Notable Lectures And Performances At Colorado College

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.

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 care and world hunger. Recorded September 15, 2009.

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 Foundations have pledged $1 billion and hope to have that matched to keep the Earths temperature from rising no more than 2 degrees C by 2030. Recorded September 15, 2009.

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.

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 Times best seller. Recorded April 1, 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 March 9, 2009.

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. Recorded March 2, 2009.

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 avant-garde. Recorded February 4, 2009.

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.

Betty Bright is a Minneapolis-based curator and critic of the book arts. In this slide-illustrated talk, she will explore the role of The Press at Colorado College on the national book arts scene. Bright's discussion will focus on the work of James Trissel at The Press between 1978 and 1998. Her lecture is the final event in Pressfest 2008, a celebration of the work of The Press at Colorado College, now in its 30th year.

A high-profile senior analyst for CNN and staff writer for The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin is one of the country's most esteemed experts on politics, media and the law. The author of critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers, Toobin's 2007 book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, delves into the historical, political and personal inner workings of the Supreme Court and its justices to reveal the inside story of one of America's most mysterious and powerful institutions. Recorded August 23, 2008.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins was the 2008 commencement speaker. Collins became a household name when, in 2001, he was named Poet Laureate of the United States, a position he held for two years. He subsequently served as New York State Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006.

Gale Norton served as the 48th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2001-2006. The first woman to head the 153-year-old department, Norton made what she calls the Four C's the cornerstone of her tenure: Consultation, Communications, and Cooperation, all the the service of Conservation. At the heart of the Four C's is the belief that for conservation to be successful, the government must involve the people who live and work on the land. Recorded April 7, 2008.

John Riker, professor of philosophy at Colorado College, is the author of "Human Excellence and an Ecological Conception of the Self" and "Ethics and the Discovery of the Unconscious." Recorded March 6, 2008.

Legendary singer, songwriter, actress and human rights activist Odetta will perform as part of CC's Black History Celebration. Dubbed by Martin Luther King, Jr. as the "Queen of American Folk Music", she has been cited as the main influence of artists such as Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tracy Chapman, Carly Simon and Jewel. Her most recent album, "Gonna Let it Shine," received a 2007 Grammy nod and Real Blues Magazine referred to it as "the most important album of this generation." Recorded February 21, 2008.

Accomplished comedienne, writer, actress and singer Sandra Bernhard presents the 2008 Cornerstone Arts Week performance. Defying neat categorization, Bernhard is irreverent, intellectual, bawdy, and above all, wildly entertaining. With laser-sharp insight, Bernhard addresses issues ranging from the war in Iraq to the endless media coverage of minor starlets. Through music, storytelling and commentary, Bernhard questions how we determine what is authentic within a media-saturated world. Recorded February 6, 2008.

Joel Salatin is on the forefront of what may be the most important global issue facing the world today: How to create a world food system not enslaved by multinational corporations and governmental subsidies. Named the most innovative farmer in the nation, he is an articulate voice of the natural food movement, whose holistic approach is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Salatin will discuss how, for the first time in history, most food is consumed without an awareness of its place, heritage, social or spiritual implications. Recorded January 24, 2008.

Bill Ritter Jr. was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006 -- the first Colorado-born governor in more than 35 years. The sixth of 12 children, Gov. Ritter was raised on a small farm in Arapahoe County. He was a member of the first graduating class of Gateway High School (1974), and earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado State University (1978) and his law degree from the University of Colorado (1981). His first job out of law school was as a deputy district attorney in Denver. In 1987, Ritter and his wife, Jeannie Ritter, left Denver to run a food distribution and nutrition center in Zambia, Africa. They returned home in 1990, and three years later Ritter was appointed as Denver's top prosecutor, a position he held until January 2005.

Greg Mortenson, author of the New York Times best-selling book "Three Cups of Tea," will discuss his experiences in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since 1997, Mortenson's Central Asia Institute has raised funds to build 64 schools in remote tribal areas of the two countries. Mortenson puts a fresh -- and effective -- face on international security and the potential of one person as a force of positive influence. Image courtesy Greg Mortenson, Central Asia Institute. Recorded January 15, 2008.