University Lecture Series

Hasan Minhaj tells jokes and truths in his University Lecture
By Isaac Napell
October 28, 2017 - 11:36am
Review: 'The Daily Show' correspondent discusses being a Muslim in Trump's America.

Comedian and Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj spoke before a sold-out crowd in the Goldstein Auditorium Friday evening. Minhaj, who made national news when he hosted the first White House Correspondents' Dinner of the Trump era, spoke at length about the place that Muslims hold in American culture before taking questions from Osamah F. Khalil, an associate professor of history, as well as from students. 

Writer Sonia Nazario shares her views on immigration in final University Lecture
By Adam Betz
April 6, 2017 - 12:03am
Nazario also talks about her tumultuous journey behind her Pulitzer Prize winning work.

Sonia Nazario’s desire to be a journalist started when other journalists’ lives ended.

After her father died, her family moved from Kansas to Argentina during the country’s Dirty War, when the Argentine military dictatorship tortured and killed tens of thousands of suspected dissindents. One day, a young Nazario came across a pool of blood on the sidewalk. She learned that two journalists were killed for writing about what was going on in their country.

Bre Pettis discusses technology, innovation at University Lectures Series
By Shradha Rao
October 4, 2016 - 7:40pm
Students gather at the first University Lecture of the year to hear advice from the leader in 3D printing technology.

Innovator and technology evangelist Bre Pettis kicked off the University Lectures Series with an inspiring lecture Tuesday in Hendricks Chapel.

'Serial' host Sarah Koenig speaks about her 'pop culture' podcast
By Georgie Silvarole
April 12, 2016 - 9:57pm
The executive producer and host of the popular podcast series was the final speaker in this year's University Lecture Series.

One story, told week by week.

The familiar introduction — eerie chords, snippets of conversations, soundbites pulled from an incomplete puzzle — rang throughout Hendricks Chapel on Tuesday evening.

Best-selling author Naomi Klein thinks 'transition is coming' in fight against climate change
By Anna Gibertini
November 4, 2015 - 11:24am
In the last University Lecture of 2015, Klein urged students to continue to act as part of a global network of social justice.

By November, the fear of imminent and endless snow weighs heavily on everyone’s mind in Syracuse. No surprise than that the uncharacteristically balmy 70-degree weather Tuesday delighted most students.

But for author and environmentalist Naomi Klein, this delightful weather only further proved the perturbing and unabated rise in temperature associated with climate change.

“This is the warmest early November weather recorded in 38 years,” Klein said in her opening remarks. “Right now, 2015 is shaping up to be the warmest year recorded, just as 2014 was the year previously.”

'New York Times' columnists talk racial inequality
By Jessie Yuqing Shi
October 14, 2015 - 12:47am
The third University Lecture of the semester featured Charles Blow and Ross Douthat, who spoke about modern issues and politics of race in America.

Columnist Charles Blow and blogger Ross Douthat spoke about racial inequality in black communities and how the digital media helped to address the issue at Hendricks Chapel on Tuesday night for the latest University Lecture Series.

Writer Cheryl Strayed visits alma mater to discuss ‘Wild’ in Hendricks Chapel
By Megan Callahan
October 8, 2015 - 8:16am
New York Times best-selling author talks life, writing, and the everyday struggles of being human.

After losing her mother to cancer, leaving college and dabbling in drugs and promiscuity, Cheryl Strayed took a hike. At 22, she didn’t know that hiking the Pacific Crest Trail would change her life forever and ultimately help reveal her true identity as a writer.

Pianist Leon Fleisher performs and discusses his work at first University Lecture in Hendricks Chapel
By Remy Reynolds
September 30, 2015 - 1:01pm
The pianist overcame injury to his right hand and found a passion for teaching music.

For most people, a tiny cut to the thumb would hardly be life-changing. But for Leon Fleisher, world-renowned pianist, a small slice diverted his career as a soloist for more than three decades.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, in a humid Hendricks Chapel, Fleisher offered anecdotes and advice drawn from his career as a pianist, recording artist, educator and conductor.

University Lecture series announces 2015-2016 lineup including 'Wild' author and 'Serial' creators
By Stephen Connors
April 27, 2015 - 11:33pm
This upcoming year marks the 15th season of the SU campus speaker series and will bring a musician and authors, among others.

Update (5/5): Don Garber, commissoner of Major League Soccer, has been added to the schedule for March 22 as a speaker for the University Lecture Series.

University Lectures announced its schedule for the 2015-2016 school year, which includes a new batch of speakers for the 15th season of the University Lecture Series. Free to the public, all lectures will take place at Hendricks Chapel.

National Geographic photographer speaks on power of photography, representation in media
By Benjamin Fang
March 25, 2015 - 1:10pm
Annie Griffiths' speech Tuesday night concluded this year's University Lecture Series.

From the Taj Mahal to the Dead Sea, Argentina to Namibia, Annie Griffiths has traveled through six continents. And she has the pictures to prove it.

The National Geographic photographer delivered the last University Lecture of the year Tuesday night in Hendricks Chapel. Displaying her dazzling array of beautifully crafted photos on a projector, Griffiths spoke about her journey documenting the world.