DURHAM, N.H. - Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Hedrick Smith will visit the University of New Hampshire Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, to discuss how America has moved from an era of middle class prosperity and power to an unequal economy that is unraveling the American Dream for millions of middle class families.

Smith's presentation is at 4 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building Theatre II. It is free and open to the public. His visit is co-hosted by the Carsey Institute and UNH Cooperative Extension.

Smith is author of the bestsellers "The Russians" and "The Power Game: How Washington Works." He spent 26 years with The New York Times, receiving a Pulitzer Prize for his international reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe, and he was a member of the Pulitzer-winning team that produced the Pentagon Papers. Smith received two Emmys for his work as a producer for PBS.

Following Smith's presentation, audience members will have the opportunity to ask him questions and take part in a facilitated discussion with panelists from UNH Cooperative Extension, The Carsey Institute, and other organizations.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Hedrick Smith's stature coming to campus," said Charlie French, head of UNH Cooperative Extension's community and economic development unit. "This is a tremendous opportunity for the University community to weigh in on a provocative topic. We hope that students, especially, will get in on this conversation that is so relevant to them."

During the post-lecture interactive discussion, audience members and panelists will consider how the university community is impacted by socioeconomic forces that Smith suggests are eroding the middle class. Panelists will discuss the student experience today and potential barriers to students' ability to become contributing and benefitting members of society and the economy post-graduation.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author Hedrick Smith will visit the University of New Hampshire Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, to discuss how America has moved from an era of middle class prosperity and power to an unequal economy that is unraveling the American Dream for millions of middle class families.

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