Distinguished Lecture Series

Fall 2009 Semester

All lectures -- free and open to the public -- are at 12 noon in the CM Building on the West Windsor campus. For further information, call (609) 570-3324.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - room CM109
CURRENT ISSUES AND EXPERTISE IN PUBLISHING   [details]
The magazine DiversityInc's mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Diversity Inc Media LLC, Luke Visconti, will discuss the technical aspects of publishing a magazine and websites, as well as his views on career preparation for this field. He developed and directs the methodology for The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. As a recognized leader in this field, Visconti frequently lectures to corporations, business groups and non-profit organizations. He has appeared regularly on MSNBC, CNBC, FOX and is often quoted in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Fortune magazine.
Recommended by: Professor Tina LaPlaca, Department of Advertising Design

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - room CM109
CONVICTING THE INNOCENT IN AMERICA   [details]
James McCloskey is the founder and Executive Director of Centurion Ministries, a non-profit organization headquartered in Princeton. Its primary mission is to free the imprisoned innocent from all over the U.S. Since its founding in 1983, Centurion has freed and exonerated 47 people, each of whom had spent an average of 15 years under false imprisonment serving life or death sentences for crimes they did not commit. Centurion also assists their clients, once they are freed, to reintegrate into society on a self-reliant basis. Mr. McCloskey will provide compelling information about completely innocent people who often end up either on death row or serving life sentences for the crimes of others.
Recommended by: Cavit Cooley, Department of Criminal Justice

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - room CM109
CATEGORICAL IMPATIENCE: THE WORK OF HANNELINE RØGEBERG   [details]
Norwegian-born artist Hanneline Røgeberg explores the possibilities and limitations of figuration. The tactile qualities of painting hold as much information in her work as the visual and touching becomes the vital metaphor for a profound and meaningful kind of communication. Røgeberg will discuss the evolution of her work in her lecture and slide presentation. She received her M.F.A. from Yale University School of Art and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Røgeberg is currently an Associate Professor of Art at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and has previously taught at the University of Washington, Cooper Union and Yale University. She was a visiting artist at the Skowhegan School this summer.
Recommended by: Professor Lucas Kelly, Department of Art

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - room CM107
"DON'T TAKE THIS WRONG, BUT YOU ARE REALLY GOOD FOR A GIRL,"
AND OTHER STORIES ABOUT BEING A WOMAN IN SCIENCE   [details]
Since the late 1960s, women have made enormous strides in various professions, especially law and medicine. Nevertheless, even while the number of women who complete undergraduate degrees in the sciences has increased, their numbers in the workplace, especially at higher ranks, continues to lag. Dr. Joan W. Bennett, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology and Associate Vice President at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, will review the history of women in science. She will provide an overview of unconscious bias and stereotypes and talk about programs that seek to bring more women into this demanding but fulfilling profession.
Recommended by: Professor Diane Hilker, Department of Biology

Thursday, November 5, 2009 - room CM110
RECENT WORKS: PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGH THE LENS OF THOMAS ROMA   [details]
Internationally acclaimed photographer and Director of Photography at Columbia University's School of the Arts, Thomas Roma, presents a visual and poetic journey through 1950s northern New Jersey with his recently published book, House Calls with William Carlos Williams, MD. Roma will also discuss his soon to be released book, Dear Knights and Dark Horses - a visual exploration of the transition from childhood fantasy to young soldier. Roma, a two-time recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York. He has photographed extensively in his native Brooklyn, narrating scenes from churches, subways and everyday life and incorporating them in ten previously published books.
Recommended by: Professor Michael Dalton, Department of Photography

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - room CM107
EARLY RENAISSANCE PAINTING 1420-1490   [details]
Mercer's own esteemed Professor of Art, Mel Leipzig, will discuss and provide examples of early renaissance painting. Artists such as Botticelli, Perugino, Uccello, Masaccio, Mantegna, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, Piero di Cosimo, Piero della Francesca, and Giovanni Bellini will be featured. A longtime Trenton resident, Leipzig has exhibited his own artwork in numerous one-man and group gallery shows as well as in several museum collections around the country. He is currently featured in two concurrent shows at the New Jersey State Museum entitled Professor Leipzig's Selected Works and Artist as Curator, which will run through September 6th.