The University Lecture series at Syracuse University for the fall semester kicks off Tuesday, featuring three speakers.

Bre Pettis, one of the creators of 3D printing, will be the first speaker to appear in the series followed by Lynsey Addario, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and James Corner,  the designer of the New York City High Line.

“The emphasis is on finding speakers that the entire university community would find interesting, compelling and provoking,” said Barbara Stripling, co-chair of the University Lecture committee and senior associate dean and associate professor of practice at SU’s School of Information Studies.

All of the lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel and are free and open to the public.

Stripling said she thinks Pettis, one of the 3D printing creators, is really going to promote the audience to think in new ways about the possibilities of technology to empower everyone to create. She added that he will inspire people to not be afraid to try something new and take risks.

“He has continued to think about the intersection of technology and ideas in our society and I think he’ll push us to think quite a bit,” Stripling said.

Addario will give her lecture on Oct. 18. She has pursued photography in dangerous places, such as Afghanistan, Stripling said. She uses her work to not only document but also to engage her audience in a personal way with parts of the world and experiences they never would have had on their own. Stripling said her work shows the true nature of developing empathy. Addario’s lecture, Stripling added, will likely inspire the audience to get involved and understand what others are experiencing.

Corner is closing out the fall series on Nov. 10. Stripling said the fact he created the High Line out of an old abandoned path is very impressive. She said she thinks his insights about architecture as a part of the community will be interesting, even to those without a background in architecture.

Stripling said the lecture series is a wonderful connection to real world issues and inspirations. She said she hopes everyone who attends gets some kind of personal connection from the lecture, because it’s not an event meant for people to just “get some facts.” She added that she hopes it opens doors to different pursuits for both SU students, faculty, staff and community members.

“We have made a conscious effort to find speakers who represent different subject matter, different ethnicities and different points of view,” Stripling said.

The speakers were chosen based on input from the University Lecture advisory committee and feedback from the SU community.

The committee was created last fall to take on Esther Gray responsibilities. Gray formerly organized the series, but retired last year. The committee represents all of the schools and colleges on the SU campus, and includes one student representative — Student Association President Eric Evangelista.

“He has a great contact with the student body,” Stripling said.

Everyone on the committee was responsible for “sending out feelers” about who they may be interested in bringing. The committee paid a lot of attention to student feedback and student interest when deciding who to bring on campus, Stripling said.

This year the fall and spring speakers were not announced in conjunction. The speakers for the spring will be announced later in the semester. The lectures are funded by Robert B. Menschel, who graduated from SU in 1951, and through partnerships with SU schools and colleges.

Published on October 4, 2016 at 12:57 pm

Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB