Co-Chairs: Carolyn Setlow and Ellen Sills-Levy
Mission Statement:
The committee offers to LP2 members, the CUNY community and the general public approximately five public programs per academic year on subjects in the arts, sciences and public affairs. Each program features a distinguished guest speaker, followed by audience Q and A. These programs
- Offer stimulating, thought-provoking programs, with the opportunity to question leaders in their fields
- Make a valuable contribution not only to LP2 members and the broader CUNY community, but also to the general public
- Support the marketing and recruiting efforts of LP2 and the CUNY Graduate Center through related press releases and other outreach.
Objectives for the Next Two Years
The committee hopes to continue to attract excellent speakers on fascinating subjects in order to attract growing audiences among LP2 members, the CUNY community and the public.
Fridays@1 hosted a great roster of speakers in 2023-24: Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Horse, March, Year of Wonders, and others; Stephen Vladeck, professor and expert on the Supreme Court, and author of The Shadow Docket; Jeff Goodell, expert on the environment and author of It’s the Heat That Will Kill You; Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Trust; and Peter Beinart, professor, editor. and journalist; and Rabbi David Wolpe, thought leaders on the future of Israel. We hope to continue on this path in 2024-25 and 2025-2026.
Committee Activities
- Generate ideas of interesting speakers, and attend committee meetings as needed to discuss and agree upon our top choices for the coming year;
- Coordinate with the CUNY Graduate Center’s office of Academic Initiatives and Strategic Innovation (AISI) in the scheduling of dates for Fridays@1 events for the coming academic year;
- Recruit preferred speakers and a committee member or other LP2 member to host the event, ask questions, etc.;
- In a timely way, provide to the LP2 Marketing Committee, AISI and the editor of The Observer program descriptions, speakers’ bios and photos. Also provide AISI with speakers’ signed release forms and tschedule a tech rehearsal for webinars.
Desirable Skills and Experience for Committee Members:
Ideal members meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Have an interest in current affairs, arts or sciences; and attend or watch lectures, read books or book reviews, and solicit ideas from other LP2 members, with an eye toward identifying possible speakers for Fridays@1 programs.
- Enjoy brainstorming with others, with a goal of reaching consensus about preferred speakers.
- Be experienced with speaking in front of audiences, or at least comfortable interviewing or questioning speakers;
- Be willing to assume some administrative responsibilities for coordinating with AISI, the editor of the The Observer, and the LP2 Marketing Committee.
Committee Member Selection Process and Terms:
New members will be selected by the co-chairs as needed, in consultation with the committee members and the head of the LP2 Advisory Board. We would welcome one or two new members to the committee.
[Spring 2024]
