The Joint Center for Housing Studies will inaugurate a lecture in honor of John T. Dunlop, Lamont University Professor Emeritus, on Tuesday, May 4. Titled "Housing at the Millennium," the inaugural talk will be presented by Kent W. Colton, the outgoing executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The lectureship is sponsored by the National Housing Endowment and the Graduate School of Design.

Nicolas P. Retsinas, the director of the Joint Center, said, "The Joint Center for Housing Studies is indebted to the foresight and insight of John Dunlop. Indeed, at our organizational fork in the road, he provided vision and direction. Professor Dunlop personifies the 'thoughtful, committed person' who can and does change the world."

Dunlop has had a distinguished career at the University, at all levels of government, and with many industries in the private sector. President Neil L. Rudenstine commented, "John Dunlop is the embodiment of a true University Professor. He has engaged himself in important activities that span the entire University while also serving the nation. In addition to his roles here, which have included chair of the Economics Department and Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, he has been the U.S. Secretary of Labor, using his consummate skills in mediation and negotiation to foster understanding. Professor Dunlop's keen interest in housing also served to help shape the present Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. He is a person of great distinction, and a Harvard citizen of the first order. I could not be more pleased than to see him honored by the establishment of a new lecture series in his name."

Kent Colton has headed the 197,000-member NAHB since 1984 and is an expert in housing and mortgage finance. Prior to joining NAHB, Colton was the executive vice president for policy, planning and economic research at Freddie Mac and also served as the staff director for the President's Commission on Housing during the Reagan administration. He has been professor of public management and finance at Brigham Young University's Graduate School of Management, and associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. In June, he will join the Joint Center as a senior scholar.

The Dunlop Lecture will take place at the Sackler Museum Lecture Hall at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For further information, call the Joint Center at (617) 495-7908.