Spring 2025 Karl Taylor Compton Lecture Series by:
Ben Vinson III
President, Howard University

Lecture title: AI in an Age After Reason: A Discourse on Fundamental Human Questions

Since the first Compton Lecture in 1957, the series has highlighted leaders noted for their universality of thought and their influence on human values.

Dr. Vinson became the 18th president of Howard University in September 2023 and has made it a priority to increase research opportunities for faculty and students. This year, Howard achieved the prestigious R1 designation – the highest classification for research excellence and an indication of the university’s position at the forefront of innovation and impact. Dr. Vinson previously held several important academic leadership roles: as provost and executive vice president of Case Western Reserve University, dean of George Washington University's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and vice dean for centers, interdisciplinary studies and graduate education at Johns Hopkins University.

His scholarly work centers on the African diaspora with a focus on Latin America history and culture, and he received the 2019 Howard F. Cline Book Prize in Mexican History for his book “Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico” (2018). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and president of the American Historical Association.

If you would like to submit a question for Dr. Vinson, please fill out this Qualtrics surveyby 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, March 10. I hope you will join me and the Compton Lecture Series Advisory Committee in welcoming Dr. Vinson to campus.

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About the Karl Taylor Compton Lecture Series: This lecture series was established in 1957 to honor the late Karl Taylor Compton, who served as president of MIT from 1930 to 1948 and as chairman of the MIT Corporation from 1948 to 1954. The lecture series gives the MIT community direct contact with the important ideas of our times and with people who have contributed much to modern thought. 

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The Compton Lecture is open to all members of the MIT community. Registration is required: https://bit.ly/compton25

Questions about the event? Contact