Dominican University to Host Emmy Award-Winning Univision Reporter Enrique Rodríguez at Annual Geyer Lecture

For immediate release

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River Forest, IL-Dominican University in River Forest is proud to welcome Enrique Rodríguez, the Emmy award-winning news anchor, reporter and producer for Univision Chicago, as the featured speaker of the university's 2025 Georgie Anne Geyer Lecture.

Rodríguez will share stories and insights from his impressive career on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in Dominican University's Shaffer Silveri Atrium in Parmer Hall, located on the campus at 7900 W. Division St. in River Forest.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

For more than two decades, Rodríguez has been a trusted journalist for Spanish-speaking audiences in Chicago. His career has also taken him far beyond the studio, covering papal visits, political conventions, Mexican elections, California wildfires, and, more recently, the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Never losing sight of the human side of the news and his deep connection to the community he serves, Rodríguez's reporting goes beyond headlines, offering audiences perspective, relevance and stories that matter to their daily lives.

Rodríguez will speak on overcoming obstacles to achieve his goal of becoming a journalist, the importance of working with high journalistic standards and transparency, protecting the 1st Amendment, and empowering communities with resources and information.

A Q&A with follow his address.

"It will be a privilege for me to speak at Dominican, listen to students, answer their questions and concerns, and show them that with hard work, persistence and dedication, anything is possible," Rodríguez said.

A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican University is a champion of amplifying Hispanic achievement and success and is pleased to host Rodríguez as he shares his professional insights as an accomplished journalist and role model.

"Enrique Rodríguez has decades of tremendous journalistic experience at home and abroad to share, most recently covering fairly and accurately some of the most challenging issues for the Spanish-speaking community in Chicagoland," said Dr. John Jenks, chair of Communication Arts and Sciences at Dominican University. "Many of our students grew up with Rodríguez on their family television sets, and I hope that his story of grit and determination will inspire them."

Rodríguez was born in Uruapan Michoacán, México, and immigrated to Los Angeles, California with his family in the mid-1980s. Pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a successful journalist, he graduated from California State University and worked as a reporter with television stations in Los Angeles and Phoenix before joining Univision Chicago in 2004. There, he helped to launch Edición Digital Chicago, the first Spanish morning newscast in Chicago.

Rodríguez is the recipient of 11 Emmy Awards from the Academy of National Television Arts and Sciences, including Best Anchor.

The Geyer Initiative at Dominican University honors George Anne Geyer, a celebrated journalist, foreign correspondent and syndicated columnist for half a century. The initiative brings to campus renowned reporters and journalists and provides experiential learning scholarships for Dominican students aspiring to be foreign correspondents.

To attend the Oct. 22 Geyer Lecture with Enrique Rodríguez, register at https://www.dom.edu/arts-minds/university-events/georgie-anne-geyer-initiative.

About Dominican University
Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution with campuses in River Forest and Chicago. The university offers an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences; bachelor's and master's degrees through the Rosary College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology, and the Borra College of Health Sciences; and doctoral degrees in information studies and applied social justice.

As Chicago's premier Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican is consistently recognized as a leader in academic excellence and value. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University in the top 25 of Midwest regional master's level universities, and #1 in Illinois for Best Value and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates.