(1:00 p.m. March 11) 
UPDATE — event canceled: Following evolving guidance from the CSU Chancellor’s Office as well as state and local public health agencies regarding the current COVID-19 situation, the President’s Lecture Series featuring Margaret Brennan that had been scheduled for March 17 at the Save Mart Center has been canceled. 

The University is evaluating near-term events and meetings on a case-by-case basis for a determination of any potential cancellation or postponement.

(Original story below)

Margaret Brennan, CBS News’ senior foreign affairs correspondent and moderator of CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” will be the featured guest for the next President’s Lecture Series at Fresno State.

Brennan will draw on her extensive experience as a journalist and moderator to provide an overview of the most important stories that drive the 24-hour news cycle. Brennan draws parallels between domestic and foreign stories to bridge the gap between the local and the global.

The President’s Lecture Series features prominent national guests invited to campus by Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro. The series began in 2016.

“Bringing a prominent national journalist to share her perspectives on wide-ranging domestic and foreign news stories will shed light on topics that are of relevance to all of us in the region,” Castro said. “I am delighted that this series, now in its fourth year, continues to attract national speakers, at no cost to our community members.”

Other national figures who have participated are New York Times columnist David Brooks (2016), presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (2016), New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman (2017), presidential historian Michael Beschloss (2018) and publishing executive Steve Forbes (2019). Costa was a featured guest in fall 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The lecture is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 17 at the Save Mart Center and will be followed by a question-and-answer session from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Brennan joined CBS News as a state department correspondent in 2012 and has traveled the world covering breaking national security issues including the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, the Syria chemical weapons agreement, the 2012 attack on U.S. personnel in Benghazi, and diplomatic opening with Cuba. She has reported from the field in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and other hotspots.

Since joining CBS News, Brennan has conducted numerous interviews with newsmakers including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.

After a decade covering politics, international affairs and global financial markets, she partnered with CBS News Washington bureau in 2012 to cover the State Department, tax and health care reform, trade policies and major national security stories.

Focused on providing facts rather than opinion, Brennan helps audiences draw connections between the stories of the day and how they impact audiences’ lives.

Sponsors for this event are Eyewitness News 47, The Fresno Bee, the Institute for Media and Public Trust, KMJNOW and ValleyPBS.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. No backpacks are allowed. Parking at the Save Mart Center will be free.

For more information or for disability accommodations, call 559.278.2324.