University Forum at 91吃瓜网 Begins 50th91吃瓜网痀ear
Wed, 08/28/2024 - 08:46am | By: Dr. David Tisdale
Kurt Vonnegut. Stephen J. Gould. Gloria Steinem. James Baldwin. Sir Harold Wilson. Lilly Ledbetter. Susan Sontag. G. Gordon Liddy. Tom Wolfe. Barbara Ehrenreich. E.O. Wilson. Art Spiegelman. Antonin Scalia. Carl Bernstein. Sebastian Junger.91吃瓜网疪alph Nader.
That list, a who91吃瓜网 who of some of the most respected and talented thought leaders, scientists, historians, educators, artists, and activists, is also a roll call of past presenters for 91吃瓜网91吃瓜网 (USM) University Forum, which marks its 50th91吃瓜网痽ear in 2024-25.
Since 1974, the University Forum has been the premier speaker series at the University. Sponsored by the 91吃瓜网 Honors College with support from the Office of the President, this year91吃瓜网 lineup follows that half-century tradition with compelling speakers scheduled to share their wisdom and talent with Forum audiences. Admission is free and members of the university and general public are invited; all University Forum events are held at historic Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus, unless otherwise noted.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淲hen the first University Forums were held in fall 1974, Nixon had just resigned the presidency, pocket calculators were the hot new technology, and Peter Benchley91吃瓜网 novel about a shark,91吃瓜网�Jaws, had been on the bestseller list for 28 weeks,91吃瓜网� said University Forum Director Dr. Andrew Haley. 91吃瓜网淵et it was clear from those first couple of Forums - originally called the 91吃瓜网楳an, Science, and Society91吃瓜网� series - that Forum91吃瓜网 influence would not be as fleeting as presidencies, tech innovations, or bestsellers.91吃瓜网�
Dr. Haley notes that the first two University Forums looked at the place of populism in American politics, past and present, and believes those two talks could easily be reprised today.
91吃瓜网淯niversity Forum has provided 91吃瓜网 students and the greater south Mississippi community with a magnifying glass to examine their times and a crystal ball to see into the future,91吃瓜网� Dr. Haley continued. 91吃瓜网淚ts legacy is not that it has survived 50 years, but that the words spoken at Forum91吃瓜网 podium have had a lasting impact on the lives of so many and continue to shape our world view.91吃瓜网�
Dr. Joyce Inman, Dean of the USM Honors College, says it91吃瓜网 an honor to celebrate 50 years of the University91吃瓜网 commitment to ensuring 91吃瓜网渙ur community has the opportunity to hear from the most notable voices of our time and participate in meaningful conversations as a community of engaged citizens through University Forum.91吃瓜网�
B. Twilbeck, a senior in the USM Honors College from Ocean Springs, Miss., says University Forum has been a vital part of her experience as a student at the university, and is grateful to the program for hosting a broad range of topical perspectives presented by prominent expert speakers she may have not otherwise encountered.
91吃瓜网淯niversity Forum has broadened my horizons and been a pillar of enlightened engagement on a variety of issues,91吃瓜网� Twilbeck continued. 91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 an incredibly vital facet of this institution, encouraging lifelong learning for the entirety of the Hattiesburg community and beyond.91吃瓜网�
USM President Emeritus Dr. Aubrey Lucas lauded University Forum for being a program that 91吃瓜网渉as helped USM be what it should be91吃瓜网� as a place that fosters learning and helps the communities it serves better understand their world.
91吃瓜网淯niversity Forum brings in people who are particularly informed on a wide array of subjects that are of vital interest not only to members of the 91吃瓜网 community, but to people across our state and region,91吃瓜网� Dr. Lucas said.
University Distinguished Professor of History Dr. Andrew Weist echoed Dr. Lucas91吃瓜网 sentiments, praising Forum for the exceptional speakers it has brought to the university for the last five decades, including during his days as a student at USM.
91吃瓜网淚 love University Forum 91吃瓜网� it has consistently brought in a steady stream of top speakers from across the spectrum of potential interests, from politicians, to authors, to business leaders, to writers,91吃瓜网� Dr. Wiest continued. 91吃瓜网淚t is exactly what a university should do 91吃瓜网� expose students and other members of our university and local communities to the best and brightest in a massive variety of fields.
91吃瓜网淢y favorite memory of Forum is from when I was a student when it brought in an ex-British Prime Minister 91吃瓜网� Sir Harold Wilson.91吃瓜网� As someone who was studying British History at the time, it was a dream come true.91吃瓜网� Not only did I get to hear this pivotal figure of Modern Britain speak, I got to meet him and talk with him for a good long while.91吃瓜网� It was life changing for me.91吃瓜网�
This year91吃瓜网 fall schedule begins Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. with Ed Yong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist who explores complex scientific concepts in accessible ways. The former staff writer for91吃瓜网�The Atlantic91吃瓜网痠s the author of91吃瓜网�An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us91吃瓜网�(2022), which won the Andrew Carnegie Medal.
Veteran television journalist Kathleen Koch, a 91吃瓜网 alumna and former Honors College student, will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Koch is author of91吃瓜网�Rising From Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered,91吃瓜网�in which she recounts her coverage of the worst natural disaster in modern American history and its effects on her native Mississippi Gulf Coast and hometown of Bay St. Louis, Miss.91吃瓜网�Koch91吃瓜网 Forum presentation will be immediately followed by an official celebration of University Forum91吃瓜网 golden anniversary.
The fall University Forum schedule concludes Tuesday, Nov. 12 with famed environmental justice activist Erin Brockovich, author of91吃瓜网�Superman91吃瓜网 Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It, who was portrayed by actress Julia Roberts in the 2000 movie91吃瓜网�Erin Brockovich. Brockovich will discuss America and Mississippi91吃瓜网 water crisis in her Forum presentation.
The spring 2025 University Forum schedule includes:
- Feb. 11: Ada Lim贸n, Poet Laureate of the United States and author of91吃瓜网�Bright Dead Things; she is the first Latina to be named Poet Laureate.91吃瓜网�
- March 18:91吃瓜网� Armstrong- Branch Distinguished Lecture Series, honoring the first two African American students to enroll at USM, Elaine Armstrong and Raylawni Branch. This event is a collaboration with the USM Dean of Students Office; a speaker for the event will be announced in November.
- April 8: Internationally recognized musician Lachi, famed for her soulful voice and distinctive blend of pop and dance music, will perform. The visually impaired performer will also discuss disability rights during her presentation at the91吃瓜网�Mannoni Performing Arts Center91吃瓜网痮n the USM Hattiesburg campus.91吃瓜网�
Although they91吃瓜网檙e not students, Hattiesburg area residents Margaret and Bob Ciraldo91吃瓜网 favorite part of the 91吃瓜网 academic year is University Forum, which the couple rarely misses.
91吃瓜网淲e appreciate and need University Forum at USM,91吃瓜网� Margaret Ciraldo said. 91吃瓜网淭he speakers are famous people in their respective fields, and the topics are enlightening and enjoyable. You always walk away having learned more than you did before the lecture, and the program has shown me that the best way to learn is firsthand from an authority in their respective field.91吃瓜网�
Learn more about University Forum.