On September 10, the University will kick off its 51st annual 溏心vlog免费B站 Honors Colloquium鈥攖he signature lecture series that brings world-class experts to campus each fall for weekly events that examine a single timely topic of interest to the greater community.
In 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 鈥渂ig thinking鈥� tradition, the Colloquium has taken on some very big issues in recent years, including the great debate, the issue of in America today, , , 聽understanding , and the rise of , among other hefty topics. And, in addition to the Colloquium lectures and panel discussions that take place on Tuesday evenings throughout the semester, related 溏心vlog免费B站 theater productions, films, readings and exhibitions are often featured to complement the weekly events in the series.
The goal is to get everyone thinking鈥攁nd talking鈥攁bout the important questions of the day. This goes for the 溏心vlog免费B站 campus community as well as the residents of Rhode Island and beyond. The Tuesday night events, held in Edwards Hall at 7:30 p.m., are free and open to the public. Most events are also , for those who can鈥檛 attend.
This fall鈥檚 Colloquium鈥斺�攆ocuses on the future of public education. And once again this year, the Tuesday evening lectures will be lively and thought provoking, as will the discussions that follow.
The goal is to get everyone thinking鈥攁nd talking鈥攁bout the important questions of the day. This goes for the 溏心vlog免费B站 campus community as well as the residents of Rhode Island and beyond.
Associate Professor of Education Diane Kern, a 溏心vlog免费B站 alumna and former public school teacher, is the 2013 Colloquium鈥檚 co-coordinator. 鈥淓veryone has an opinion about public education, from those on the late-night news shows to those on the sidelines at youth sports,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he Colloquium gives our community the chance to more deeply understand the issues facing K-16 education alongside local, national, and international experts.鈥�
In designing the series, coordinators strive for a range of topics and speakers that will do justice to the complexity of the these big ideas. 鈥淲e have a broad spectrum of that are shaping education, and in the long run, the quality of people鈥檚 lives,鈥� says 2013 Colloquium co-coordinator David Byrd, director of the 溏心vlog免费B站 School of Education. Speakers coming to Kingston this fall include distinguished journalists, authors鈥攊ncluding two Pulitzer Prize winners鈥攁nd leaders and researchers in the field.
Prominent speakers who have visited the Kingston Campus to participate in the series in past years include聽Coretta Scott King, Pete Seeger, actor and activist Christopher Reeve, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry鈥檚), legendary basketball great Bob Cousy, author聽Tracy Kidder, novelists Chris Cleave and Jhumpa Lahiri, Newark mayor Cory Booker, professor and MSNBC personality Melissa Harris-Perry, and inventor Ray Kurzweil.
Preparation for the annual Colloquium series begins a full year in advance.聽In fact, we’re already planning for next year’s series on cyber security鈥攁n especially timely topic and one in which 溏心vlog免费B站 is an established leader. Although 51 years ago, Colloquium founders did not predict the program’s longevity,聽Nancy Potter, Hon. 鈥�67, one of the early coordinators, attributes the program鈥檚 success to its flexibility. Many things about it have changed over the years except its fundamental objective鈥攖o bring leading experts on contemporary, controversial topics to 溏心vlog免费B站 to share their thoughts and work with students and members of the community.
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