It’s a busy fall for the Lectures Program at Iowa State University! The Catt Center has become a co-sponsor for several more events since we asked everyone to “save the dates” in July. Here is the full list of events for the fall:
Sept. 11: Former ISU professor Charles R. Kniker and former high school English teacher and current minister Dianne Prichard will discuss ways individuals and groups can hold meaningful conversations about today’s political situations, at “Civil Conversations About Democracy? We Need to Talk.” The event is at 7 p.m. in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
Sept. 12: Catt Center director Karen M. Kedrowski will present “The History of Presidential Debates, 1960-Present.” In addition to providing a historical perspective of presidential debates, Kedrowski will discuss what we’ve seen so far in the 2024 election season. The lecture will be at 6 p.m. in 2630 Memorial Union.
Oct. 1: Drew Klein, regional vice president with Americans for Prosperity, will present “Partisanship and Policy: A Complicated Relationship.” The talk is at 6 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.
Oct. 3: Nicholas Jacobs and Daniel Shea, authors of “The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America,” will discuss the research for their book and the implications of their findings. The lecture will be at 6 p.m. in Dolezal Auditorium, 0127 Curtiss Hall (new location!)
Oct. 8: Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice, will present the Fall 2024 Manatt-Phelps Lecture, “How To Prevent Election Subversion in 2024 and Beyond.” The event will be at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.
Oct. 9: Paul Houston, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and assistant director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for Threat Investigations and Analysis, will participate in “Threat Investigations and Analysis: A Conversation About Diplomatic Security Careers.” The event, a conversation with students moderated by Catt Center director Karen Kedrowski, is at 5:30 p.m. in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union.
Oct. 9: The Catt Center is co-sponsoring a Jazz Night featuring politically themed music with the Department of Music and Theatre at 7:30 from 5-9 p.m. in the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in Simon Estes Music Hall ($5 admission; tickets available at the door). Between the performances, the Catt Center’s student voter engagement interns will be registering voters. Livestream is available for the performances.
Oct. 14: Sally Kohn, media trainer and public speaking coach and former political commentator on CNN and Fox News, will present “Agitating and Organizing 101” at 6 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.
Oct. 17: IPR’s River to River is taking “Politics Day,” their weekly politics show, on the road to capture the perspectives of young voters – considered to be swing voters – as we approach the 2024 election. This panel discussion, featuring Karen Kedrowski and student panelists from various campus organizations, will be at 6 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Memorial Union. Attendees can also register to vote at the event thanks to the Catt Center’s #CyclonesVote program.
Information about all Catt Center events is posted on the Events page on our website as it becomes available.