Posted February 3, 2006

Dr. Christopher Merrett.Dr. Christopher Merrett, Professor of Geography and Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, has been named Western Illinois University's 2006 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. Dr Merrett will will present "In a Global Economy, The Marlboro Man Needs a Neighbor: The Enduring Need for Community in the 21st Century" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication Recital Hall, Simpkins Hall, on the Macomb campus and at 3 p.m. Monday, April 10 at WIU-Quad Cities (Room 102), in Moline.

Dr. Merrett has been a faculty member in IIRA since 1995, with teaching duties in the Department of Geography and Western’s Centennial Honors College. He was named Director of IIRA in 2005. He authored or edited more than 100 publications, including five books and 14 book chapters. Dr. Merrett has published in many journals, including the Journal of the Community Development Society, Journal of Geography, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Urban Geography and the Professional Geographer.

Dr. Merrett is the second geographer to be named WIU Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. The late Dr. Reece Jones was the 1973 recipient.

Read the full WIU Press release.