The Marshall University Honors College will host their 6th annual DaVinci Lecture, featuring the best-selling author and media critic Lev Grossman, Friday, Sept. 9.

“The idea was to bring in a speaker of high caliber,” said Dr. Nicki LoCascio, associate dean of the Honors College.

The DaVinci Lecture is presented by the Office of the Provost, the Honors College and Phi Kappa Phi.

LoCascio said the program has changed this year, as there will be a Friday luncheon at noon prior to the lecture for students and faculty to meet Grossman. Previously, the luncheon was held on Saturday afternoon for only faculty, which had a smaller turnout according to LoCascio.

“Our RSVP’s have been much higher this time. There should be a better turnout this year than years previous,” LoCascio said.

LoCascio said the location of previous lectures usually corresponded with the amount of interest and level of attendance at the lectures. Previously, the DaVinci lecture was hosted in the Visual Arts Center, and the level of student and community involvement increased drastically. This year, the lecture will be held in the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall at 7 p.m.

“We’ve tended to go towards the artistic side,” LoCascio said. “But we’re very excited to have someone who appeals to science and English alike.”

LoCascio said Grossman’s name sparked interest when other honors college faculty began talking about him and his novels.

According to a University Communications press release, Grossman has “covered most of the cultural and technological changes that have occurred” within his ten years of writing for Time magazine. He is also the author of the Magicians trilogy that has become a TV series on SyFy.

The DaVinci Lecture will be the Honors College’s signature event for the upcoming investiture, which will include multiple university events from September 8-23. Each college will showcase their program through an event or activity, and LoCascio said the DaVinci Lecture will be a good way to start the program.

Brooke Estep can be contacted at [email protected].