Save the date: Challenging Dialogues lecture, Tuesday, February 11

Al Letson speaks to students, staff and faculty during the Challenging Dialogues series on April 22, 2019 in Baker Theater.

Hannah Ruhoff

Al Letson speaks to students, staff and faculty during his Challenging Dialogues lecture on April 22 in Baker Theater.

Ohio University will host its fourth “Challenging Dialogues” lecture on Tuesday, February 11 in Baker University Center Ballroom.

The speaker will be Lisa Friedman, a reporter on The New York Times Climate Desk. Friedman focuses on climate and environmental policy in Washington and has covered eight international climate talks. Friedman has chased climate-related stories from the bottom of a Chinese coal mine to the top of snow-capped Himalaya Mountains.

“We are excited for Lisa to lead our campus in our fourth Challenging Dialogues lecture in February,” said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis. “Her focus on the climate will surely inspire energetic and impassioned discourse within our campus community.”

More information regarding the event will be released in January.

Kyle Bowser, an entertainment executive, speaks to the audience at Trial by Jury: A Case of Deportation as a part of the Challenging Dialogues lecture series. Photo by Hannah Ruhoff — Kyle Bowser speaks to the audience at Trial by Jury: A Case of Deportation as a part of the Challenging Dialogues Lecture Series

The purpose of the “Challenging Dialogues” lecture series is to provide outlets for constructive conversations regarding contemporary issues that spark national and/or international attention. The lecture series, and its topics, are being spearheaded by the Challenging Dialogues for Contemporary Issues Task Force, which was formed by President Nellis in April 2018.

The ongoing speaker series is anticipated to vary in style and format based on topics and presenters; formalized lectures, panel discussions or multiple “Ted Talk-style” presentations are possible.

Students, faculty and staff gather in Baker Ballroom on Jan. 24, 2018 for the first OHIO Challenging Dialogues Discussion hosted by President Nellis. Photo by Hannah Ruhoff — Carolyn Lukensmeyer, right, speaks on a panel after her Challenging Dialogues lecture on Jan. 24 in Baker Ballroom.

President Nellis believes it is higher education’s responsibility to serve the greater good by expanding and improving humankind’s understanding of the world around us. He hopes this lecture series will help to bring clarity to a world too often clouded in confusion.

OHIO has hosted three other Challenging Dialogues lectures featuring Carolyn Lukensmeyerwith the National Institute for Civil Discourse, Al Letson, a poet, playwright, performer, journalist and podcast host, and Kyle Bowser, an OHIO alumnus and entertainment industry executive.

Published

December 10, 2019

Author

Staff reports