Distinguished leaders from a variety of disciplines will share their insights and perspectives with the campus community this semester during the Signature Lecture Series at the University of Georgia.
Coordinated by the Office of the Provost, Signature Lectures feature speakers noted nationally or internationally for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work. Many of the lectures are supported by endowments, while others honor notable figures and milestones in the university’s history.
“This semester’s Signature Lectures will bring prominent voices from business, education, the arts and humanities, and the sciences to our university,” said S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I want to thank our schools, colleges and units for hosting these lectures, and I encourage students, faculty, staff and community members to take advantage of the opportunity to hear from these outstanding speakers.”
The spring 2025 Signature Lectures are:
Artis Stevens, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Holmes-Hunter Lecture
Feb. 18, 2 p.m., University of Georgia Chapel
As president and CEO of the nation’s largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization, Stevens has expanded BBBSA’s mission to leverage mentorship as a transformative societal solution for the millions of young people in the U.S. who lack positive adult support. A UGA alumnus, he is the first Black CEO in the organization’s 120-year history and is steadily expanding BBBSA’s reach through record-breaking fundraising efforts and strategic campaigns to engage thousands of donors, mentors and ambassadors.
Sponsored by the Office of the President.
Janis Ware, publisher, The Atlanta Voice; Greg Davis, vice president, Davis Broadcasting; Nick Chiles, writer in residence, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Black Publishing in Georgia: Honoring the Legacy of Robert Sengstacke Abbott
Feb. 18, 6 p.m., Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries, Room 271
Born on St. Simons Island, Abbott founded The Chicago Defender in 1905. He was inducted posthumously into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2024. To honor his life and legacy, speakers at the event will discuss the history of Black publishing and media, its significance to Black communities and the important role of Black reporters, editors, columnists and correspondents in a digital world. The event will be moderated by members of UGA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Co-sponsored by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, UGA National Association of Black Journalists, the Athens chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the Digital Library of Georgia and the University of Georgia Press.
Claire L. Evans, writer and musician
Willson Center for the Humanities Global Georgia Series
Feb. 19, 6 p.m., 40 Watt Club
Evans explores biology, technology and culture through her writing and music. She is the singer of the Grammy-nominated pop group YACHT; co-founder of VICE’s imprint for speculative fiction, Terraform; and co-editor of the anthology “Terraform: Watch Worlds Burn.” Evans’ 2018 history of women in computing, “Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet,” has been translated into six languages and was named one of the Top 10 Best Nonfiction Tech Books of All Time by The Verge in 2023.
Sponsored by the Willson Center in partnership with the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Lamar Dodd School of Art, the department of philosophy, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the UGA Arts Collaborative and the UGA Music Business Program.
Steven G. Rogelberg, Chancellor’s Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
William A. Owens Lecture
Feb. 27, 3 p.m., Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries, Room 271
Rogelberg is an internationally acclaimed organizational psychologist celebrated for his contributions to team effectiveness, leadership and meeting science. Known as the “world’s leading expert on fixing meetings,” he has produced over 200 publications that have been cited over 12,000 times. His books, “The Surprising Science of Meetings” and “Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings,” have received widespread recognition, including from the Washington Post and Forbes. Rogelberg is the founding director of UNC Charlotte’s Organizational Science program, whose work has influenced organizations such as Google, Amazon and the United Nations.
Sponsored by the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research.
Ferdia Lennon, author
Part of the 2025 UGA Humanities Festival
March 27, 11 a.m., Peabody Hall, Room 115
Lennon’s first novel, “Glorious Exploits,” was published in the U.S. by MacMillan in 2024 and will be released in paperback in March 2025. A Sunday Times bestseller, “Glorious Exploits” was adapted for BBC Radio 4 and was the winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction for 2024. Additionally, the book was shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year by the Irish Book Awards, and it was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal of Excellence.
Sponsored by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts in partnership with the UGA Humanities Council, the department of English and the department of classics.
Laura Perna, vice provost for faculty, GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education, and founding executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania
James C. Hearn Lectureship in Higher Education
March 28, 11 a.m., Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries, Room 271
Perna is recognized as a leading voice on issues of college access, affordability and success, especially for low-income, first-generation and nontraditional students. Her research examines the ways that social structures, educational practices and public policies promote and limit college access and success, particularly for groups that continue to be underrepresented in higher education. Perna has served as president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Among other honors, she is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a member of the National Academy of Education.
Sponsored by the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education.
Linda J. Harris, Distinguished Professor of Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis
J.G. Woodroof Lecture
April 10, 12:45 p.m., Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, Mahler Hall
An acclaimed food safety microbiologist, Harris is the co-principal investigator of the Western Center for Food Safety, one of four centers of excellence supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Her research focuses on applied microbial food safety of produce, tree nuts and other low moisture foods. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, the International Association for Food Protection and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2020, she was awarded the UC Davis James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award, in recognition of her distinguished career-long contributions to the mission of the university.
Sponsored by the department of food science and technology.
Paul M. Nakasone, former commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and director, National Security Agency
Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability
April 15, 2:30 p.m., Sanford Hall, Room 213
Nakasone is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who served as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency from May 2018 until his retirement in February 2024. He previously commanded U.S. Army Cyber Command from 2016 to 2018. His numerous awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He currently serves as the founding director of Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security.
Co-sponsored by the School of Public and International Affairs and the department of public administration and policy
Guy Palmer, Jan & Jack Creighton Endowed Chair, Regents Professor of Pathology & Infectious Diseases, Washington State University
George H. Boyd Distinguished Lecture
April 17, Time TBD, Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, Room 175
Palmer is the founding director of the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health and leads global efforts at WSU as the senior director of global health. He holds a federal government appointment with the National Institutes of Health, where he serves on the Council of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. He led the NIH Training Program in Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases from 2003-2018 and currently directs the NIH D43 Medical Training Program in Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in Kenya. Palmer is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Sponsored by the Office of Research and the William S. and Elizabeth K. Boyd Foundation.
Andrew Balmford, professor of conservation science, Cambridge University
Eugene P. Odum Lecture Series
April 22, 4 p.m., Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Room 100
Balmford’s main research interests are the costs and benefits of effective conservation, quantifying the changing state of nature, identifying efficient conservation responses and exploring how conservation might best be reconciled with activities such as farming. To have the most impact, he focuses on developing countries and collaborates closely with conservation practitioners and colleagues in other disciplines. In 2002, Scientific American listed him among the top 50 visionaries building a better world. His 2012 book, “Wild Hope,” highlights success stories in conservation and argues that cautious optimism is essential in tackling environmental challenges.
Sponsored by the Odum School of Ecology.
Renée Fleming, America’s leading opera diva
April 25, 5 p.m., UGA Performing Arts Center, Ramsey Concert Hall
One of the most beloved and celebrated singers of our time, 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence. At a White House ceremony in 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest honor for an individual artist. She brought her voice to a vast new audience in 2014, as the first classical artist ever to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. Winner of the 2023 Grammy Award (her fifth) for Best Classical Vocal Solo, she sings in the greatest opera houses, concert halls and theaters around the world.
Sponsored by the UGA Performing Arts Center.
All Signature Lectures are free and open to the public. Capacity is limited for some lectures, with registration required.
Requests for accommodations for those with disabilities should be made as soon as possible but at least seven days prior to the scheduled lecture. To request an accommodation, please notify the event contact. Event contacts are listed here.
