporatization and rebellion.
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Lawrence Wittner attended Columbia College, the University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University, where he received his Ph.D. in History in 1967. Thereafter, he taught at Hampton Institute, at Vassar College, and—under the Fulbright program—at Japanese universities. In 1974, he began teaching at the State University of New York/Albany, where he rose to the rank of Professor of History before his retirement in 2010.
Professor Wittner is the author or editor of another dozen books and the writer of approximately 400 published articles and book reviews, mostly on issues of peace, war, and economic equality. He is also a former editor of Peace & Change, a journal of peace research. His scholarship has been honored with prizes from the Peace History Society and from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. In addition, he has received the New York State/United University Professions Excellence Award for scholarship, teaching, and service and the Peace History Society's Lifetime Achievement Award.
A sought-after speaker, Professor Wittner has given lectures in seventeen nations. This includes talks at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, at the United Nations, and on dozens of college and university campuses. In addition, he is interviewed occasionally on radio and television programs. He also has written a great many Op-Ed pieces that have appeared in newspapers and in on-line publications like the Huffington Post.
For over a half century, Professor Wittner has participated in the racial equality, labor, and peace movements. He was an early civil rights and anti-apartheid activist and has served for decades as an elected leader of United University Professions (the SUNY faculty-professional staff union affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers). Numerous organizations have presented awards to him for his activism. Currently, he is a national board member of Peace Action (America’s largest peace organization) and the executive secretary of the Albany County Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. On occasion, he performs vocally and on the banjo with the Solidarity Singers.
Awards and Recognition:
Major Fellowships and Grants
- Senior Lecturer, Japan, Fulbright-Hays Educational Exchange Program, 1973-74
- National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, 1980-81
- American Council of Learned Societies/Ford Fellowship, 1987-88
- Aspen Institute, Nonprofit Sector Research Fund research grant, 1998-99
- United States Institute of Peace, Jennings Randolph Program Senior Fellowship, 2002
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Program on Global Security and Sustainability, Research and Writing Grant, 2002
Prizes and Awards
- University Award for Excellence in Research (State University of New York at Albany), 1985
- Council on Peace Research in History (now the Peace History Society), Charles DeBenedetti prize (for the article "Peace Movements and Foreign Policy"), 1989
- New York State/United University Professions Excellence Award (for scholarship, teaching, and service), 1990
- Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Warren F. Kuehl prize (for the book One World or None), 1995
- Upper Hudson Peace Action, Peacemaker Award, 2007
- Citizen Action of the Capital District, Jim Perry Progressive Leadership Award, 2007
- United University Professions, Nina Mitchell Award (for distinguished service to United University Professions and to the labor movement), 2010
- Tom Paine Chapter, Veterans for Peace, Winter Soldier Award, 2011
- Peace History Society, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011
- Friends of the Albany Public Library, Book & Author Award, 2012
- PeaceVoice, Public Peace Intellectual Award, 2012
- United University Professions, Pearl S. Brod Outstanding Active Retiree Award, 2013
Books by Lawrence Wittner
What’s Going On at UAardvark? is a fast-paced political satire about how an increasingly corporatized, modern American university becomes the site of a rambunctious rebellion that turns the nation’s campus life upside down.
"Humorous, insightful. . . . In this farcical novel, Wittner . . . shows what can happen when school administrators begin invoking business models. . . . A well-paced university novel, certain to provide academics with many knowing chuckles." (Full review: What's Going On at UAardvark?)
—Kirkus Reviews
"What’s Going On at UAardvark? offers a satiric look at the contemporary university, full of humorous caricatures, as it tries to offer hope to discouraged progressives."
—The Satirist
"What’s Going On at UAardvark? is a must for anyone attending or teaching college."
—New Politics
"Administrative malfeasance, corporate greed, and faculty passivity spin out of control at UAardvark. . . . The bad guys are mercilessly lampooned."
—LA Progressive
"Through his skillful weaving of the seemingly absurd with the probable, Wittner concocts a telling indictment of what is happening to public higher education."
—Dissident Voice
"There might not be an antidote for the corporate takeover of everything that either moves or stands still in America. [But] What’s Going On at UAardvark? makes a stab at it."
—Solidarity Notes
"What’s Going On at UAardvark? is a raucous romp of a novel that stands authority on its head and teaches the mechanics of a modern-day uprising. It's a funny amd irreverent critique. . . . You may just laugh out loud."
—Industrial Worker
Media Appearances
Speaking Engagements
| Date | Speaking Engagement | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|
| The Nuclear Disarmament Movement, Its Effectiveness, and Where It Stands Today – Department of Nuclear Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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| Should a University Operate Like a Business? – SUNY New Paltz |
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| How Peace Activists Saved the World From Nuclear War – Unitarian Universalist Meeting House |