The college is able to sponsor year-round lectures and guest speakers on a wide range of topics and viewpoints thanks to the generosity and foresight of alumni and supporters with an interest in expanding the education and perspectives of students, faculty and the greater local community. Because of these endowments, sponsored lectures are offered free to the FSU community and the general public.
ANDERSON-ASHBY LECTURESHIP ON PUBLIC POLICY JOURNALISM
Laird B. Anderson (1936-2014) with the support of his wife Florence Ashby, both devoted FSU alumni, endowed this lecture series in 2005. Its purpose is to provide students, faculty, and the public inside looks and insights on the relationships between public policy and journalism.
In recent years the series has hosted leading journalists and media scholars, including: Scott Horsley, NPR’s Chief Economics Correspondent, Byron Shafer, Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Robert Barnes, Supreme Court Correspondent for the Washington Post, Corine Lesnes, Washington Bureau Chief for Le Monde, Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center’s Project on the Internet and American Life, Paul Steiger, Editor-in-Chief and President of ProPublica, and Susan MacManus, Professor of Political Science at the University of South Florida.
In addition to delivering a public lecture during their visits to FSU, the journalists and scholars typically engage small groups of students, faculty in classes and over lunch. Members of the Tallahassee community often participate in such exchanges as well. At each event the Anderson-Ashby Lecturers provide tangible examples and reflect on how journalism impacts public policy and on how the profession is evolving in the Internet age. They also provide career advice to students interested in a broad range of careers in journalism as well as public service.
Supporting Laird Anderson’s philosophy that “all public policy issues, national and international, should not be controlled but enhanced by journalism—the environment, politics, war, all of it,” the lectureship looks toward the future of journalism as it educates students about the fundamental importance of public policy journalism to our society.
RUTH K. & SHEPARD BROAD INTERNATIONAL LECTURE SERIES
This series was endowed by the Shepard Broad Foundation of Miami in honor of Shepard Broad’s (1906-2001) legacy and commitment to international affairs and to higher education in Florida.
The Broad Lectureship is integral part of the College of Social Science and Public Policy’s international programs and initiatives. It features internationally renowned experts on topics pertaining to international affairs and diplomacy. Prominent academics, international experts, and political officials who have visited FSU as Broad Lecturers in recent years have been: Marina Silva, Brazil’s former Minister of the Environment; Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations; Elizabeth Economy, the C.V Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; Prakash Lougani, Assistant Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF); and Dennis Ross, Special Middle East Coordinator under Presidents Clinton and Obama.
Broad Lecturers typically deliver one major speech to a general audience during their visits to FSU. In addition, they meet with small groups of students and faculty to discuss current complex international issues as well as career opportunities in their fields. Members of the Tallahassee community frequently participate in such discussions as well.
As a member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Shepard Broad embraced the belief that good fortune is a debt that must be repaid to the younger generations: “It is not only all the good that has come to me personally, but also the peripheral effect on all those, in one way or other, whose lives touched mine, or mine touched theirs.”
Taking this responsibility seriously, the Broad Lecture Series continues to enhance the education of students as they prepare for leadership roles in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.
JOE CRESSE ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT LECTURE SERIES
Established in the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, this endowed series invites distinguished lecturers to speak on a variety of topics that focus on ethics in government.
This lectureship honors and preserves the memory of Joe Cresse and his 45 years of service to the people of Florida. After an eight-year tenure as State Budget Director that set what many consider the gold standard for public service, Cresse left his position in order to join the Public Service Commission. At that time, former Gov. Reubin Askew paid homage to Cresse and praised his work by saying, “Joe Cresse may well be the most able career service employee that state government has produced in modern times. He is a walking computer, totally honest and performing outstanding service.”
The Joe Cresse Ethics in Government Distinguished Lecture Series provides the Florida State community with an educational tool that will encourage the students and faculty of the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy to strive for the high standards of public policy set by Joe Cresse.