Distinguished Gallup Lecture Series Welcomes Dr. Ben Carson to DBU Campus

This year, the Distinguished Gallup Lecture Series welcomed Dr. Ben Carson to the DBU campus. Dr. Carson is the Founder and Chairman of the American Cornerstone Institute, an educational resource committed to preserving the four founding American principles of faith, liberty, community, and life. Through its Executive Branch of America (EBA) course, men and women who are called to serve in city, state, or federal government offices can be informed about the functions, processes, and laws of the United States Government.

For 20 years, DBU has hosted many outstanding leaders and scholars as featured speakers for the Gallup Lecture Series. George H. Gallup, Jr., was an internationally recognized expert on survey research and scientific polling and was awarded the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from DBU in 1999. The Lecture Series was established in 2003 to bring renowned leaders to campus to share insights on faith, scholarship, and public service with the DBU Family.

In his DBU Chapel message to the student body, Dr. Carson expressed that the world is in desperate need of individuals who dare to uphold the foundational principles our country was founded upon. "Our history is so vitally important," Dr. Carson says. "We should learn from it, not erase it. It is the basis of identity, and identity is the foundation for beliefs. If you interrupt this chain, you become like a leaf blowing in the wind." Dr. Carson also talked about the need for common sense leaders who could lead with conviction and the courage to do what is right.

At the noon luncheon for faculty and staff, Dr. Adam C. Wright, DBU President, provided the welcome and invited DBU's Chairman of the Trustee Board Scott Turner, a former Texas State Representative and Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, to share a few opening words about his mentor and friend, Dr. Carson.

During his address at the luncheon, Dr. Carson highlighted the need for undaunted courage and the taking of personal responsibility in our spheres of influence to preserve America's founding principles in the face of moral deterioration and increasing exclusion of God from public life. "God is looking for individuals who are willing to be used for His purposes," said Carson.

From the fears and discouragements he experienced during his more than 30-year career as one of the world's top neurosurgeons, Dr. Carson learned that difficult setbacks in life should not cause us to give up in despair but to seek God's direction and help to move on: "Lord, how would you like us to proceed? What do we need to do? How do we prepare ourselves?"

"It was an honor for us to host Dr. Carson for this annual distinguished lecture series," explained DBU President, Dr. Adam C. Wright. "He is among the most respected individuals in our nation, and his visit to our campus was both a challenge and encouragement to our students, faculty, and, staff.

Dr. Carson served as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and performed two ground-breaking surgeries on craniopagus-born twins. After retiring from healthcare, he was appointed as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Dr. Carson has received multiple awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is the recipient of over 70 honorary doctorate degrees and was named "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News Media Group and Harvard's Center for Public Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including most recently one for children, and has also co-authored several with his wife, Candy.