Speakers including director Martin Scorsese, writer and radio personality Garrison Keillor and political commentator Molly Ivins are among the eight celebrities who will headline Syracuse University's University Lectures series during its 2003-04 season. The Office of University Lectures is launching this year's series with a kickoff event July 22 at 2 p.m. at the University Bookstore in Schine Student Center. Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw is hosting the event, which is free and open to the public.
"The University Lectures has become an important part of SU's culture by enriching the intellectual experience of our students and the entire University community," says Shaw. "We're very excited about this year's lineup, which brings to the Hill eight prominent and distinguished individuals who have helped us better see and understand our world."
The University Lectures, now in its third season, has established a tradition for bringing influential doers and thinkers to the SU campus. The 2003-04 lineup of speakers builds on that tradition by inviting distinguished and inspiring personalities from the fields of music, cinema, art and architecture, science, politics and law.
Denyce Graves
Opera superstar
"An Evening with Denyce Graves"
Oct. 2, 2003
6:30 pm, Hendricks Chapel
Opera and gospel music lovers around the world have been thrilled and mesmerized by the rich, expressive mezzo-soprano singing of Denyce Graves.
Widely regarded as an operatic superstar for the 21st century, Graves is particularly admired for her interpretations of the lead roles in "Carmen" and "Samson et Dalila."
Morris Dees
Attorney and civil rights advocate
"A Passion for Justice"
Oct. 16, 2003
7:30 pm, Hendricks Chapel
Attorney Morris Dees has devoted his career to defending the rights of the oppressed, using the legal system to fight racism and injustice in American society. Dees has battled the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations in court, winning multi-million dollar judgments against both.
Bruce Fowle
Architect
"The SU Campus Today and Tomorrow"
Nov. 4, 2003
7:30 pm, Hendricks Chapel
A founding principal of New York-based Fox & Fowle Architects, P.C., Bruce Fowle guided his firm to become a leader in the sustainable design movement. A proponent of environmental conservation, Fowle's firm has accomplished a number of firsts, including first "green" skyscraper in the United States and the first "green" guidelines for residential high-rises in New York City.
Molly Ivins
Author and columnist
"Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?"
Nov. 18, 2003
7:30 pm, Hendricks Chapel
Famous for her uncompromising and often humorous analysis of the political scene, Molly Ivins has earned a reputation for being an outspoken liberal and relentless critic of the Bush presidency and right-wing causes in general. Ivins regularly reports on national politics through her syndicated column.
Martin Scorsese
Film director
"Journey into Film"
January 2004
One of America's most critically acclaimed filmmakers, Martin Scorsese made his cinematic reputation with such films as "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull." Recent Scorsese projects include "The Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," a film about the early life of Howard Hughes.
Garrison Keillor
Radio host and author
"An Evening with Garrison Keillor"
Feb. 17, 2004
7:30 p.m., Hendricks Chapel
Perhaps best known for bringing the inhabitants of fictional Lake Wobegon, Minn. to life on public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion," Garrison Keillor is equally at home behind a microphone or a typewriter. While "Companion" allows Keillor to showcase his many talents as a performer-including storyteller and musician-he has also produced 11 books and stories and columns for The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Salon and other publications.
Meave Leakey
Paleoanthropologist and zoologist
"The Search and Discovery of Our Earliest Ancestors"
March 16, 2004
7:30 p.m., Hendricks Chapel
Meave Leakey and her team of researchers made headlines with the discovery in Kenya of a 3.5 million-year-old skull that completely redefined the study of early human ancestry. A masterful storyteller, Leakey enchants her audiences with vivid images and real-life stories of her fieldwork in Africa while conveying the importance of exploring human origins.
Rita Hauser
International lawyer and philanthropist
"The U.S. Role in a Troubled Middle East"
March 30, 2004
7:30 p.m., Hendricks Chapel
President of The Hauser Foundation, Rita Hauser is an international lawyer and counsel to the New York City law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where she was a senior partner for more than 20 years. In December 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Hauser to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and to the President's Intelligence Oversight Board. Known for her public service and philanthropic work, she is interested in international conflict resolution, security, and human rights.
The University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications. The series is supported by the generosity of the University's Trustees, alumni and friends. The lectures are free and open to the public.
The Office of University Lectures welcomes suggestions for future speakers. To recommend a speaker or for more information, contact Esther Gray in the Office of Academic Affairs at 443-2941 or eegray@syr.edu, or visit http://provost.syr.edu/lectures.
