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University Forum Lecture Series

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The University Forum Committee (UFC) is responsible for bringing external speakers to the campus of Appalachian State University.

The University Forum Lecture series is one of the longest-running such series at Appalachian State University and it provides opportunities for the students, faculty, and staff at the university and for people in the surrounding region to hear some of the most stimulating speakers in the country.

Spring 2023

  • Dr. Emily Farris,  "Power of the Badge: Sheriff and Inequality in the United States" on March 21, 2023, 7:00 pm in Belk Library, Room 114.
  • Marleny Rosales-Meda, Dr. María Susana Hermes, Rafael Coy Choocoj, and Dr. Anne Fanatico will present, “Bloom Where You Are: Climate Resilience in our Communities” on March 30, 2023, 5:30 pm in Reich College of Education Rotunda and Rooms 124 A/B.   The speakers will discuss ways in which they are using education to help local communities create more just and sustainable futures in the face of climate change.
  • Matt Scott,  "Project Drawdown:Your Story is Your Climate Solutions Superpower: Accelerating Climate Solutions Through Storytelling" on April 4, 2023,  5:00 - 7:00 pm in Parkway Ballroom (room 420), Plemmons Student Union. https://climatestories.appstate.edu/MattScott
  • Chip Thomas, M.D., "Stories Told and Retold" on April 17, 2023, 4:30 pm in Dickson Lecture Hall, Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences.  
  • Natasha Trethewey, Past Poet Laureate - Reading and book signing on April 20, 2023,  6:00-7:30 pm in Plemmons Student Union, Blue Ridge Ballroom, Room 201AB.  https://english.appstate.edu/node/934

 More event information

University Forum Committee mission

The mission of the University Forum Committee is to bring distinguished speakers to the campus of Appalachian State University for the purpose of enlightening and educating the university community about issues of interest. The goal of an active and engaging speaker series should be to promote the exchange of ideas through the process of civil discourse. Invited speakers play an integral role in the educational experience by exposing students, staff and faculty to new ideas, and they help advance the learning process by challenging people with new and perhaps controversial ideas. Exposure to such ideas helps to prepare students to be the leaders of tomorrow, to develop an awareness of the role that ideas play in a democratic society, and to think critically about issues of concern to themselves and society.

The committee also administers the External Scholars Grant Program. This program is designed to facilitate bringing in distinguished academics and scholars from across all fields of inquiry for the purpose of enhancing the scholarship and/or pedagogy of the faculty.

University Forum Committee Current Membership (2022-2023)