New College Announces ‘New Topics’ 2014-15 Series
The upcoming New Topics New College discussion series takes audiences to Broadway and Hollywood, inside arson investigations, even into the human brain, and will examine some of America’s most pressing issues, from the disappearance of the middle class to the rise of extremist groups and the looming effects of climate change on Florida.
The six-program series, a collaboration of New College of Florida and the New College Foundation, brings nationally-known experts to Sarasota for lectures on timely topics, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.
The topics and speakers for this academic year are:
- “Reclaiming the American Dream,” with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hedrick Smith (Oct. 30)
- “Composing for Broadway, Film and TV,” with composer David Krane (Nov. 18)
- “Traumatic Brain Injury Research,” with Dr. Fiona Crawford of the Roskamp Institute (Dec. 4)
- “The State of Hate and Extremism,” with Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center (Feb. 19)
- “Florida – The Canary in the Climate Change Coal Mine,” with Dr. Jeff Chanton, NCF ‘71, professor of oceanography at Florida State University (March 5)
- “Burning Questions,” with arson investigator John Lentini, NCF ’69, (March 19).
All programs are at 5:30 p.m. in the Mildred Sainer Pavilion on New College’s Caples Campus, 5313 Bay Shore Road (immediately south of the Ringling Museum). Tickets are $20 for individual events or $100 for the series. For reservations and information, call the New College Events Hotline at 487-4888 or visit donate.ncf.edu. More information is available at ncf.edu/new-topics-new-college.
Media sponsors for the season are the Herald-Tribune Media Group and WEDU-TV. Corporate sponsors are Courtyard by Marriott Hotels and Treviso restaurant.
NEW TOPICS NEW COLLEGE 2014-2015 SEASON
Thursday, October 30, 2014 | 5:30 PM
“Reclaiming the America Dream” with Hedrick Smith
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
To get America back on track and reclaim the Dream, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Hedrick Smith says we must restore the middle – the middle class and the political middle. That means understanding how we lost the middle and became Two Americas, divided by money and power. Drawing on his best-selling book, “Who Stole the American Dream?” Smith traces America’s shift from the shared prosperity and bipartisan politics of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, to today’s hyper-wealth and democracy in peril.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 | 5:30 PM
“Composing for Broadway, Film and TV” with David Krane
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
A protégé of Leonard Bernstein, composer David Krane has written, arranged and/or orchestrated music for dozens of Broadway & TV musicals including the currently running revival of “Cabaret,” as well as the Oscar winning film version of “Chicago,” and the upcoming film version of “Into The Woods” premiering Christmas Day. What does it take to create a musical? How is it done differently for Broadway, TV or film? In an interview format with New Music Professor Steve Miles, Krane will share his many stories working with legends such as Liza Minnelli, Carol Burnett, Meryl Streep, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Michael Douglas, and more.
Thursday, December 4, 2014 | 5:30 PM
“Traumatic Brain Injury Research” with Dr. Fiona Crawford
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
Dr. Fiona Crawford, President of the Roskamp Institute and Director of Military Research Programs will discuss the Institute’s TBI research program. Their work uses laboratory models of TBI to identify and test novel targets for therapeutic intervention, which can then be translated into clinical practice. Dr. Crawford will present the latest research findings and explore the relationship between TBI and subsequent development of neurodegenerative diseases. With over 1 million traumatic brain injuries in the US each year, TBI is a common and major health problem. In addition, TBI accounts for a large proportion of soldiers’ casualties who have survived conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thursday, February 19, 2015 | 5:30 PM
“The State of Hate and Extremism” with Heidi Beirich
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
Heidi Beirich is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project. She is an expert on the hate and antigovernment movements and the growing domestic terrorist threat they pose. Beirich has written extensively about these topics in the SPLC’s Intelligence Report and on its blog Hatewatch and is co-editor of Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction. She will discuss the rising tide of hate this country is experiencing and the factors that are driving this backlash to America’s increasingly diverse society.
Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5:30 PM
“Florida – The Canary in the Climate Change Coal Mine” with Dr. Jeff Chanton
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
Jeff Chanton (New College ’71) is a climate scientist and professor of oceanography at Florida State University. Chanton will review the last million years of climate and sea-level history and place today’s world in that context, with an eye towards the future. More than any state, Florida is vulnerable to climate change effects as expressed by the response of the ocean’s level.
Thursday, March 19, 2015 | 5:30 PM
“Burning Questions” with John Lentini
Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road. Tickets $20; free for New College faculty, staff and students. Reserve online at donate.ncf.edu/events or call 941-487-4888
John “Jay” Lentini (New College `69) has investigated more than 2,000 fire scenes and been called to testify as an expert witness on more than 200 occasions all around the United States and Canada. He is one of the leading advocates for improving the scientific quality in fire and arson investigation. One reason for his desire to see things improve is his experience in watching prosecutors or insurance companies falsely accuse innocent citizens of arson. He will discuss the current state of the art and present some of his more high profile cases.