Speakers include an Olympic medalist, an Emmy-winning journalist, and the physician who exposed the Flint water crisis
Tisch College speakers this semester include (clockwise from top left): Mona Hanna, Chris Hayes, Louisa Terrell, Roger Lau (who spoke at a September 17 event), Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Nic Sheff.
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life will host events this semester with an award-winning journalist, visionary authors and activists, groundbreaking civic leaders, and an Olympic medalist.
Featured guests include journalist and author Chris Hayes, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, author Nic Sheff, clean water advocate Dr. Mona Hanna, and former White House Legislative Director Louisa Terrell, among others. Terrell is also a visiting fellow at Tisch College this fall.
Several events will focus on the upcoming election with information for students and community members on how to get involved and mobilize, and guidance on the implications of Massachusetts’ ballot questions from a Tufts expert on state policy.
All events take place on Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus unless otherwise noted. Some events allow for remote viewing and participation.
Visit https://tischcollege.tufts.edu/events for further event details and to register.
Massachusetts Ballot Questions 2024: What You Need to Know Before You Vote
Wednesday, October 9 | 12-1 p.m. | Barnum Hall 104
Massachusetts voters will decide five ballot questions this fall, including whether to legalize psychedelics, eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement, and resolve a stand-off between the legislature and the state auditor. Join a lunch and learn conversation with Evan Horowitz, executive director of Tisch College’s Center for State Policy Analysis (cSPA), as he shares key takeaways and analysis from cSPA’s 2024 ballot question reports and answers your questions. Learn more about what’s on the ballot this November and how it could impact you before you cast your vote. Lunch provided.
Can’t attend in person but interested in the topic? Tisch College will host a webinar on the same subject on October 9 at 6 p.m.
Who Votes and Why: A Deep Dive on American Voters
Thursday, October 10 | 12-1:15 p.m. | Rabb Room, Barnum Hall
What does polling data actually tell us? How do we measure voter enthusiasm? And how does the data change depending on age and gender demographics or educational level? This event will focus on reaching and understanding particular voters and their concerns, featuring guest experts Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Newhouse Director of CIRCLE; Debbie Schildkraut, John Richard Skuse Professor of Political Science; and Louisa Terrell, visiting fellow. Lunch provided.
This event is part of Tisch College’s Election2024 series.
Film Screening: Beautiful Boy
Thursday, October 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Barnum Hall 08
Join a free screening of the critically acclaimed 2018 film Beautiful Boy, starring Timothée Chalamet, Steve Carell, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan. Based on the bestselling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.
Tisch College Solomont Speaker Series: Nic Sheff
Wednesday, October 16 | 6-7 p.m. | Distler Performance Hall, Granoff Music Center
Join Tisch College for a conversation on addiction, recovery, and mental illness with author, producer, advocate, and self-identifying recovering addict Nic Sheff. His struggle with substance use disorder and recovery is the subject of his memoir Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines and the book Beautiful Boy, written by his father, David Sheff.
Tisch College Solomont Speaker Series: Ibtihaj Muhammad
Wednesday, October 23 | 12-1 p.m. | Barnum Hall LL08
Join a conversation on sports, women’s empowerment, and advocacy with Olympic fencing medalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist Ibtihaj Muhammad. An Olympic bronze medalist, five-time Senior World medalist, and World Champion in fencing, Ibtihaj became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab and the first Muslim-American woman to win an Olympic medal, both in 2016. She later became the face of Nike’s first Pro Hijab designed for Muslim female athletes.
Excessive Sentencing and Mass Incarceration in Context
Wednesday, October 23 | 4:30 p.m. | Breed Memorial Hall, 51 Winthrop Street
The panelists at this event will include two students from the MyTERN Program at Tisch College along with award-winning writer and prison reform activist Kenneth Hartman and renowned civil rights lawyer Michael Meltsner.
Tisch College Solomont Speaker Series: Dr. Mona Hanna
Wednesday, November 13 | 3-4 p.m. | DuBlois Auditorium, Tufts Center for Medical Education (Boston Campus)
Join a conversation with physician, scientist, and activist who exposed the Flint water crisis Mona Hanna. Dr. Mona, as she is known, is the associate dean for public health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and the founding director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a public health program of MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Mona is also the author of the New York Times 100 most notable book What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, which was chosen as this year’s selection for the Common Book Program for incoming medical students, a partnership between Tufts University School of Medicine and Tisch College.
Attendees are invited to join a reception and book signing with Dr. Mona in room 114 of the Center for Medical Education immediately after the public forum.
16th Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism: Chris Hayes
Monday, November 18 | 12-1 p.m. ET | Barnum Hall LL08
Join a behind-the-scenes conversation with journalist, MSNBC anchor, and author Chris Hayes as part of the Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism. Hayes is the Emmy Award-winning host of MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, host of the weekly MSNBC podcast Why Is This Happening?, and editor-at-large of The Nation. He previously hosted the weekend program Up w/ Chris Hayes and served as a frequent substitute host for The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. Hayes writes on political and social issues with his work appearing in The New York Times Magazine, Time, The Nation, The American Prospect, The New Republic, The Washington Monthly, The Guardian, and The Chicago Reader. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy.
The conversation will be moderated by Tufts trustee emeritus, award-winning producer, and president and CEO of WNET Neal Shapiro, A80, A23P, A26P.
Film Screening & Panel: Defining Moments—The Life & Leadership of Frances Hesselbein
Monday, November 18 | 6:30-8 p.m. ET | Barnum Hall LL08
Join Tisch College for a private screening of a new documentary based on the groundbreaking work and leadership of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Frances Hesselbein. A true “pioneer for women, volunteerism, diversity, and opportunity,” Hesselbein was one of the most important figures in the leadership movement, where her influence extended from nonprofit management to corporate boards to the U.S. Army. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, for her leadership as CEO of Girl Scouts from 1976 to 1990 and was later appointed to two presidential commissions on national and community service. Defining Moments shares the extraordinary impact of Hesselbein’s work, while exploring how her ideas can help leaders today safeguard a democracy under threat.
A short panel discussion will follow the screening. Refreshments will be provided. This event is open to the Tufts community, however registration is required.
