EDINBURG — Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Thomas L. Friedman to speak at UTPA will speak Wednesday, Feb. 29, as the second speaker of the 2011-2012 Distinguished Speakers Series at The University of Texas-Pan American. The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

He is the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes and author of five best selling books including “From Beirut to Jerusalem,” “The World is Flat,” and “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America.” Friedman is a foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and a frequent guest on programs such as “Meet the Press,” “Morning Joe” and “Charlie Rose.” His TV documentaries, “Searching for the Roots of 9/11,” “The Other Side of Outsourcing,” “Straddling the Fence” and “Addicted to Oil,” have aired on the Discovery Channel.

Friedman was awarded the Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement as well as the honorary title, Order of the British Empire (OBE), by Queen Elizabeth II. The Wall Street Journal ranked Friedman the second most influential business thinker in 2008 and U.S. News and World Report named him one of “America’s Best Leaders.”

The event is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for UTPA students, faculty and staff with a valid UTPA ID and at 7:20 p.m. for the general public. Others may view the presentation live at www.utpa.edu/live. For more information or special accommodations, call 956-665-7989.