Oregon Humanities

Think & Drink with Earl Blumenauer and Wim Wiewel

The August happy-hour conversation features the Democratic representative and Portland State University's new president in discussion about mind-changing moments.

15 July 2009 | Permalink

Join Representative Earl Blumenauer and Portland State University president Wim Wiewel for a discussion about mind-changing moments of their own and how change happens in our individual and collective thinking at the next Think & Drink, a happy-hour series that sparks provocative conversations about big ideas.
Think & Drink with Earl Blumenauer and Wim Wiewel will be held on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, at 6:30 at rontoms, 600 E. Burnside, Portland. The bimonthly series is sponsored by the Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH).
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) served three terms on the Oregon Legislature, eight years on the Multnomah County Commission, and ten years on the Portland City Council. He is an innovative leader in transportation, planning, environmental programs, and public participation, and has helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. As a current member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee, Blumenauer serves as vice chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Wim Wiewel became president of Portland State University in August 2008 after serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and professor of public affairs at the University of Baltimore from 2004 to 2008. He was at the University of Illinois at Chicago in many capacities from 1979 to 2004. A sociologist and urban planner, Wiewel is the author of Global Universities and Urban Development: Case Studies and Analysis (2008) and Partnerships for Smart Growth: University Community Collaboration for Better Public Places (2005) among many other works. Wiewel has won many awards, grants, and contracts, including those from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunication Infrastructure Administration.
Think & Drink, which invites the public to think and talk together, reflects OCH’s emphasis on infusing public conversations with critical thinking and fresh ideas. Past presenters have included writer Ursula K. Le Guin, New Seasons Market CEO Brian Rohter, ethicist and lawyer John Frohnmayer, and advertising executive Jelly Helm.