All students graduating in Spring 2022 or Fall 2022 have been invited to next week’s Senior Red Carpet event! Date: Wednesday, April 27 Time: Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. Program begins at 6:45 p.m. Location: Venetian Center Transportation and dinner are provided. Please wear semi-formal attire if able. Please RSVP using this online link. The […]

Today’s clash between political ideologies and evolving technologies has created a world where people have trouble agreeing on the most basic facts, even as the growing reach of media products connects us in ways we could not have imagined just 10 years ago. Through his work as a media analyst, TV critic and social issues thought leader, Eric Deggans has developed a presentation outlining how media technology will evolve in the future and how that will affect how we all communicate with each other.

David Kirby (National Book Award winner) and Barbara Hamby (James Dicky Prize for Poetry) tell their students that the best mind you can have is the mind of the writer. Writers are magpies. We pick up shiny objects in our beaks and then fly home and put them in a certain order and show early drafts to others and incorporate (or ignore) what they say. But isn’t that what a scientist does as they set up an experiment or a lawyer as they prepare an argument for a jury or a chef as they try out a new dish? It’s all one mind. We just call it the mind of the writer.

“Finding Wonder in the World” The world can feel bleak. There are more things to worry about than we can hold in our heads. Yet, we also live in a world filled with wonder, joy, surprise, and delight. And the stories we tell ourselves about the places we live and the larger world hide deep […]

“The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in the Balance” Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker and award-winning author Frye Gaillard reflect on their series of compelling essays considering the role of the South in shaping America’s political and cultural landscape. They find the South partially responsible for the ills of our society — family separation […]

“Historical Female Poisoners” First comes loves, then comes marriage, then comes … a little bit of rat poison in their coffee cup. When love goes wrong, out comes the Victorian obsession with female poisoners: delicate and seductive, these ladies made headlines in the age of yellow journalism for offing their lovers with poisoned food. Come […]

Turning Adversity into Art Darlyn Finch Kuhn will illustrate that it’s the difficult moments in life that shape our character, become fuel for self-expression, and ultimately inspire artistic expression in others. Sharing excerpts from her poetry and prose, Kuhn will show the benefits of paying close attention to pain, sharing the universal through the specific, […]

How to cover the craziest crime story without going crazy yourself (allegedly). The slaying of the parents of a vampire cultist in Eustis in 1996 sparked international headlines, especially when the couple’s 15- year-old daughter left with the group. Was she a victim or a participant? The debate continues to this day.  Based on Frank […]

Falconry and its Impact on Raptor Conservation Dani Mitchell Anthrozoologist/Falconer An insightful look at falconry, or the pursuit of wild quarry with a trained bird of prey, this talk highlights what falconry is, how it has evolved over the past few decades, the role of falconers in the conservation of birds of prey, and more. […]