E.N. Thompson Forum

Nadine Strossen expertly dissects Constitutional law to share current challenges to our civil liberties today, stimulating thoughtful consideration of democratic ideals. https://enthompson.unl.edu/

In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first African American female Principal Dancer in American Ballet Theatre’s 75-year history. Hear from this artist, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian about how she broke barriers and her work to inspire young people everywhere.

Since 1922, the National Communication Association has sponsored international student exchange tours for the purpose of promoting debate, discussion, and intercultural communication. Renowned for their wit, humor, and eloquence, members of the United Kingdom’s English-Speaking Union tour the United States each year, debating the best and the brightest at our institutions of higher learning. The l...

Are there a higher set of drivers in the global economy than we commonly pay attention to? Is the election of Donald Trump really just one part of a much larger, global pattern of events that is still unfolding and will affect us for years to come? Mark Blyth, the political economist noted for predicting both Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, walks you through the disparate dynamics in both...

Sonia Shah is an investigative science journalist and author of critically acclaimed and prize-winning books on science, human rights, and international politics. Her most recent book, “Pandemic: Tracking Contagions from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond,” was selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Her critically acclaimed 2010 book, “The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500...

New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks has a unique gift for bringing audiences face to face with the spirit of our times, and he does so with humor and insight. A regular analyst on PBS NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered, he is a keen observer and commentator on politics and foreign affairs. His newest book, “The Road to Character,” tells the story of ten great lives that illustrate ho...

The first Asian-American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize, Sheryl WuDunn has journeyed through several industries, from banking to journalism and book writing. Her latest book, “A Path Appears,” is about spreading opportunity and making a difference in the world. Her previous book, the best-selling “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” (co-written with her husban...

Wes Moore knows that being a leader—both in your personal life and in the business world—comes down to one thing: personal responsibility. Drawing on his experiences as a leader in the public and private sectors and in the military, Moore explains that embracing your own personal responsibility – and holding yourself accountable for your choices – is a quality that makes gr...

Bill McKibben is an author and environmentalist who in 2014 was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, which is frequently referred to as the ‘alternative Nobel.’ His 1989 book “The End of Nature” is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has been translated into 24 languages; he’s gone on to write a dozen more books. He is a founder...

In 2011, journalist Jose Antonio Vargas “outed” himself as an undocumented immigrant in an essay published in The New York Times Magazine. The article stunned media and political circles and attracted worldwide coverage. Vargas has since testified at a United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration reform, and has been at the forefront of challenging the media's coverage of undocu...

This Wilson Dialogue will explore the global environmental and financial effect of carbon emissions and proposed regulation. Experts Lewis and Metcalf will debate the pros and cons of carbon regulation through taxation, cap and trade, and other measures. What is the carbon footprint of your household, employer and nation? How would proposed regulation impact you? Join the dialogue to find out. Mor...

Milton Chen is senior fellow and executive director emeritus at the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit operating foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area that utilizes its multimedia website, Edutopia.org, and documentary films to communicate a new vision for 21st century education. He served as executive director of GLEF for 12 years, and during his tenure, GLEF and Edutopia, greatl...

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Analog telephone calls degraded with distance; digitizing communications led to the Internet. Analog computations degraded with time; digitizing computing led to the PC. Today's most advanced manufacturing remains analog: the designs are digital, but the processes are not. I will introduce emerging research on digitizing fabrication, and explore the implications of anyone being able to make (almos...

Lecture Summary Zhao’s book of the same title, “Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization,” addresses these and other questions. At a time when globalization and technology are dramatically altering the world we live in, is education reform in the United States headed down the right path? Are schools emphasizing the knowledge and skills that s...

In moderated debate style, Bacevich and Chollet will discuss the following topics and take questions from the audience. What is the right size and role of the U.S. military today? Drones, surveillance and technology – how and when should they be used? Does the all-volunteer military influence America’s willingness to intervene globally? Would a draft reduce U.S. military involvement? I...

Reporter Hedrick Smith spent 26 years at the New York Times, where he was among the team that produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning Pentagon Papers. He also spent several years as the Times’ Moscow bureau chief, for which he won a Pulitzer for international reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe. That experience also yielded his bestselling book “The Russians.” Another of his boo...

Susan Glasser is the new Editor of POLITICO magazine. Previously she was editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy, the magazine of global politics, economics and ideas. During her tenure at its helm, the magazine won numerous awards for its innovative coverage, including three digital National Magazine Awards. Previously, Glasser covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a foreign correspondent and edi...

Journalist David Wessel is economics editor of The Wall Street Journal and writes the newspaper’s weekly “Capital” column. His book, “In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic,” was a New York Times notable book in 2009. Wessel has shared two Pulitzer prizes, one for a series on the persistence of racism in Boston (Boston Globe, 1983) and the other for a series on corporate wrong-doin...

In her presentation, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi will tie the efforts she’s made on behalf of women and religious minorities to the world of religious freedom, all while focusing on the importance of human rights throughout. This unique program will help the audience understand the importance of tolerance, perseverance, and belief in human rights for all; and most importantly share easy tools anyo...

Since the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 was adopted, the U.S. government has paid more attention to human rights violations committed against members of religious minorities in hot spots throughout the world. Implementing this policy has encountered both resistance and assistance from traditional diplomats, foreign governments, and NGO representatives. In this lecture, Felice Gaer, d...

The death penalty continues to generate intense debate, including in Nebraska — one of 33 states that authorize capital punishment. In this debate, Nebraska Solicitor General J. Kirk Brown and University of Colorado Boulder professor Michael Radelet will explore such questions as whether the death penalty is humane, fairly applied, reduces violent crime, or is cost effective. They’ll also examine...

Contemporary Africa is a victim of colonial and neo-colonial violence. Africa is also its own worst enemy, with several intrinsically viable states engulfed in a destructive synthesis of military aggression, economic chaos, cultural animosity and religious warfare. This lecture will address the encounter between positive and negative forces and ideologies in African states. It will include conside...

Pietra Rivoli is a professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. She teaches finance and international business in the undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs. Her main interests are social issues in international business and in China, and she was recently honored by the Aspen Institute as a Faculty Pioneer, an award that recognizes leadership in integrating soci...