Topic: Speakers
January 30, 2014
Manjula Talreja, spring speaker
Jeff Selingo and Rich DeMillo will discuss the future of higher education in separate visits to Ball State University. This spring’s schedule of prominent speakers also includes philanthropist Lauren Bush Lauren, ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen and Letterman Series lecturers Manjula Talreja and Eric King Watts.
Selingo, author of “College (Un)bound: The Future of Higher Education,” is the former top editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. During his presentation at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in Pruis Hall, he will explore the college of tomorrow — how families will pay, what campuses will look like, how students will learn and what skills will lead to success in the job market.
Now a contributing editor for The Chronicle and professor of practice at Arizona State University, Selingo has spent his journalism career covering the business of colleges and universities worldwide. His work focuses on innovation in higher education and how students, parents and employers should value one of the biggest purchases in life, the college degree.
Six days earlier, Rich DeMillo, distinguished professor of computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology and director of the Center for 21st Century Universities, will speak about “New Ecosystems for Higher Education: The Road Ahead.” His talk will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in Pruis Hall.
DeMillo, a Lumina Foundation fellow and chief scientist at the Qatar Computing Research Institute, will discuss how 2012 brought a global conversation about the nature and value of universities that defined a new ecosystem for higher education and looks to the road that lies ahead.
Both Selingo’s and DeMillo’s visits are sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Academic Long-Range Planning Steering Committee.
Other speakers visiting campus this spring include:
• Lauren Bush Lauren, co-founder of FEED Projects, a charitable company with the mission of creating good products that help feed the world, will speak at 7:30 p.m. March 3 in Pruis Hall. Her presentation is "Philanthropy, Leadership and Entrepreneurship: Starting FEED projects." Her appearance is part of Ball State’s Excellence in Leadership (EIL) Speaker Series.
• Bill Rasmussen, who is credited with changing the face of sports and television when he founded ESPN in 1978, will discuss "Building the World Wide Leader: Leadership Lessons from the Founder of ESPN" at 7:30 p.m. March 24 in Emens Auditorium. His appearance is part of Ball State’s Excellence in Leadership (EIL) Speaker Series.
• Manjula Talreja, vice president of global cloud business development for Cisco, will speak on “The Internet of Everything” at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in the Alumni Center. Her visit is part of the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series.
• Eric King Watts, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present “For Entertainment Purposes Only? Zombie Media and Apocalyptic Preparedness” at 7:30 p.m. April 2 in Pittenger Student Center Cardinal Hall. His visit is part of the David Letterman Distinguished Professional Lecture and Workshop Series.
By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist