We're pleased to share the news that N.C. Central University will host an academic conference exploring the global influence of the Grammy-award winning rock band U2.

U2: The Hype and the Feedback conference is Oct. 2-4. Featured speakers include Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis, the UK’s Telegraph columnist (and classmate of the band members) Neil McCormick, Ugandan AIDS activist Agnes Nyamawaro and Matt McGee, founder of @U2, a Web site that follows the band,and author of “U2-A Diary”. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Curator Jim Henke will also speak via video. Registration opens Aug. 1.

It just so happens that the conference coincides with U2’s Oct. 3 tour date in the Triangle (at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh).

“This will be the place to meet and hear people long connected to U2 and to covering their career,”  organizer Scott Calhoun, an English professor and "U2 academician," said in a statement on the conference's blog.

Topics will include “U2 and the Politics of Irony," “Bono Versus Nick Cave on Jesus” and “U2: An Elevated Brand,” as well as "other topics addressing U2’s influence in rock history, the entertainment industry, and on humanitarian and social justice initiatives," according to the blog.

“We know U2’s appeal is without borders and everyone is welcome. Whether you come in tweed or leather, do vinyl or download, you’ll connect with people who want to talk about U2,” Calhoun promises.

The blog also had some nice things to say about its hosts, Central and the city of Durham.

"Host school North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will kick off its centennial celebration this fall. Rich in history, NCCU is the nation’s first state supported liberal arts college founded for African Americans. The late historian John Hope Franklin once taught at NCCU and jazz great Branford Marsalis is currently an artist-in-residence.

"Located in the Research Triangle and situated between Raleigh and Chapel Hill, Durham is a vibrant city for education, arts and culture, and was recently named byForbes as the #3 “Best Place for Business” and byU. S. News & World Report as the #5 “Best Places to Live” in the United States.

"'Durham has been well-served for a long time by NCCU’s efforts to educate students and the community through the arts and music,' Calhoun said. 'In that respect, the institution closely parallels U2’s history which has been to create music that inspires everyone and honors the overlooked, the oppressed and the champions of freedom for all peoples, from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Central America’s Mothers of the Disappeared, and more recently Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. We’re thrilled we can bring the conference to Durham and be on their campus for the weekend.'”