Before your calendar fills up with family obligations and work commitments this fall, be sure to add a few lectures to the mix. Here's a look at five lectures you may find particularly interesting or entertaining. Check online periodically for an updated list of fall lectures. Admission is free to all lectures.
Erskine Bowles, "A Conversation on the National Debt," Sept. 13 (8 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall)
Erskine Bowles is president emeritus of the University of North Carolina, where he served as president from 2005 to 2010. During his last year as UNC president, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to co-chair a bipartisan national commission on how to improve the country’s fiscal health. Prior to his time at UNC, Bowles was director of the Small Business Administration and President Bill Clinton's chief of staff. In that role, he helped negotiate a balanced federal budget. Bowles later became United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to coordinate the global response to the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004.
Bowles' address is the keynote speech on the eve of Iowa State president Steven Leath's installation Sept. 14.
Adam Davidson and Alex Blumberg, "Planet Money LIVE," Sept. 19 (8 p.m., MU Great Hall)
National Public Radio’s Adam Davidson and This American Life’s Alex Blumberg team up to explain money and economics in an informative yet entertaining live stage show. Adapted from a popular NPR podcast and a segment on This American Life, "Planet Money LIVE" tackles complex economic issues with wit and humor. Davidson and Blumberg also jointly produced an award-winning documentary on the subprime mortgage crisis, The Giant Pool of Money.
Bill Nye (The Science Guy), "You Can Change the World," Sept. 21 (7 p.m., Stephens Auditorium)
Here's a lecture the kids might enjoy, too. Bill Nye the Science Guy combines science and comedy weekly on a Disney Channel series to make science entertaining for both children and adults. He has appeared on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club, Late Night with David Letterman and many other television and radio shows. Nye earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and previously worked as an engineer at Boeing.
Candy Crowley, Fall 2012 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics, Nov. 13 (7:30 p.m., MU Sun Room)
Candy Crowley is CNN's chief political correspondent, leading the network's coverage of presidential, congressional and gubernatorial races and major legislative developments on Capitol Hill. She also anchors State of the Union with Candy Crowley, an hour of political newsmaker interviews and analysis of the week’s important issues. Crowley has worked as a White House correspondent for the Associated Press, a correspondent for NBC News and a congressional correspondent for CNN. Recent honors include the 2005 Edward R. Murrow Award and the Joan Shorenstein Barone Award for excellence in journalism for her reporting on the 2004 presidential election.
Rob Riggle, Adam Lowitt and Al Madrigal, "The Daily Show Live -- Indecision Tour 2012," Nov. 30 (8 p.m., Stephens)
Enjoy an evening of comedy, politics and news, featuring two correspondents and a writer-producer from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Rob Riggle, Al Madrigal and Adam Lowitt will offer postelection coverage and an inside look at how The Daily Show is produced. The trio also will take questions from the audience.
Actor and comedian Riggle also is an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve, a former Saturday Night Live cast member and has appeared in films like The Hangover and The Other Guys. Lowitt is co-executive producer and a writer for The Daily Show, and Madrigal co-starred in the sitcom Gary Unmarried with Jay Mohr and appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson shows.
