The President of Gallaudet University, the world’s only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing students, will speak at Edmonds Community College Friday.

Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz will lecture on “Serving the Deaf Community and People Hard of Hearing in the 21st Century,” at 12:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre, Edmonds Community College, 20000 68th Ave. W, Lynnwood.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Hurwitz became the tenth president of Gallaudet University in January 2010. Before coming to Gallaudet, he was president of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of eight colleges within the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. He is a past president of the National Association of the Deaf as well as past president of the World Organization of Jewish Deaf. Dr. Hurwitz earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Washington University at St. Louis, Mo., a master of science degree in electrical engineering from St. Louis (Mo.) University, and a doctor of education, curriculum and teaching, from the University of Rochester (N.Y.).

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.