Thursday Morning Roundtable (TMR) will celebrate 50 years of service to the Central New York community at a breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Drumlins, 800 Nottingham Road, Syracuse. Charles Blow, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times and a CNN commentator, will be the guest speaker. Registration for the event is open until Oct. 5.
Since 1965, University College (UC) of Syracuse University has administered Thursday Morning Roundtable—a respected and well-recognized assembly focused on enlightening community members and actively engaging citizens in order to promote positive change in Syracuse and Central New York.
Founded by the late Levi Smith, a former dean at UC, the groundbreaking forum was one of the first of its kind in the country. The University provides a neutral ground for bringing reason and balance to discussions like public welfare, social action and urban planning. Monies raised at the event will support the Levi Smith Scholarship Fund. The endowment provides the means for part-time students to continue their education. Recipients are chosen based on their financial need, academic record and interest in public or social service, reflecting TMR’s purpose and mission.
“TMR embodies one of the core missions of University College—to act as a bridge across the various sectors in our community—educators, business partners and local government,” says University College dean Bea González. “In the past 50 years, we have facilitated over 1,600 programs that have impacted the way we live and work in Onondaga County. Our participants build relationships that lead to more effective problem solving.”
“TMR is an unusual place where people from all walks of civic life come together,” says longtime TMR member Marilyn Pinsky. “If you’re a young person in the community and want to get to know people, this is a great way to do it. I’m amazed looking back over the 40 years I’ve been a TMR member at how many people in the community I wouldn’t know if not for TMR. There’s not a session I go to that I don’t learn something new. You can’t ask for more than that.”
For more information about Thursday Morning Roundtable or the 50th Anniversary event, call 315-443-4846 or e-mail cps@syr.edu.
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