Susan L. Taylor, publication director of Essence Magazine, launches Spring 2002 University Lectures

Friday, February 1, 2002, By News Staff

Susan L. Taylor, publication director of Essence Magazine, launches Spring 2002 University LecturesFebruary 01, 2002Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Susan L. Taylor, senior vice president of Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) and publication director of Essence Magazine, will head an exciting line up of speakers for Syracuse University’s Spring 2002 University Lectures: Knowledge Crowns Those Who Seek Her. All of the lectures are free and open to the public.

Taylor’s presentation, “Essence Editorial Director Looks at Her Magazine’s Role in Shaping its Readers,” will begin at 4 p.m. Feb. 11 in Maxwell Auditorium. The lecture is co-sponsored by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Other Spring 2002 University Lectures speakers are:

  • Barry Diller, chairman and CEO of USA Networks, Inc., who will speak at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 in Studio A of Newhouse II, co-sponsored by the Newhouse School;
  • David McCullough, author of the critically acclaimed “John Adams” (Simon and Schuster, 2001) and “Truman” (Simon and Schuster, 1993) will present “First Principles” at 7:30 p.m. March 5 in the College of Law’s Grant Auditorium;
  • ? Mortimer B. Zuckerman, editor in chief for U.S. News and World Report, will speak at 2 p.m. March 6, (room TBA) co-sponsored by the Newhouse School;
  • Salman Rushdie, critically acclaimed author, will appear in “A Conversation with Salman Rushdie” at 7:30 p.m. March 18 in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. Free tickets are now available for the SU community; they will be available for the general public beginning Feb. 16. Call the Schine Box Office at 443-4517 for more information.
  • Bruce Mau, renowned designer and author of “An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth,” will present “Getting Engaged” at 7:30 p.m. March 20 in Grant Auditorium;
  • Richard Leakey, internationally renowned paleoanthropologist, former director of Kenya Wildlife Services and author of “Wildlife Wars: The Fight to Save Africa’s Natural Treasures” (St. Martin’s Press, 2001), will speak at 4 p.m. April 1 in the Maxwell Auditorium; and
  • Former U.S. Sen. George McGovern and U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass will lead a discussion at 7:30 p.m. April 10 in Grant Auditorium. The Leakey and McGovern event is co-sponsored by the Maxwell School’s Environmental Policy Speakers Series.

Taylor is the driving force behind one of the most celebrated black-owned-business success stories of the past three decades. She oversees all the editorial operations of the magazine and continues to write her popular monthly “In the Spirit” column. Under her leadership, Essence has undergone a period of phenomenal growth, becoming the largest and most highly regarded magazines for black women in the world. Her efforts have been recognized with numerous honors and a monthly readership of more than 7 million, a third of whom are men. As a member of the ECI Board of Directors, Taylor is involved in many of the company’s diversified ventures, including Essence Books, the Essence By Mail catalogue, Essence eyewear and hosiery, and the new Essence Travel Club.

Taylor is the author of “In the Spirit” (Amistad Press, 1993) and “Lessons in Living” (Doubleday, 1998), and is co-author of “Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom that has Shaped Our Lives” (Doubleday, 1997). She is the first African American woman to receive the Henry Johnson Fisher Award from the Magazine Publishers of America, the organization’s highest honor. A graduate of Fordham University, Taylor has received honorary doctorate degrees from Spelman College, Delaware State University and Lincoln University, the nation’s first college for African Americans. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the American Society of Magazine Editors and of Women in Communications.

The University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings 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. The lecture series is supported through a generous contribution by SU Trustee Robert B. Menschel ’51.