St. John’s recently announced its Fall 2008 Academic Lecture Series featuring 11 speakers coming to campus over the next three months.
According to Darren M. Morton, assistant vice president for the Division of Student Affairs said that this year’s theme of the lecture series will be “Issues Affecting America: Responsible Citizenship.”
Morton said, “We look to have a theme that is relevant and will draw student and faculty attention. It is our goal to enhance the academic experience for the students and expose them to diverse knowledge and research, [and] encourage student-to-student and student-to-faculty dialogue.”
On Monday, September 15, guest speaker Don McPherson, kicked off the lecture series. He spoke about fighting sexual violence on college campuses.
The next lecture will be “Catholicism/Salsa,” taking place on Tuesday, September 23. Jose Obando and his Salsa group will speak about how the music genre is related to Catholicism by performing several of their musical ensembles to show how Salsa contains Catholic music and lyrics.
“Connected Or Not Connected,” will be another lecture on Wednesday, September 24, featuring Lawrence Watkins, a 24-year-old entrepreneur. The presentation is designed to help students learn how to cultivate successful personal and business relationships, networking strategies, and tips on being active in your college community.
Television personality, Bianca Alexander will be hosting “Conscious Consumption: A Solution to Our Planetary Crisis,” on September 25. Alexander is currently the CEO for Conscious Planet Media, a production company that specializes in broadband television programming and “green” events.
On Tuesday, September 30, The New York Times reporter Michael Lou will present an inside view of covering the 2008 presidential election. Lou has been with the Times for 5 years and previously worked at Newsday and The Los Angeles Times.
A Pittsburg native, Lou has won a Livingston Award for Young Journalists and the George Polk Award.
Beginning in October, author of “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain,” Oliver Sacks, M.D., will host a lecture about how the power of music can have an effect on human experiences.
His book was placed on The New York Times Best Seller list and was also named one of the Best Books of 2007 by The Washington Post.
“Zing! Your Life and Leadership,” will be hosted by Nancy Hunter Denney on Tuesday, October 2. Denney is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, author, leadership trainer and educator. Students will learn how to maximize their potential to increase their leadership skills.
Other speakers for the remaining part of the series include, News Correspondent and Producer Gideon Yago; Authors Krista Tippet and Dr. John F. Haught; and United Nations Representative Amir Dossal.
Students are requested to RSVP to the lectures they plan to attend.
