Colorado College Notable Lectures & Performances

A high-profile senior analyst for CNN and staff writer for The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin is one of the country's most esteemed experts on politics, media and the law. The author of critically acclaimed New York Times bestsellers, Toobin's 2007 book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, delves into the historical, political and personal inner workings of the Supreme Court and its justices to reveal the inside story of one of America's most mysterious and powerful institutions. Recorded August 23, 2008.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins wass the 2008 commencement speaker. Collins became a household name when, in 2001, he was named Poet Laureate of the United States, a position he held for two years. He subsequently served as New York State Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Recorded May 19, 2008.

An analysis of the exciting 2008 race to the White House. Listen to three of CC's most esteemed political luminaries President Richard F. Celeste and Political Science Professors Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy as they offer their insightful and witty comments about this year's history-making presidential election. Brought to you by the 1874 Society http://www2.ColoradoCollege.edu/giving/1874/, a group of outstanding philanthropic leaders of Colorado College who annually give $1,874 or more in unrestricted funds. Recorded April 16, 2008.

Woody Beardsley, president and CEO of the Hybrid Energy Group (HEG) in Denver, will speak about a segment of the clean energy sector that invites small capital investment. HEG implements a flexible investment strategy that focuses on small wind, solar and biodiesel companies that may not be attractive to institutional investors, investment banks and large private equity funds, who tend to be more comfortable with the risks and returns of large-scale renewable energy investments. Recorded April 8, 2008.

Gale Norton served as the 48th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2001-2006. The first woman to head the 153-year-old department, Norton made what she calls the Four C's the cornerstone of her tenure: Consultation, Communications, and Cooperation, all the the service of Conservation. At the heart of the Four C's is the belief that for conservation to be successful, the government must involve the people who live and work on the land. Recorded April 7, 2008.

David Broder is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, television talk show pundit and university professor. He writes a political column for The Washington Post and teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park. Broder won his Pulitzer for commentary in 1973 and has been the recipient of numerous awards and academic honors. The longtime columnist is informally known as the "dean" of the Washington press corps and the "unofficial chairman of the board" by national political writers. For many years he has appeared on "Washington Week," "Meet the Press" and other current affairs television programs. He is the author of several books about contemporary politics. Recorded on April 1, 2008.

John Riker, professor of philosophy at Colorado College, is the author of "Human Excellence and an Ecological Conception of the Self" and "Ethics and the Discovery of the Unconscious." Recorded March 6, 2008.

Legendary singer, songwriter, actress and human rights activist Odetta will perform as part of CC's Black History Celebration. Dubbed by Martin Luther King, Jr. as the "Queen of American Folk Music", she has been cited as the main influence of artists such as Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tracy Chapman, Carly Simon and Jewel. Her most recent album, "Gonna Let it Shine," received a 2007 Grammy nod and Real Blues Magazine referred to it as "the most important album of this generation." Recorded February 21, 2008.

Professor Thomas Schelling, the Distinguished University Professor at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, will deliver the William P. Carey Nobel Laureate of Economics Lecture. Schelling is the 2005 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics and the author of numerous books exploring cooperation amid conflict. Recorded February 21, 2008.

Accomplished comedienne, writer, actress and singer Sandra Bernhard presents the 2008 Cornerstone Arts Week performance. Defying neat categorization, Bernhard is irreverent, intellectual, bawdy, and above all, wildly entertaining. With laser-sharp insight, Bernhard addresses issues ranging from the war in Iraq to the endless media coverage of minor starlets. Through music, storytelling and commentary, Bernhard questions how we determine what is authentic within a media-saturated world. Recorded February 6, 2008. CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

Bill Ritter Jr. was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006 -- the first Colorado-born governor in more than 35 years. The sixth of 12 children, Gov. Ritter was raised on a small farm in Arapahoe County. He was a member of the first graduating class of Gateway High School (1974), and earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado State University (1978) and his law degree from the University of Colorado (1981). His first job out of law school was as a deputy district attorney in Denver. In 1987, Ritter and his wife, Jeannie Ritter, left Denver to run a food distribution and nutrition center in Zambia, Africa. They returned home in 1990, and three years later Ritter was appointed as Denver's top prosecutor, a position he held until January 2005.

Joel Salatin is on the forefront of what may be the most important global issue facing the world today: How to create a world food system not enslaved by multinational corporations and governmental subsidies. Named the most innovative farmer in the nation, he is an articulate voice of the natural food movement, whose holistic approach is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Salatin will discuss how, for the first time in history, most food is consumed without an awareness of its place, heritage, social or spiritual implications. Recorded January 24, 2008.

Greg Mortenson, author of the New York Times best-selling book "Three Cups of Tea," will discuss his experiences in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Since 1997, Mortenson's Central Asia Institute has raised funds to build 64 schools in remote tribal areas of the two countries. Mortenson puts a fresh -- and effective -- face on international security and the potential of one person as a force of positive influence. Image courtesy Greg Mortenson, Central Asia Institute.The slides used during the talk are available at http://www2.ColoradoCollege.edu/news_events/multimedia/. Recorded January 15, 2008.

World-renowned author of "Midnight's Children," "The Satanic Verses," "Shalimar the Clown" and many other books will discuss his work. Recorded October 21, 2007.

Vandana Shiva is a world-renowned physicist, activist, ecologist, political-economist, feminist and author. A 2005 Nobel Prize-nominee, she has written more than 350 publications and 14 books and has extensive knowledge and experience with global economies, local food production, biotechnology and human rights. She established Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights in India. She also founded Diverse Women for Diversity, an international movement of women working for food, agriculture, patents and biotechnology. Recorded October 16, 2007.