Alumni

Keynote Speaker Dr Joshua Kline '98 will present.

Dr. Anuj Gurung and MU students of Jan 26 This presentation, led by MU students who have visited Nepal, explores the unprecedented role of Nepal’s Generation Z in challenging entrenched political systems and catalyzing a change of government. Drawing on on-the-ground accounts, social media campaigns, and youth-led organizing, it examines how a digitally connected, socially conscious generation transformed frustration into coordinated action. We will trace the movement’s origins, tactics, and leadership, highlight the cultural and political context that gave rise to it, and consider its implications for democratic participation, governance, and intergenerational power dynamics across South Asia and beyond.

Manchester Symphony Orchestra performs

Love argues that reexamining Conjure traditions exposes how African American spiritual practices have been sidelined in Eurocentric religious studies. Highlighting Conjure’s history of resistance and Black women’s agency, the essay challenges Western categories that separate religion, magic, and science. Love ultimately urges a decolonized approach that honors the resilience and creativity of African American folk traditions.

MU senior, Megan Pierce shares a 10-year journey of collecting memorabilia of the DC Comic's villain, The Joker. As of 2025, Megan’s collection was officially recognized by Guinness World Records, as being the "Largest collection of the Joker memorabilia.

Kate Black and Bob Haluska A look backstage at the community theatre experience. Travel with Kate Black and Bob Haluska through auditions, casting, rehearsal, and performance. Consider how the work resonates over time.

Andrea Warnke ‘79 was associate director of the ACLU of Vermont. She was recognized with the organization’s highest honor, which now bears her name. She is active with the organization Third Act, joining her concerns for the environment with her civil liberties background to safeguard our climate and democracy.

Marx in Soho is Howard Zinn’s one-person play in which Karl Marx returns to modern-day New York’s Soho to defend his ideas, critique contemporary capitalism, and show the human side of a figure often reduced to caricature.

“Appeals on Wheels” is an outreach program of the Indiana Court of Appeals that brings live appellate oral arguments to communities across the state. By holding sessions in high schools, colleges, and civic venues—and engaging audiences in Q&A discussions—the Court offers the public a rare, firsthand look at how an intermediate appellate court works. The program promotes transparency, strengthens civic education, and helps citizens understand how appellate decision-making differs from the trial court proceedings they may be more familiar with.

Tom Neilson is an award-winning folk musician and activist whose songs—rooted in his upbringing on a dairy farm and shaped by decades of international work in education, public health, and community organizing—give voice to movements for justice around the world. He draws on experiences from Colombia to Kenya, Somalia to Nicaragua, weaving humor, political insight, and storytelling into music that has been performed in more than twenty countries. Tom combines art and activism through concerts, residencies, and community engagement, offering audiences both sharp social critique and a generous dose of wit.

The global fame of Bad Bunny has raised popular awareness of Puerto Rico and its people, millions of whom live in the United States. In Chicago, the Puerto Rican community has played a pivotal role in shifting understandings of identity and belonging over the past century. This talk will demonstrate how Chicago and the whole Midwest have generated elements of culture and politics that helped pave the way for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl moment, and it will suggest a possible future path for Puerto Ricans and their relationship with the USA.