Hero Image

Florence Oliver Anderson Lecture Series

Save the Date

10/27/2026

Blind Descent: Surviving Alone and Blind on Mount Everest

by BRIAN DICKINSON, Everest Solo Summiteer

Location: Iles P.E. Center on the campus of Southern Adventist University, Collegedale TN

08:30 AM-12:00 PM

About the Event

Brian Dickinson is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and world-class adventurer known for his incredible resilience and mental toughness. A former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer with two deployments to the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch, Brian has spent his life pushing the limits of human endurance, from high-risk military operations to conquering the world’s most dangerous peaks. In 2011, he solo-summited Mount Everest, only to go completely snow-blind at the top. His miraculous descent—blind and alone through the Death Zone—remains one of the greatest survival stories ever told. Brian has shared his gripping experience with CNN, Good Morning America, Fox News, NBC, and Success Magazine, inspiring audiences around the world. As a sought-after keynote speaker, he delivers powerful lessons on leadership, resilience, and overcoming adversity, equipping audiences with the mindset to conquer any challenge.


The Florence Oliver Anderson Lecture Series is FREE to current Southern Adventist University students, Faculty, Staff, Nursing Clinical Coordinators and Community Preceptors. The cost is $30 for Other Guests and Alumni but only if a Continuing Education certificate is requested.

Click here to watch the event livestream

Registration Instructions:

Follow the steps outlined below to register.

Faculty, Staff, Nursing Clinical Coordinators and Community Preceptors who wish to receive 3.6 contact hours (.36 continuing education units):
  1. Send an email to Madison Wilcox here to register (madisonw@southern.edu). Be sure to include your legal first and last names, nursing license # and the state you are licensed in. 
Other Guests and Alumni who wish to receive 3.6 contact hours (.36 continuing education units): 
  1. Send an email to Madison Wilcox here to register (madisonw@southern.edu). Be sure to include your legal first and last names, nursing license # and the state you are licensed in. 
  2. Pay for the lecture and complete your registration by clicking on the "Pay Now" button below.

For additional information, contact Madison Wilcox at madisonw@southern.edu