The Tate Lecture Series is now entering its 35th season and has an impressive lineup of upcoming guest speakers.
While this season’s tickets have been selling out quickly, SMU students can attend lectures free of charge and attend a student forum available prior to the lecture which features a Q&A session with the speaker.
Of the eight upcoming lectures, five are already sold out. Lecture times, dates and tickets can be found here on the Tate Lecture Series website.
Meet the upcoming speakers ready to take the stage of McFarlin Auditorium.
Tom Brokaw and Doris Kearns Goodwin with David Gergen: September 20, 2016
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, Tom Brokaw, former NBC Nightly News host, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, renowned presidential historian and author take McFarlin Auditorium.
“We try to do at least one political lecture each year,” said Jeff Lockhart, associate director of the Tate Lecture series. “But this year, given it’s an election year, we wanted to have one that mimicked that historical relevancy.”
Together, Brockaw and Goodwin will provide commentary on the 2016 election with moderation from CNN political analyst David Gergen.
Bryan Stevenson: October 13, 2016
The October 13 lecture features the leading voice on race in the U.S. and MacArthur Fellow Bryan Stevenson. pic.twitter.com/HXwH8p65px
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative and has authored many books, most recently Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption in 2014. Stevenson is a criminal justice reform advocate and still-practicing lawyer, often representing children and people on death row.
“We need to talk about an injustice,” Stevenson said in his March 2012 TED talk. “Our system isn’t just . . . distorted around race. It’s also distorted around poverty. We have a system of justice in this country that treats you much better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent.”
Scott Kelly: November 1, 2016
He’s been in space more than any other American and visits November 1. Named in 2015’s TIME 100, @StationCDRKelly pic.twitter.com/PC1uYnPkq0
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
Scott Kelly holds the distinction of spending the most time in space of any American astronaut — 382 days spanning Expedition 43, Expedition 44 and Expedition 45.
David Leonhardt: November 29, 2016
The first half of the season concludes November 29 with Pulitzer Prize winner @DLeonhardt pic.twitter.com/AOCp5AVSGX
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
In a new venture focused around analytical journalism, David Leonhardt is a New York Times journalist who focuses on politics, policy and economics. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 2011, a journalism prize that has been awarded annually since its start in 1980.
Angela Duckworth: January 31, 2017
Grit. What does it take to have it? MacArthur Fellow @angeladuckw explains it January 31, 2017 at #SMUtate pic.twitter.com/d737GrOaNi
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
Psychologist Angela Duckworth recently authored the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, released in May 2016. “Duckworth is the first person to qualify that trade,” Lockhart said.
In 2013, Duckworth won the esteemed MacArthur Fellowship. Her lab studies grit and self-control.
Brandon Stanton: March 7, 2017
We’ll go behind the lens March 7 as @humansofny shares his stories and more at #SMUtate pic.twitter.com/qg6cwoKi2m
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
It started as a blog in 2010. In 2013, it became a New York Times bestselling book. Humans of New York movement founder Brandon Stanton brings light to the examination of American and international life.
“The initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street, and create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants,” Stanton said. It now reaches a more profound capacity.
Indra Nooyi: April 4, 2017
April 4 brings one of the world’s most powerful women according to Forbes – PepsiCo CEO @IndraNooyi. pic.twitter.com/jmrDz4s844
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
Reaching the heights of variety, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi will also speak. Consistently named one of Forbes’ most powerful women in the world, she heads the second largest food and beverage company in the world by net revenue and the largest in the United States.
Nooyi has headed the change of the brand with the evolving movement of healthy eating. In an interview with The New Yorker, she said, “It’s not good enough to make things that taste good. PepsiCo must also be the ‘good company.’ It must aspire to higher values than the day-to-day business of making and selling soft drinks and snacks.”
Alan Alda: May 2, 2017
The final lecture of 2016-17, on May 2, features award-winning actor and activist for scientific research @alanalda pic.twitter.com/cmCeMI228x
— SMUTateLectureSeries (@SMUtate) May 3, 2016
Most known for his role as Captain Hawkeye Pierce in the 70s and 80s hit show “M*A*S*H” and for his role as Arnold Vinick in The West Wing, Alan Alda is the last speaker to be featured in this year’s series. His acting career spans six decades.
He currently takes the role as an advocate for science communication and aspires to use his stage presence to help scientists communicate more effectively in public.
