Astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly, author and CEO Wes Moore among IPFW Omnibus Lecture Series speakers
U.S. astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly, "The Monuments Men" author Robert Edsel, CEO Wes Moore and women's rights advocate Lilly Ledbetter will be the speaker for the 2017-2018 Omnibus Lecture Series at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 Coliseum Blvd. E.
All lectures will be held in the Auer Auditorium at IPFW's Rhinehart Music Center and will require free tickets. The lecture schedule is:
Capt. Mark Kelly, "Endeavour to Succeed," 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12
Tickets available at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 25.
The retired NASA space mission commander will discuss lessons learned from his extensive travel, Navy career, flights in outer space and the resilience of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, who was a U.S. representative from Arizona when she was shot in January 2011 during a community meeting.
Robert Edsel, "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14
Tickets available at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 30
The author and art preservation advocate's best-selling book revealed the work of unsung heroes who saved great art and cultural treasures that had been taken by Nazi Germany in years leading up to and during World War II. Actor George Clooney turned the book into a successful 2014 film.
Wes Moore, "From Troubled Teen to Rhodes Scholar: The Transformative Power of Education," 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7
Tickets available at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 22
Author and CEO Wes Moore rose from troubled inner-city youth to become a decorated veteran, Rhodes Scholar, White House fellow and business leader. His best-selling book, "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates," explores how education, parental involvement, mentors and community support helped him become who he is while a man with the same name who lived blocks away ended up in prison. The book was turned into a movie with executive producer Oprah Winfrey.
Lilly Ledbetter, "Grace and Grit: How I Won My Fight at Goodyear and Beyond," 7:30 p.m. March 20
Tickets available at 12:30 p.m. March 5
After 19 years as a successful supervisor at Goodyear, Ledbetter confirmed she wasn't being paid as much as men in the same roles and filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the company and won. Goodyear appealed and Ledbetter's initial victory was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision prompted legal and political groups to mobilize, resulting in Congress passing the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which made it easier for women who have experienced pay discrimination to fight back.
Omnibus Lecture Series tickets are free and can be obtained by:
- Picking up tickets in person, once they are available, 12:30-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Larson Ticket Office in the Gates Athletics Center.
- Reserve tickets online at www.ipfw.edu/offices/special-events/boxoffice. A convenience fee of $1 per ticket will be charged. Tickets reserved online can be mailed to you for an additional $1 or picked up at Will Call window in the lobby of the Rhinehart Music Center beginning one hour before the lecture. Unclaimed tickets will be offered to other guests 15 minutes before the program begins.
Doors open one hour before each lecture. Free parking is available in parking garage 3, located in the Fine Arts Plaza.
For more information about the lecture series, speakers, tickets or a campus map, go to omnibuslectures.org.
