University Lectures requests speaker proposals for 2008-09 season

University Lectures requests speaker proposals for 2008-09 seasonDecember 07, 2007Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

In the seven years since its inception, the University Lectures series has been a force for engagement and inclusion on the Syracuse University campus, bringing together diverse communities and providing a framework for a multidisciplinary discourse among the entire Syracuse community, thanks to the generosity of alumnus Robert B. Menschel ’51.

In the context of the campus vision of Scholarship in Action, the University Lectures has served as a powerful resource for the University community. To make sure this important series continues to bring an outstanding roster of speakers to campus, the University community is invited to participate in the selection of speakers for the 2008-09 season by submitting speaker recommendations.

All recommendations will be considered, but special consideration will be given to speakers who reflect the University Lectures’ charter mandate of bringing to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications.

In addition, the University Lectures will look for speakers who will not only make dynamic and thought-provoking lecture presentations, but who are also willing to engage with student and community groups and invest time and energy beyond the requirements of the lecture, allowing themselves to become catalysts for inquiry and action.

Therefore, priority consideration will be given to recommendations that meet the following qualifications:

• the speaker is recognized as a thought leader in more than one discipline or as an individual who through the originality of his/her work has expanded disciplinary/intellectual boundaries;

• the speaker, or the speaker’s area of expertise, is conducive to opportunities for engagement with on- and off-campus communities in the form of seminars, special classes, group activities, etc.; and

• the speaker inspires collaboration among programs in two or more schools/colleges, with the active support/involvement of faculty members in the participating programs.

  Recommendations should be presented as proposals that explain how the speaker meets the general requirements of the University Lectures series. The proposal must also demonstrate how the speaker will contribute to the intellectual or cultural enrichment of the community through engagement with various student or community groups, or by engaging in activities that are related to the speaker’s area of expertise, as outlined above. Recommendations must be endorsed by three members of the SU community (students, faculty or staff), including at least one faculty member.

  A speaker proposal form and other information about the University Lectures can be found at http://lectures.syr.edu. Submit forms by fax, e-mail or campus mail to Esther Gray, special assistant for academic affairs, no later than Dec. 15. Gray can be reached by mail at 500 Crouse-Hinds Hall, by fax at 443-1839, and by e-mail to eegray@syr.edu.