ALMA — “Navigating Change Together” is the theme of the 2023-24 Scot Speaker Series.
The college will come together for the first of three events highlighting our changing world, “Art, Design and Change,” on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m., in the Walser Sanctuary of the Thomas Andison Chapel. The event, free and open to the public, features a combination of activities, a panel discussion and performances in music, dance and theatre.
“Our world is changing faster and faster every day. Communities need to work together to navigate these changes, while we are more divided as a country than ever,” said Ben Peterson, co-director of the Center for College and Community Engagement (3CE) and lead organizer of the Scot Speaker Series. “In the ‘Navigating Change Together’ series, we explore the transformations our communities face and how we can work together to face them.”
Other events slated for the Scot Speaker Series this fall focus on artificial intelligence and military service. “How Will AI Change Our World?” is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Walser Sanctuary of the Thomas Andison Chapel. At this event, sponsored by the 3CE and the Alma College Mathematics and Computer Science Department, faculty members discuss the ways that AI changes our communities, institutions, relationships and educations.
At “How Military Service Changes Your Perspective,” scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Wright-Leppien Opera House in downtown Alma, a community panel including Alma College faculty and staff, who are military veterans, will discuss how the service changed their perspective and impacted their lives.
“I think that what we have done is collect a series of events that are relevant to the world we live in, feature a level of interactivity between the host and the audience, and integrate members of the local community with our Alma College community,” Peterson said. “I hope everyone who attends finds these to be an engaging, interesting use of their time — and that they want to come back in the spring, when we look forward to a whole new series of events.”
The Scot Speaker Series, formerly known as the Presidential Speaker Series, is designed to bring speakers and events to the communities of Alma College and Alma community that provide meaningful insights into the challenges that face us. It has recently hosted such well-known public figures as David Hogg, Richard Bernstein and Ibram X. Kendi.
For more information, visit alma.edu/scot-speaker-series.