The WKU Mahurin Honors College hosted magician and MHC alum Brice Harney to perform at the Kentucky Honors Roundtable in DSU auditorium on Friday, Feb. 23.
Harney graduated from WKU and the MHC in 2015. When he was a prospective high-school senior from Lexington, Kentucky, he spoke with Craig Cobane, executive director of the MHC, when he was asked, “what’s your big dream?”
Harney responded that he wanted to be a professional magician. After seeing his grandfather perform a card trick he learned at a poker game as a child, Harney realized this was what he wanted to do.
Cobane was able to set up a meeting for Harney to perform for Gary Ransdell, WKU president at the time, which allowed him to begin building his brand as a magician.
Throughout his time at WKU, Harney was a member of the Campus Crusade for Christ and performed shows for the WKU chapter of Phi Sigma Pi.
Harney eventually went viral on YouTube with a video he filmed in Minton Hall performing his magic tricks.
After meeting Jim Munroe, a famous magician based in Texas, after a show Munroe performed at Van Meter Hall, Harney was told to call him when he was a senior.
The day after Harney graduated, he moved to Dallas to pursue his dream.
Harney is now a Dallas-based magician, illusionist and mentalist. He began his career on a four-year international tour.
According to his website, he later pursued a solo career where he has performed for “some of the most recognizable organizations and churches in the U.S.”
The show in DSU included a total of eight main acts using cards, interaction with the audience and some comedy. The event was open to all honors students, faculty and staff.
Harney ended his show with an act that impressed many in the audience where the entire auditorium erupted in applause.
The act included a random set of numbers from the audience that were added and multiplied in a random order. The final result of this equation was 22,324,819, which coordinated to the exact date and time at the moment, Feb. 23, 2024, at 8:19 p.m.
Will Randolph, who has been employed at WKU for a year and a half as a specialist for nationally competitive scholarship opportunities, said his favorite part of the show was the concluding act.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I was coming and I had never been to a magic show before. But, I think people should watch it, it was pretty cool,” Randolph said.
Luke Phelps, freshman civil engineering major, said his favorite part was the ending as well.
“Everything was really cool, but the ending was one of the best parts. Putting random numbers into the calculator and adding it up in the end [was cool],” Phelps said.
Phelps added that those interested should see Harney’s show as soon as they can and that it is worth the trip.
Cobane was also in attendance and mentioned that the entertainment can show guests, faculty and staff a thank you for all that they do.
“This is what an honors college does,” Cobane said. “It mentors young people in the right message, it says thank you as a culture of gratitude, thank you, faculty, thank you, staff. Students, this is why you’re in an honors college, to have these experiences, and we’re doing it all in one night.”
News Reporter Kaylee Hawkins can be reached at [email protected]
