WBEZ | Elmhurst College - Frick Center, Founders Lounge

Mayor Richard M. Daley: An Appraisal

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:50:00 -0500

Keith Koeneman writes about Chicago history, politics and culture. His recently released book on the retired mayor of Chicago, "First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley," was built on unprecedented access to the key players in the long-running Daley administration. The book tells the story of a complicated leader—sensitive and tough, impatient and persistent—who as mayor not only ran but also embodied Chicago.

Koeneman will discuss his biography of the former Chicago mayor, which was released in late March, at Elmhurst College on Wednesday, May 8.

In "First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley" (University of Chicago Press), Koeneman chronicles the complex and often contradictory life of an American political legend. Through more than 100 interviews, he tells an up-close, insider story of political triumph and personal evolution, highlighting Daley’s achievements and mistakes.

Koeneman also demonstrates how Daley’s influence expanded beyond his beloved city, especially after protégés Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, as well as his confidant and brother Bill Daley, became major players under President Obama.

"Publishers Weekly" writes that “Native son Koeneman colorfully and familiarly details the rise of the Daleys and their imprint on their hometown.”

Koeneman’s talk will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap). Admission is $10 for the general public. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting www.elmhurst.edu/tix. For more information, call (630) 617-3390.

full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 10 graduate degree programs.

Deborah Lipstadt: The Eichmann Trial

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:47:00 -0500

The capture of Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann in 1960 in Argentina, and his subsequent trial by an Israeli court, electrified the world and sparked an international debate over how and by whom Nazi war criminals should be brought to justice.

Award-winning historian Deborah E. Lipstadt’s 2011 book, "The Eichmann Trial," examines not only the trial but also the dramatic effect that Holocaust survivors’ courtroom testimony had on a world that until then had commemorated the Holocaust without fully understanding what the victims and survivors actually had experienced.

Lipstadt will talk about her book on Sunday, April 7, as the 2013 Holocaust Guestship Lecturer at Elmhurst College.

Lipstadt is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, and the author of several books on the Holocaust, including "History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier" and "Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory."

The "New York Times Book Review" described Lipstadt as having “done a great service by… recovering the event as a gripping legal drama, as well as a hinge moment in Israel’s history and in the world’s delayed awakening to the magnitude of the Holocaust.”

Lipstadt was a historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and helped design the section of the Museum dedicated to the American Response to the Holocaust. In 2012 President Obama reappointed her to the U.S. Holocaust Council.

The Service of Remembrance and Holocaust Guestship Lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap). A book signing will follow the lecture, and books will be available for purchase. Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information, call (630) 617-3390.

full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 10 graduate degree programs.

Michael Phillips: Why Go to the Movies?

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:29:00 -0500

In an age when any blockbuster or indie film can be summoned up to your computer, TV or smart phone, are we witnessing the end of a favorite American pastime—going to the movies?

On Thursday, April 25, "Chicago Tribune" film critic Michael Phillips will explore film-industry trends, the impact of technology, and what it all means for Hollywood and the rest of us.

In addition to his work at the "Tribune," Phillips was co-host of the long-running, nationally syndicated TV show "At the Movies" in its final season, after filling in for host Roger Ebert off and on since 2006. Phillips also covers movies for CLTV and can be heard most Fridays on WGN-AM. He guest-hosted the popular filmspotting.net podcast (broadcast on WBEZ-91.5 FM), and has been a guest on a variety of programs including "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," “Entourage," "The View," "Charlie Rose," BBC radio, MSNBC and Chicago's ABC-TV Channel 7.

Elmhurst College is a leading liberal arts college located eight miles west of Chicago. The College’s mission is to prepare its students for meaningful and ethical work in a multicultural, global society. Approximately 3,400 full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 10 graduate degree programs.

More information about this event here.

Narcissism: A Defense

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:50:00 -0600

Laura Kipnis is an author, teacher, cultural critic and former video artist whose work focuses on sexual politics, emotion, acting out and generally bad behavior.

Kipnis will present Narcissism: A Defense, the annual Genevieve Staudt Intercultural Lecture, on Tuesday, March 5, at Elmhurst College. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting www.elmhurst.edu/tix.

Kipnis’ wide-ranging, provocative books have been translated into 15 languages. "The New York Times" writes that in "Against Love: A Polemic" and "How to Become a Scandal," Kipnis "has combined sharp analysis with blistering wit to challenge prevailing notions about love and sex, power and desire, hubris and retribution in American life."

A radio/TV/film professor at Northwestern University, Kipnis also is a contributor to "Slate," "Harper's," "The Nation," "Playboy" and "The New York Times Magazine."

The Genevieve Staudt Guestship Lecture is delivered annually during Women’s History Month at Elmhurst College. It is named for the College’s former dean of students, who served the College for 30 years and left an indelible stamp of leadership.

full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 10 graduate degree programs.

The Politicization of Justice

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:25:00 -0600

The first woman to preside over the Iowa Supreme Court, Marsha Ternus joined her six colleagues in a unanimous ruling in 2009 striking down an Iowa statute banning same-sex marriage. The ruling cost Justice Ternus and two of her colleagues their jobs, and embroiled the court in a political struggle that continued through the 2012 election and beyond.

In May 2012, Ternus and her two colleagues were honored with the 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award. In announcing the award, the Kennedy Presidential Library stated the three justices “were chosen in recognition of the political courage and judicial independence each demonstrated in setting aside popular opinion to uphold the basic freedoms and security guaranteed to all citizens under the Iowa constitution.”

More information here.

The Future and Promise of Interfaith Dialogue

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:17:00 -0600

Seyyed Hossein Nasr is a professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, as well as an Islamic philosopher, poet and prominent scholar of Islamic, religious and comparative studies.

On Friday, February 22, he will present The Future and Promise of Interfaith Dialogue, the annual al-Ghazali Lecture at Elmhurst College.

The author of more than twenty scholarly books, two books of poetry and 500 articles, Nasr was the first Muslim to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh, and in 2000 a volume was devoted to him in the Library of Living Philosophers.

The annual al-Ghazali Lecture is part of the religious lecture series at Elmhurst College. Each year, the series presents interesting and informative talks from several religious traditions. Elmhurst College’s Muslim lecture is named after al-Ghazali (1058-1111 C.E.), a Muslim theologian whose emphasis on personal religious experience changed the course of Islam and continues to challenge devotees and scholars of religion to this day.

More information here.

Sustainable Justice for Marginalized Communities

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:28:00 -0600

Sylvia Hood Washington’s pioneering book, "Packing Them In: An Archaeology of Environmental Racism in Chicago, 1865-1954," documents how generations of Chicago's poor, working class and ethnic minority residents have suffered disproportionately from the harmful effects of pollution.

A scholar trained in technology, the environment and medicine, Washington will talk about her work on February 12 when she presents Sustainable Justice for Marginalized Communities, this year’s Martin Luther King Jr.

Intercultural Lecture at Elmhurst College.

Washington teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and recently was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn to sit on Illinois’ first Environmental Justice Commission. She also is the founder of and chief environmental research scientist for Environmental Health Research Associates, LLC.

As an environmental epidemiologist, engineer and historian, Washington has spent decades researching the impact of industrial pollution on human health and ecosystems. She also consults regularly with environmental law firms and grass roots community groups to help them understand the history and impact of industrial operations, transportation systems and municipal planning on human health and environmental health disparities.

full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 10 graduate degree programs.

Purchase tickets here

Lisa Sowle Cahill on Bioethics, Justice, and the Common Good

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:23:00 -0500

Lisa Sowle Cahill is a longtime professor of theology at Boston College and a past president of the Society of Christian Ethics. One of her main research interests is bioethics, the study of the profound philosophical implications of biological and medical procedures, treatments, and technologies.

Cahill has advised U.S. bishops on issues surrounding AIDS, and presented at the Vatican about women’s health care. She is noted for her work in the areas of Catholic social ethics, sex and gender ethics, and the history of Christian ethics.

She will present "Bioethics, Justice, and the Common Good," the 2012 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Lecture, on Wednesday, November 14, at Elmhurst College.

The recipient of the 2008 John Courtner Murray Award from the Catholic Theological Society of America for her “outstanding and influential contributions in diverse areas of Christian ethics,” Cahill is the author of eight books and editor of five others, including Love Your Enemies: Discipleship, Pacifism, and Just War Theory, Theological Bioethics: Participation, Justice, and Change, and Genetics, Theology, Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Conversation. Cahill is the J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor at Boston College, and also has been a member of the Catholic Health Association Theology and Ethics Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Board for Ethics in Reproduction, and the March of Dimes National Bioethics Committee. She has given testimony to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission on fetal tissue research and on cloning.

Bioethics, Justice, and the Common Good will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center (190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst, www.elmhurst.edu/campusmap). Admission is $10 for the general public and free for Elmhurst College students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Tickets are available at the door or by visiting www.elmhurst.edu/tix. For more information, call 630-617-3390.

Internet Safety, Social Media, and the Law

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:35:00 -0500

With a long history as an educator and social worker who has worked locally and globally on behalf of children, Sarah Migas is now the Internet Safety Specialist for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Migas will present Power On to Shut Down: Responsibility and Legality in the Age of Social Media on Monday, October 29, at Elmhurst College.

She is a 14-year veteran in the field of social work, having served as a child advocate in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Fairbanks, Alaska, a treatment counselor in a residential facility for children in Portland, Oregon, and as a child welfare specialist at Catholic Charities in Chicago. She also has taught in the Chicago Public Schools system and is an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Dominican University.

Elmhurst College is a leading liberal arts college located eight miles west of Chicago. The college’s mission is to prepare its students for meaningful and ethical work in a multicultural, global society. Approximately 3,400 full- and part-time students are enrolled in its 23 undergraduate academic departments and 11 graduate degree programs.

Maria Klawe: Giving Women the Access Code

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:09:00 -0500

When Maria Klawe became president of Harvey Mudd College in 2006, she was dismayed to find that the percentage of female computer science graduates from the college was stuck in the single digits.

A renowned computer scientist and scholar, Klawe turned that figure around dramatically, and in 2012 more than 40 percent of Harvey Mudd’s computer science degrees went to women. The statistic is even more startling when compared nationally, where women account for only 14 percent of college graduates in the field.

Klawe will tell Harvey Mudd College’s turnaround story at Elmhurst College when she presents "Giving Women the Access Code," part of Elmhurst’s yearlong Science, Technology and Society lecture series.

In the U.S., women hold fewer than 25 percent of the jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM) fields, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Klawe’s work at Harvey Mudd sent ripples throughout the tech industry. In a recent Business Week article, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledged his company’s struggle to find women for technical roles and executive positions. “We need to keep more women interested longer in their lives in STEM subjects,” he said. Klawe’s work at Harvey Mudd “gives us something good to emulate.”

Klawe is one of the ten members of the board of Microsoft Corporation, a board member of Broadcom Corporation and the nonprofit Math for America, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and a trustee for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. Before joining Harvey Mudd College, Klawe served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University.