Our Lectures

Endowed Chairs

Endowed Chair awards offer select faculty members the chance to bring educational programming to campus for the benefit of their students, colleagues and the public. Many faculty members have invited expert speakers to campus; among them are authors, television commentators and even a Nobel Prize winner.

Upcoming Lectures

October 24, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Richard Reitano Endowed Faculty Chair in the Social Sciences: Dynamic Panel Discussion on the 2024 Presidential Election and Its Global Impact

As the dust settles from the November 5th election, the world will be watching to see how the results shape the future. The outcome of the 2024 presidential election will have profound implications for the United States' role in global affairs, particularly in Ukraine, the Middle East and China. We invite you to an insightful and robust panel discussion where four leading foreign policy experts will delve into the significance of foreign affairs in Kamala Harris’ and Donald J. Trump’s campaigns. They will explore what these election results could mean for U.S. leadership on the world stage in 2025 and beyond. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how the choices made by American voters will influence the global landscape. Your presence will enrich the conversation as we explore the pivotal questions facing our world. 

November 21, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Handel Family Endowed Chair to Perpetuate the Legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Roosevelts and Civil Rights - Perspectives on the FDR Library and Museum’s Special Exhibition

Did the Roosevelts’ actions during the mid-20th century civil rights movement fall short, or did they help lay the foundation for future progress—and what can this complex history teach us about today’s ongoing fight for social justice?

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum’s special exhibition, “Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932-1962,” offers fresh perspectives on the Roosevelts’ intervention in the struggle for Black equality during the Jim Crow era. Through previously unseen letters, images and recordings, the exhibit examines their efforts, with Eleanor Roosevelt’s collaboration with Black civil rights leaders serving as a notable example.

Join a panel of civil rights scholars, researchers and educators as they share insights into the exhibit’s creation, public response and what this pivotal time can teach us about the continued struggle for racial equity.

Panelists: 

Dr. Taneisha N. Means
Associate Professor of Political Science, Vassar College

Jeffrey Urbin
Education Specialist, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Herman Eberhardt
Supervisory Curator, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum