University Lectures 2008-09 series offers campus, Central New York communities a palate of national, global, environmental perspectives

University Lectures 2008-09 series offers campus, Central New York communities a palate of national, global, environmental perspectivesApril 07, 2008Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Through the 2008-09 University Lectures series at Syracuse University, members of the SU and greater Central New York communities will be taken on journeys that cross boundaries, barriers and the environment.

This year’s speakers will take audiences to war-torn Sierra Leone; to the forefront of the 2008 presidential election in the United States; across racial barriers in American public schools; on a search for innovation inspired by nature; and on expeditions to the depths of the ocean.

“The upcoming season’s University Lectures speakers will delve into issues, on both national and global levels, that will inspire both reflection on the lessons of the past and imagination in the possibilities of the future,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric F. Spina. “We are privileged to have the opportunity to learn from their experiences and expertise.”

Each lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel and is free and open to the public. The season’s speakers are profiled below:

Ishmael BeahHuman rights activist and author”The Making, and Unmaking, of a Boy Soldier”Sept. 23

Beah is author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007), a book that recounts his years of forced service as a child soldier in his native Sierra Leone. Beah’s book is SU’s Shared Reading Program selection for 2008. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Laura Hanhausen Milton First-Year Lecture and the Syracuse Symposium in The College of Arts and Sciences.

Patricia Williams and Fred Barnes”Election 2008: Predictions and Analysis”A roundtable discussion moderated by Professor Arthur Brooks Oct. 21

Williams is the James L. Dohr Professor of Law at Columbia University School of Law. She writes the monthly “Diary of a Mad Law Professor” column for the Nation magazine, covering broad issues of social justice, including the rhetoric of the war on terror, race, ethnicity, gender, all aspects of civil rights law, bioethics and eugenics, forensic uses of DNA, and comparative issues of class and culture in the United States, Great Britain and France.

Barnes is co-founder and executive editor of The Weekly Standard and is co-host of the “Beltway Boys” on FOX News. He also hosts the weekly radio show “Issues in the News” on Voice of America and authored the book “Rebel in Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush” (Three Rivers Press, 2006).

James Anderson and William Trent”Race, Desegregation and American Public Schooling”Moderated by Dean Douglas Biklen of the School of EducationNov. 11

Anderson is chair and professor of educational policy studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His current research focuses on the history of African American public higher education and the development of African American school achievement in the 20th century.

Trent is also a professor of education policy studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has performed research on educational inequality, race and ethnicity, and complex organization/social change/policy, and is principal investigator for an educational reform project focused on understanding the role of race, ethnicity, class and gender in school reform.

Janine BenyusBiologist and founder of the Biomimicry Institute”Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature”March 3, 2009

Benyus is a natural sciences writer, innovation consultant and author of six books, including “Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature” (HarperCollins, 1997). In the book, she names an emerging discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves, agriculture that models a prairie, businesses that run like redwood forests). Benyus has evolved the practice of biomimicry. She consults with sustainable business, academic and government leaders; serves on the Eco-Dream Team at Interface Inc.; and conducts seminars about what we can learn from the genius that surrounds us.

Robert BallardOceanographer, photographer and deep-sea explorer”Adventure in Deep Sea Exploration: Living the Dream”March 24, 2009

Among the most accomplished and well known of the world’s deep-sea explorers, Ballard is best known for his historic discovery of the RMS Titanic. During his long career, he has conducted more than 100 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology. Ballard has also pioneered distant learning in the classrooms of America and around the world with his JASON Project, an award-winning educational program. His books on his discovery of the Titanic and the Bismarck were both #1 bestsellers on The New York Times and London Times lists, and his recent “Return to Titanic” special on the National Geographic Channel was the highest-rated show in the network’s history.

About the University LecturesThe University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to Syracuse University individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications. The series is supported by the generosity of the University’s trustees, alumni and friends.

The Office of University Lectures welcomes suggestions for future speakers. To recommend a speaker, or for additional information about The University Lectures, contact Esther Gray in the Office of Academic Affairs at (315) 443-2941 or eegray@syr.edu, or visit http://lectures.syr.edu.