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Past Events
Tuesday, 8 Oct 2024
How to Prevent Election Subversion in 2024 and Beyond
6:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2024 Manatt-Phelps Annual Lecture in Political ScienceMichael Waldman is president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. A nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on improving systems of democracy and justice, the Brennan Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform, and constitutional law. Waldman, a constitutional lawyer and writer who is an expert on the presidency and American democracy, has led the Center since 2005. He was a member of the Presidential Commission on the United States Supreme Court in 2021.Waldman was director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999, serving as assistant to the president. He was responsible for writing or editing nearly two thousand speeches, including four State of the Union and two inaugural addresses. He was a special assistant to the president for policy coordination from 1993 to 1995.Waldman is the author of The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America (Simon & Schuster, June 6, 2023) and several other titles. He frequently appears on television and radio to discuss policy, the presidency, and the law. He is a graduate of Columbia College and NYU School of Law.The University Book Store will be onsite selling The Supermajority at the event.This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.
Monday, 7 Oct 2024
The Wall and the Bridge: Fear and Opportunity in Disruption's Wake
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Free-market economists often have noted that there are winners and losers in a competitive capitalist world. The question of how to deal with the difficult real-life consequences faced by the losers, however, has largely been ignored. Populist politicians have tried repeatedly to address the issue by creating walls—of both the physical and economic kinds—to insulate communities and keep competition at bay. While recognizing the broad emotional appeal of walls, economist Glenn Hubbard argues that because they delay needed adaptations to the ever-changing world, walls are essentially backward-looking and ultimately destined to fail. Taking Adam Smith’s logic to Youngstown, Ohio, as a case study in economic disruption, Hubbard promotes the benefits of an open economy and creating bridges to support people in turbulent times so that they remain engaged and prepared to participate in, and reap the rewards of, a new economic landscape.Glenn Hubbard is Director, Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business, dean emeritus, and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School. Hubbard received his BA and BS degrees summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida and also holds AM and PhD degrees in economics from Harvard University. In addition to writing more than 100 scholarly articles in economics and finance, Glenn is the author of three popular textbooks, as well as co-author of The Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty, Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America, and Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Five Steps to a Better Health Care System. His commentaries appear in Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Financial Times, The Washington Post, Nikkei, and the Daily Yomiuri, as well as on television and radio.From 2001 until 2003, he was chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers. In the corporate sector, he is on the boards of TotalEnergies, BlackRock Fixed Income Funds, and MetLife (where he is chair). Hubbard is co-chair of the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation; he is a past chair of the Economic Club of New York and a past co-chair of the Study Group on Corporate Boards.
Friday, 4 Oct 2024
A One on One with ESPN’s Clinton Yates
11:00 AM – 2630 Memorial Union - Join ESPN host Clinton Yates and Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Tony Moton for a conversation about how success in today's sports media market depends on versatility and a multitude of skill sets. Yates is a columnist, television commentator, and host for ESPN. In March 2024, Yates was named host of the ESPN Daily podcast. He joined ESPN in February 2016 as a member of the editorial team that launched Andscape, the Black multimedia content studio formerly known as The Undefeated. Yates’ profile has grown steadily across ESPN’s multimedia platforms. In addition to writing, he appears on multiple television programs, ESPN Radio, and more. Prior to ESPN, Yates worked for The Washington Post for nine years where he covered local news, sports, politics, pop culture, and more. He started as a local news editor in May 2007 for Express, the free daily focused on dining, music, movies, arts, fitness, shopping and more in the Washington D.C. area. He eventually moved to Metro, and finally Sports where he wrote for The Post’s popular “DC Sports Bog”. Moton is an award-winning journalist and screenwriter. He has earned journalism honors for sports feature writing from the Nevada Press Association (twice) and investigative reporting from the Kansas City Press Club. In 2003, he received a prestigious Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award while at UCLA for his feature-length screenplay All Bets Are On, about a Little League baseball player’s relationship with his charismatic but ill-fated grandfather. Moton maintains his screenwriting pursuits with several projects in development. This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.
Thursday, 3 Oct 2024
The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America
6:00 PM – Dolezal Auditorium, 0127 Curtiss Hall - This lecture will be based on the eponymous book that pinpoints forces behind the rise of the “rural voter”—a new political identity that combines a deeply felt sense of place with an increasingly nationalized set of concerns. Combining a historical perspective with the largest-ever national survey of rural voters, Nicholas F. Jacobs and Daniel M. Shea uncover how this overwhelmingly crucial voting bloc emerged and how it has roiled American politics. They show how perceptions of economic and social change, racial anxieties, and a traditional way of life under assault have converged into a belief in rural uniqueness and separateness.Nicholas F. Jacobs is an expert on American politics and policymaking. He has published dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters on topics including the American presidency, school segregation, and economic inequality. He is an assistant professor at Colby College in Maine.Daniel M. Shea is professor of government at Colby College. His areas of expertise include American politics, young voters, civility in politics, and rural governance and politics. He has written or edited more than 20 books, including Why Vote? Essential Questions About the Future of Elections in America (2019).The University Book Store will be onsite selling The Rural Voter at the event.This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.
Wednesday, 2 Oct 2024
Can Sustainable Agriculture Feed the World?
7:00 PM – 1148 Gerdin - What is the role of innovation and thinking outside the box? Consumers are increasingly demanding foods that are both healthy and produced in an environmentally sustainable ecosystem. At the same time, millions of people around the globe continue to face hunger and food insecurity. How can agriculture and food producers meet growing food demand in a world where they face resource and environmental constraints by leveraging innovative agricultural technologies and thinking outside the box?C S Liew will discuss cutting edge global innovations developed by producers, entrepreneurs and policy makers that aim to address these demands as well as examine their challenges and opportunities. Liew will draw on examples from the U.S. and around the world, including alternative proteins (lab-grown meat, milk and eggs), biosolutions, gene editing, integrated pest management (IPM), indoor and vertical farming, and regenerative agriculture. His presentation will discuss how students can develop their own creative strategies for thinking outside the box and leave you with lots of food for thought.C S Liew is a graduate of Iowa State University in Agronomy and Integrated Pest Management with 45 years of global experience in the agricultural inputs industry. He is Managing Director of Singapore-based Pacific Agriscience and is active in global mergers and acquisitions. He has served in many prestigious positions, currently this includes Council member of the World Agriculture Forum, and member of the Advisory Board of Agribusiness Global (a world-renowned agricultural inputs magazine based in Ohio, USA). He is a highly sought after speaker for his global expertise on agriculture.Light refreshments will be served starting at 6:30 p.m. before the lecture begins.This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.
Tuesday, 1 Oct 2024
Partisanship and Policy: A Complicated Relationship
6:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Our government was designed to be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” That government is composed of elected officials almost exclusively representing one of two political parties, yet in Iowa, there are more registered “no party” voters than registered Republicans or Democrats. The political arena is a multi-faceted, ever-changing landscape, and increasingly, more Americans feel hopeless that their participation can make a difference on the issues they care about. Is partisanship our inevitable downfall? How are policy priorities established? How can citizens claim a greater role in the process? A native Iowan, Drew Klein has spent over 15 years reshaping the Iowa political landscape through his work with conservative grassroots activists in communities throughout the state. With experience from more than 20 state legislative races already under his belt, he joined Americans for Prosperity (AFP) to build their field operation when they launched their Iowa chapter in 2012. His tenure as State Director for AFP began in late 2014. In the nine years that he led the state chapter, Drew’s work drove generational change in not only the composition of the state legislative and executive branches, but also policy changes ranging from the state’s tax environment and labor policy to education and judicial selection. Now a Regional Vice President with Americans for Prosperity, Drew is leveraging his experience in Iowa to have a similar impact across the country.This lecture will be recorded and available only to those with a current ISU Net ID on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.
Thursday, 26 Sep 2024
Tribal Land Management: Balancing the Triple Bottom Line of Environmental Stewardship
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - 2024 Paul L. Errington Memorial LectureDr. Serra Hoagland (Laguna Pueblo) works for the USDA Forest Service Research & Development branch as the National Program Lead for Tribal Research. She focuses on building local, regional and national partnerships with tribes and intertribal organizations, mentoring students in natural resources, and conducting research that is relevant to Native communities. As the first Native American to graduate from Northern Arizona University with a PhD in forestry, Serra studied Mexican spotted owl habitat on tribal and non-tribal lands in south-central New Mexico. She has 8 book publications and 16 peer-reviewed journal articles and most recently was nominated as a Fellow for The Wildlife Society in 2023. In 2020, Dr. Hoagland was nominated for a Professional of the Year Award and was selected as the Most Promising Scientist by the American Indian Science & Engineering Society.This lecture is available to view on the Available Recordings page.
Emily Dickinson at the County Fair: The Land Grant College and the Birth of Agricultural Capitalism
5:00 PM – 2155 Marston - A specialist in U.S. literature from 1850-2000, Maria Farland taught at Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Wesleyan Universities before accepting a permanent position at Fordham University in New York City. Her forthcoming book, Degraded Heartland: Antipastoral, Agricultural Reform, and the Rural Modern in U.S. Literature, 1840-1950 (Johns Hopkins UP), is a history of ideas of rural backwardness in terms of antipastoral as a literary mode. Inspired in part by the Trump administration and our heightened awareness of rural-urban divisions, it is a scholarly and cultural history of ideas of rural inferiority, as seen in shocking events like the Eugenics Survey of Vermont. She is currently completing a study of the antipsychiatry movement and post-1945 U.S. literary representations of mental breakdown, around neoliberal models of healthcare privatization in the 1950s-1980s decades.Please note: This lecture will NOT be recorded.
Thursday, 19 Sep 2024
Historical Narratives from a Ho Chunk Perspective
6:00 PM – 2630 Memorial Union - Henry Payer is a Ho-Chunk artist who works primarily with collage and mixed media. Born in Sioux City, IA in 1986, Payer received a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM in 2008. He was invited to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and obtained an MFA in 2013. Henry has exhibited his work at locations such as the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, NE; All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis, MN; Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO; and Overture Galleries in Madison, WI. Payer’s work has also been exhibited at the University of Venice Ca’Voscari, Palazzo Cosulich in Venice, Italy. Payer has spent time as an instructor at the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He currently lives in Sioux City, IA.All are welcome to attend the reception for Payer's exhibit "Neutral Ground" in the MU Art Gallery following the lecture.This lecture will be recorded and ready to view on the Available Recordings page approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.
Yoga 101: What Is It and Why Do We Do It?
6:00 PM – Garden Room, Reiman Gardens - Yoga! What is it? Where did it come from? How many Yogas are there? Which one's for me? Is it for me? Join Dr. Manisha Sharma as she answers these questions and showcases this practice and her journey with it. No matter whether you are a novice or an expert, this program is sure to answer what yoga is all about and why we do it after all these years.For the past 30 years, Manisha Sharma has been practicing yoga. Born in India, she moved to America in 2002, and made Iowa her home three years ago. She received instruction in this journey of self-exploration from the world's best teachers, including Dr. H. R. Nagendra, the yoga guru of India's Prime Minister and the founder of SVYASA Yoga University in India. It is at SVYASA that she earned an international certificate as a yoga teacher and instructor. She is an assistant professor of English at Iowa State University, and a creative writer. She has an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in English Literature.Please note: This lecture will not be recorded.