A New Era Dawns

Brian S. Wesbury (KSM89), chief economist, First Trust Advisors, L.P.

Economic forecasting in today's dynamic marketplace is no easy task. The U.S. Congress has changed hands again. Some businesses are thriving while others suffer. Short-term interest rates are up, while long-term rates are down, and Federal Reserve policy remains in question. Globalization, greed, dwindling resources, and indebted consumers have led many to forecast tough times ahead for our future, but is this really the case?

The Moral High Ground in America's Foreign Policy

David Scheffer, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw/Robert A. Helman Professor of Law; director, Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law

Can the erosion of America's credibility as a world leader in recent years be reversed? Part of the nation's strategy involves resurrecting our heritage in helping frame the core principles of international law, understand how our moral values are reflected in that body of law, and resume American leadership in defending the rule of law and enforcing it globally. Scheffer draws from his experience as U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues and senior adviser and counsel to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright, to explore solutions.

CURRENT EVENTS TRACK

The Media and Medill in 2020: What It Takes to Win in the Digital Age

John Lavine, dean, Medill School of Journalism

An expert on media strategy and on what motivates or inhibits consumers' usage of content on all of the digital and print media platforms, Lavine will show some of the startling new media advances - in technology and content - that fuel those changes and then discuss the revolution at Medill to prepare the school's graduates to the forefront of these advances. Prior to becoming dean, Lavine founded and led Northwestern's Media Management Center that educates senior executives around the world and researches some of the media's most pressing problems.

In What Sense Was the American Revolution a Revolution of the People?

Timothy H. Breen, director of the Center for Historical Studies, William Smith Mason Chair in American History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Much has been said about the accomplishments of the Founding Fathers of late, but what's missing from these accounts are the ordinary men and women who actually resisted British rule, often at the risk of their own lives. Breen, who received the Northwestern Alumni Association's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006, explains how these people shaped the course of colonial protest in ways that modern Americans have been slow to appreciate.

HISTORY TRACK

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Karen Page (WCAS83), author; Wine Columnist, The Washington Post

Get an insider's look at the New American dining scene, discover the secrets behind some of the best practices of the country's leading chefs and restaurateurs, and learn how to apply them yourself everywhere from the boardroom to the home kitchen. Page is the author of seven books on contemporary gastronomy, including the 2006 Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award winner What to Drink with What You Eat. Her first book, Becoming a Chef, won the 1996 James Beard Book Award for Best Writing on Food.

P. Mona Khanna (J87), contributing medical editor, CBS 11, Dallas-Fort Worth

As a quadruple board-certified practicing medical doctor and award-winning journalist, Khanna specializes in reporting on in-depth medical and disaster issues. In the aftermath of 9/11, the tsunami disaster and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, she provided medical assistance at the scenes and through her reporting has shed light on local and international health concerns resulting from these catastrophes. Her eyewitness accounts are both compelling and inspiring.

CURRENT EVENTS TRACK

Steven T. Rosen (FSM72, 74, 76), Genevieve Teuton Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine; director, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University; and director of Cancer Programs at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

How are today's patients faring in the war against this devastating disease? Rosen updates current incidence rates, prevention strategies, detection recommendations and treatment approaches to cancer. He also covers research themes and clinical issues related to his laboratory research that focuses on experimental therapeutics and cancers affecting the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes.

Rüdiger Seesemann, assistant professor, Department of Religion; co-principal investigator of "Constituting Bodies of Islamic Knowledge," Program of African Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

A specialist in the study of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, Seesemann discusses the perceptions and spread of Islam in Africa, some of the ways African Muslims have engaged with and practiced their religion, and the political implications in the post-9/11 world. Seesemann has published articles and books on Sufi orders, Islamic education, and Islamism in West Africa, Sudan, and Kenya.

HISTORY TRACK

Musetta Goes Forth: A Singer's Journey Through the World of Classical Music

Nancy Gustafson (GMu80), opera singer, Artist-In-Residence, School of Music

Gustafson recalls how Northwestern prepared her for a life in opera, shares highlights from her stellar career, and discusses the validity of classical music in current society and the future.

How to Get Noticed: Rising to the Top in Sports Journalism

Darren Rovell (C00), sports business reporter, CNBC

Rovell became one of the youngest reporters at ESPN when he was hired out of Northwestern at the age of 21. Six years later, he moved to CNBC and, at 28, was one of the youngest reporters for the national cable business news channel. Rovell will give you his advice to breaking through in the journalism world. His lessons will also apply to breaking through in any business.

Can Renewable Energy Solve All Our Problems? No, Just Most

Bob Vanderhye (McC68), inventor

Renewable energy isn't just for the future. Many technologies are currently available that can greatly improve national health, enhance national security, and create all levels of domestic jobs. A specialist in environment and energy-related technology, Vanderhye has testified before Congress and the Maryland Public Service Commission on renewable energy alternatives to nuclear power, and since 2001 has been inventing, developing, and testing vertical axis wind turbines.

CURRENT EVENTS TRACK

From Northwestern Student to Northwestern Administrator

Eugene Sunshine (WCAS71), Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, Northwestern University

Enjoy a unique perspective on campus experiences from a former student's and a current administrator's point of view. Sunshine is the chief business, financial, administrative and personnel officer of the University and serves as a principal adviser to President Bienen on non-academic matters. He will discuss the May 1970 strike that closed Northwestern's campus in the aftermath of the Kent State shootings, take a light-hearted look at the changed social scene, and share thoughts on how today's student-parent communications impact campus life.

The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City

Carl Smith, Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English & American Studies and professor of History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Smith discusses his recently published book on noted architect and planner Daniel Burnham, whose Plan of Chicago served as a major milestone in Chicago's development and in the history of urban planning. Learn how such distinctive Chicago features as the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier came into being and the role the city's civic leaders played in making Burnham's plan a reality.

HISTORY TRACK

Big Challenges for the Future

The Hon. Richard Gephardt (C62, H92)

We regret that due to the recent passing of Mrs. McGovern, Senator George McGovern will not present the afternoon keynote as previously announced. Please visit the NAA Web site for updates of related program changes.