Aaron Cook '06, Medical Editor | A 2006 graduate and medical editor, Aaron Cook shares a personal and intellectual journey about navigating the challenges of college and starting a career.
Brian Cashdollar, Director of MU Cross Country/Track & Field | Coach Cashdollar will discuss his coaching philosophy, which has demonstrated remarkable success by setting achievable expectations with his athletes, with applications to the larger campus community.
A discussion of the state of American democracy in celebration of Constitution Day, sponsored by Manchester's political science program.
Markus Gilliar, photojournalist and founder of Sports Agency (GES), presents his journey across his career as one of the most notable sports photographers. His presentation will highlight four decades behind the lens at Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups, U.S. Open and Wimbledon, Formula 1 races, the Tour de France, and more. What does it take to reach such success in a very competitive career path?
Irene Miller, social psychologist and Holocaust survivor, will take you on a survival journey little written and known about. You will sleep in the winter under an open sky on the no man’s land; you will freeze in a Siberian labor camp where the bears come to your door front. In Uzbekistan, you will live on boiled grass or broiled onions, and shiver with malaria. You will spend years in orphanages. By the end, you will wonder how a child with this background grows up to become a positive, creative, accomplished woman with a joy of living and love to share.
Ella Brown, University of Michigan Researcher at Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, will share the results of her NSF-funded research with wild male mountain gorillas; specifically, how male gorillas become silverbacks, and why individuals may mature at different rates. Her findings bring us closer to understanding our shared evolutionary lineage. Her presentation will feature original footage of wild mountain gorillas nearly 12,000ft high in the volcanoes of Rwanda. Â
Dr. Lizbette Ocasio-Russe, professor of creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University, discusses the power of comics and graphic novels and their role of problematizing canonic literature. Her webcomic "Xcommunicada" uses fictional storylines set in nonfictional places to critique heteropatriarchal hegemony that shaped political, economic, and social forces by colonizing and eradicating indigenous natives and their beliefs. "Xcommunicada" celebrates humanity and embraces diverse beliefs, as demonstrated by the protagonist who must get in touch with her ancestors’ native beliefs in order to defeat the evil plaguing her home.
Dr. Stacy Erickson-Pesetski, professor of English & associate dean of academic affairs at MU, shares her experiences reading Shakespeare with incarcerated adults and juveniles in Indiana prisons and jails for the past 12 years. She suggests that programs like this are an important and needed piece of the criminal justice system and gives evidence that they increase literacy, promote community, and offer emotional outlets for those recovering from trauma and addiction. Paired with a screening of the 2024 film Sing Sing on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
In conjunction with the Oct. 27 program, join us for a showing of the 2024 film Sing Sing, followed by a discussion with Dr. Stacy Erickson-Pesetski. The film's runtime is 1 hour 45 minutes.
Clarke Staton, chaplain resident at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis, will discuss his work as a hospital chaplain. A former youth pastor, he has completed three Clinical Pastoral Education units at Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital system, most recently serving as one of their select resident interns.
Tim Ruebke, former alternative dispute resolution deployable field advisor, will talk about his work as an alternative dispute resolution advisor (conflict mediator) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for which he has deployed to over 40 different disaster response locations in the U.S. He will explore the complexities of resolving conflict and explain key principles of effective conflict engagement.
MU seniors Carmen Reno and Payton Elsrod will share their distinctive ways of making the most of their college experience and becoming their best selves. Coming from two different disciplines, Reno and Elsrod will share foundational values relevant for all students.
Becky Landes, regional value chain professional with Farmwise Indiana and former school food service director, will share insights from her career in child nutrition—including efforts to bring local farm produce into the Manchester Junior-Senior High School cafeteria—and discuss her current work supporting local food systems and promoting social responsibility in food supply chains.