Notable Lectures and Performances at Colorado College

David Philipps talks about his book, a chronicle of the Army unit from Fort Carson that was plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder. Misdiagnosed or untreated since returning from war, some soldiers from the unit embarked on drug-fueled crime sprees, some of which resulted in murder. Recorded March 1, 2011.

Jaron Lanier—scientist, author, musician, and artist—visits campus to ruminate on "media technology as a grand exploration of unimagined human potential." Combining elements of cognition, Microsoft's XBOX, chemistry, and musical improvisation, among other things, Lanier takes us on a journey into the possibilities, pitfalls, and potential of New Media.
 Lanier has been labeled the pioneer of v...

Nolan Doesken is a state climatologist who has been monitoring Colorado’s climate for decades. Mike King is the executive director of Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Their combined expertise will offer a unique view of Colorado forests from a Colorado government perspective. Recorded December 6, 2010.

Tony Dixon is the deputy regional forester of the Rocky Mountain Region and Jan Burke is the forest health coordinator for the White River National Forest. Their talk stems from their many years of experience working for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and examines the White River National Forest in Northwestern Colorado. Recorded November 8, 2010.

David Weddle, professor of religion, will present his new book on miracles. The work examines the enduring interest in miracle stories in five world religions from tales of flying yogis and rebbes with healing power to levitating bodhisattvas, miracle-working saints, and disappearing Sufi masters. Recorded November 9, 2010.

Phi Kappa Visiting Scholar Jack Goldstone will lecture on global population trends and their significance. Recorded November 4, 2010.

Robert Shedinger, author of "Was Jesus a Muslim?" gave a lecture with the same title, focusing on countering Islamophobia with authentic dialogue. Shedinger is an associate religion professor and chair of the department at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He teaches courses on Islam and has lectured on Western perceptions of Islam. He also is the author of "Tatian and the Jewish Scriptures" and co...

Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the film "Milk," is coming to Colorado College to speak on social movements in film and media with a focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender inequality. Recorded April 2, 2010.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, an expert on Shanghai history, is author of several works on China, including "Global Shanghai, 1850 – 2010: A History in Fragments" (2009) and "China's Brave New World and Other Tales for Global Times" (2007). His newest work, "China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know," will be published by Oxford University Press in April. Recorded March 31, 2010.

Four governors, on one stage, in one night: Former Colorado Governors Dick Lamm, Roy Romer, and Bill Owens discuss their common challenges and successes during their terms of office, and provide valuable insights for the next person to fill this leadership role. Colorado College President Dick Celeste, a former two-term governor of Ohio, will facilitate the discussion. Recorded March 31, 2010.

Lois Quam, an internationally recognized visionary and leader on the emerging New Green Economy (NGE) and universal health care reform, is the founder and chair of Tysvar, LLC, a newly created, privately held, Minnesota-based NGE and health care reform incubator, and was named one of America's "50 Most Powerful Women" by Fortune magazine in 2006. Recorded March 1, 2010.

Charles W. Mills will deliver the annual J. Glenn and Ursula Gray Memorial Lecture on "Race and Liberalism." Professor Mills’s first book, "The Racial Contract" (Cornell, 1997), reassessed the social contract philosophy at the heart of early modern Western constitutionalism and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Recorded February 25, 2010.

Dr. Bonnie Lynn-Sherow's talk will focus on the mythological power of the "family farm" ideal in American history and the West in particular. She will discuss the "mythical" power of Jeffersonian agrarianism, and how it has been transformed into something Jefferson would never have recognized.

George Weigel, the official biographer of Pope John Paul II, reflects on how we see the implications of his legacy and achievement today. George Weigel (Baltimore, 1951 - ) is an American Catholic author, and political and social activist. Recorded February 23, 2010.

Poets Conrad and Jane Hilberry read from their work. His books include "After Music" and "Sorting the Smoke." She’s the winner of the Colorado Book Award for "Body Painting." Recorded December 10, 2009.

Dr. Vitolo is both a penmanship historian and a calligrapher. He has dedicated considerable effort to rediscovering and documenting the history of American penmen/calligraphers from ‘The Golden Age of Ornamental Penmanship’. This lecture will explore that rich history and bring to light some of the now forgotten artists from the period. Recorded November 6, 2009.

Dr. Bernard Amadei, founder of the organization "Engineers Without Borders", presents an informative and passionate program with a slide show of the small engineering projects in third world countries that have improved the lives of the people living there.

If, as many believe, the people of this world do little to address climate change and the average temperature of the world keeps rising, what will happen to our oceans, our weather, ecosystems and food supply? Cole Wilbur, Trustee and Past President of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation has been involved in Venture Philanthropy for over 33 years. He will discuss why the Packard and Hewlett F...

Colorado College presents “A Conversation With Sen. George S. McGovern,” the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, three-term U.S. senator and two-term congressman, food and agriculture ambassador to the United Nations, and decorated B-24 pilot in the Second World War. McGovern will discuss his latest book, "Abraham Lincoln," as well as current topics ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to health ca...

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History at Princeton University, the 2000 Jefferson Lecturer in Humanities, and was 2003 president of the American Historical Association. America's leading historian of the Civil War, he won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for "Battle Cry of Freedom," which was a New York T...

Revered Tibetan Buddhist monk and scholar Khen Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan, from Ladakh, India, will present Buddhist perspectives on love, compassion and forgiveness in conversation with Prof. David Gardiner of the Colorado College Religion department. Recorded March 27, 2009.

Laurence Maslon is the co-creator of "Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America," a six-part series broadcast nationally by PBS in January. "Make 'Em Laugh" is the first documentary of its kind to give context to nearly 100 years of American comedy on stage, film, radio, television, and stand-up and to honor the geniuses who created our country's unique form of performance humor. Recorded Marc...

Edward C. Prescott discusses the advantages and disadvantages of economic integration among sovereign states with respect to economic growth, involving more generally an analysis of globalization. Professor Prescott is a senior monetary advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and is a major figure in macroeconomics, especially the theories of business cycles and general equilibrium. Rec...

Richard Schechner, the leading voice of performance studies in America and the founder of New York University's Performance Studies Program, delivers this year's keynote address for the Cornerstone Arts Initiative. The lecture will examine how the arts scene in the United States has developed since 9/11, and the transmutative effects that have altered our perceptions of art, performance and the av...

This homecoming panel is part of the college's Sondermann Series: Elections 2008. Panelists include Chuck Buxton '68, senior editor at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat; Eric Sondermann '76, president of SE2 Associates in Denver; and CC political science professors Timothy Fuller and Bob Loevy. Recorded October 10, 2008.