2000s

2000 November

Natalie Goldberg
author

Presentation: Renowned author, Natalie Goldberg, shared her writing and inspirations, painting and Zen Buddhism.  She provided insight of her artistic life in a highly anticipated book signing.  Goldberg is the author of 9 books.  [sponsored by the Wyman Performing Arts and Speakers Series and several other departments]

2001
November

Paul DeMain, publisher of Indian Country Communications; Stephanie Popovich, a Marketing Communications student; Laura Waterman Wittstock, president of Migizi Communications; and Mike Ducan, music director and chief announcer at Native American radio station WOJB

Panel: on the Lack of Knowledge About Native American Culture, Four Native American speakers discussed the general media's lack of knowledge of Native Americans and their history  [sponsored by the Journalism Department and a grant from the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity]

2002
April

Anthony Braxton
woodwind player and professor of music at Weslyan University

Concert: Guest composer and jazz musician Anthony Braxton was commissioned for a performance in the Abbott Concert Hall; Braxton is considered a transidomatic composer, incorporating music from many different style periods and transitions [35th Annual Commissioned Composer Concert]

2002
May

Eva Palma
editor of La  Prensa

Lecture: "The Importance of Newspapers for the Latino Community," Palma spoke to an audience of students and faculty; "We are not just a Mexican newspaper, we are just a community paper for Latinos," she said; throughout the lecture she talked about the importance of her paper for the Latino community

2007
October 2

Stephen Feinstein
director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota, and emeritus professor of History at UWRF

Lecture: "When 'Never Again' is a Cliché: The Complicated Role of Rescuers in Genocide" [inaugural lecture of the Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department and the College of Arts and Sciences]

2007
November 14

damali ayo
author, conceptual artists, performance artist; in 2003 she created the web-art-performance "rent-a-negro.com," and in 2005 received an Honorable Mention in the Outstanding Book Awards from the Gustavus Meyers Center for the Study of Biogtry and Human Rights for her corresponding book on "How To Rent A Negro"

  image by Kenny Yoo, Student Voice

Lecture: "I Can Fix It!: Racism," took place in the North Hall auditorium and nearly filled the venue; drawing on her own personal experiences, ayo showed the audience how to improve handling of race with 10 solutions to create healthier interactions among races

In preparation for her talk, a discussion group was developed using funds from the Diversity Action Committee to help students explore some of the content of her book

[sponsored by Student Services]

2008
October 15

Richard Fried
History professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago [now Emeritus] and renowned scholar on Senator Joseph McCarthy

Lecture: "Joseph McCarthy and His Times: Fifty Years Later," Dr. Fried provided enlightenment and insight on the era associated with the infamous senator from Wisconsin [second annual lecture of the Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department and the College of Arts and Sciences]

2009
March 25

M. James Benson
president emeritus of Bemidji State University

Lecture: "Re-inventing Community: Creating and Aligning Your Assets," by the spring 2009 Executive-in-Residence [sponsored by the College of Business and Economics]

2009
March 31

Tim Wise
prominent anti-racist writer and activist

Lecture: "Beyond Diversity: Challenging Racism in an Age of Backlash," held in the North Hall auditorium

2009
October 1-2

Scott Russell Sanders
novelist, essayist, and professor of English and Indiana University

Conference: Sanders read from his latest work, A Conservationist Manifesto, and gave the keynote address at the third annual Undergraduate Conference on Critical and Creative Engagement

2009
October 6

Teresa Daly
former U.S. congressional candidate, and human resources expert and career consultant

Lecture: "Women in Leadership: What Are We Missing?" Daly shared her research on why the number of women at the top of corporate leadership has stagnated at 15 percent over the past decade; she also addressed issues of entrenched male-style organizational structure, stages of personal power, and the need for women to mentor other women [Lydecker Lecture Series, sponsored by the Women's Leadership and Philanthropy Initiative of the UWRF Foundation and by the UWRF Women's Studies program]

2009
October 8

Margaret Keating
Hallmark Cards executive and UWRF alumna

Lecture: "When You Care Enough," presented by this year's Executive-in-Residence, outlined how she implements solutions that are consistent with Hallmark Cards' corporate beliefs and values [sponsored by the College of Business and Economics]

2009
October 21

Eric D. Weitz
History professor at the University of Minnesota

Lecture: "Human Rights: A Revisionist History from the French Revolution to the Present," Dr. Weitz presented a critical and complex history of human rights that is international in scope and that "dismantles the teleology of empires to nation-states and intertwines crimes and rights into a common narrative" [third annual lecture of the Edward N. Peterson Lecture Series, sponsored by the History and Philosophy Department]

2009
October 29

Hassan Eibakar
a native of Somali, Dr. Eibaker has had a varied career in Somali and the United States

Lecture: "Media Coverage of the Somali Community," Dr. Eibaker operates the Warsan Times, a monthly newspaper aimed at informing and educating people on current Somali and East African issues [Working Journalists Series, sponsored by the Journalism Department]

2009
November 19

Frank Sentwali
Twin Cities spoken word artist

Performance: The Spoken Word Poetry Jam featured Sentwali and an open microphone segment; spoken word poetry emphasizes the tone of the human voice, which adds another layer of meaning for interpretation