The 2012-13 George T. Hunter Lecture Series begins its fifth year with a presentation by Diane Ravitch, Education historian and Former Assistant Secretary of Education, on Tuesday, September 18, 7 p.m. Ravitch will speak in the UTC Fine Arts Center, Roland Hayes Concert Hall.
Diane Ravitch
“The 2012-13 speakers are a great representation of the Hunter Lecture Series’ focus on bringing the nation’s foremost thinkers and leaders to Chattanooga in the areas of education, community development, arts and culture, and environmental issues,” said Corrine Allen, executive director of the Benwood Foundation.
The Benwood Foundation presents the George T. Hunter Lecture Series in partnership with The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“The Hunter Lecture Series provides an excellent learning opportunity for UTC students and faculty—as well as our community,” said UTC Chancellor Roger Brown. “The series puts us in the same room with nationally renowned speakers to learn what they have to say first hand and ask questions. It helps to create an awareness for all of us on larger scale issues and is truly an enlightening experience.”
Ravitch is the author of the bestselling book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System.
She draws on more than 40 years of research and experience to question the success of current ideas for school reform, including charter schools and test-based accountability.
All George T. Hunter Lecture Series are free and open to the public
Additional lectures scheduled for 2012-13 include:
Thomas Friedman
Thomas Friedman / November 13
7 p.m.
Tivoli Theatre
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and columnist for the New York Times Thomas Friedman writes extensively on foreign affairs, including globalization, the Middle East, and environmental issues. He is the author of six books, including the bestsellers Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and That Used to Be Us.
Will Allen
Will Allen / February 26
7 p.m.
UTC Fine Arts Center, Roland Hayes Concert Hall
Urban farming activist and MacArthur “Genius” Award winner Will Allen is the founder of Growing Power, a two-acre urban farm in Milwaukee that produces thousands of pounds of healthy food each year for the surrounding low-income neighborhoods.
Ira Glass
Ira Glass / April 7
4 p.m.
Tivoli Theatre
Ira Glass is the host and producer of the radio show, This American Life. For the last 17 years this show has become a public radio institution that is now heard weekly by nearly 2 million listeners. The show has been pioneering in its journalistic approach to old-fashioned storytelling.
For more information, please visit www.benwood.org.
