With August over and September just beginning, the Iowa State Lecture Series is fully underway.

The Iowa State Lectures Series is a collaborative effort between Student Government and the Office of the Provost that brings to campus a broad spectrum of talks, political debates, academic forums and cultural events, including musical performances, art and dance programs and films. All Lectures Series events are free and open to the public.

Communications and Civility in Our Democracy

Sept. 5

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Great Hall, Memorial Union

S.E. Cupp, a political commentator, culture critic and author, will be speaking at the opening keynote for the 2019 Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication Summit: Communications and Civility in Our Democracy.

Cupp is recognized for bringing a conservative, feminist perspective to her weekly program on CNN, Unfiltered, and is recognized for encouraging honest and respectful dialogue around politics, religion and the media in American life.

Emotions: Separating Fact from Fiction

Sept. 10

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Great Hall, Memorial Union

Lisa Feldman Barrett, a University Distinguished professor of psychology at Northeastern University and author, will discuss her research and paradigm-shifting theory that feelings like happiness, pride or rage aren’t hardwired and triggered but rather constructed in the moment based on experience and learned behavior. 

“Her work has implications not just in fields like neuroscience and psychology but also for medicine, the legal system, child-rearing and even airport security,” according to the Lecture Series website.

My Battle with Mental Illness: Finding Hope in the Midst of Suffering

Sept. 16

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Great Hall, Memorial Union

Jake Sullivan, a student-athlete at Iowa State from 2000 to 2004, will speak about the steps he took to navigate his challenges with mental illness and the importance of recognizing that mental illness can affect anyone.

Sullivan was a three-time All-Big 12 selection, three-time Academic All-American, and was voted to the Iowa State All-Century Team. In the midst of his many athletic and academic accomplishments Sullivan also silently battled depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Story County Mental Health Resource Fair will precede the lecture from 6 to 7 p.m. in the South Ballroom.

Free Speech and Academic Freedom

Sept. 17

When: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Sun Room, Memorial Union

Henry Reichman, professor emeritus of history at California State University, will speak on the topic of his new book, The Future of Academic Freedom. 

As an expert on campus free speech and former chair of the Association of American University Professors Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, Reichman discusses the meaning of and current challenges to academic freedom, including political, corporate and donor interests and influence as well as the impact of social media, student activism and outside speakers.

Ivy College of Business CEO Speaker Series: Beth Ford, Land O’Lakes Inc.

Sept. 24

When: 2:10 p.m.

Where: Stark Lecture Hall, 1148 Gerdin Business Building

Beth Ford, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes and an Iowa State Ivy College of Business graduate, will deliver a public lecture titled “Bridging the Rural/Urban Divide.”

Named to Fortune magazine’s 2018 Most Powerful Women in Business list, Ford has experience in supply chain management, leadership, management, and agriculture. She is the first female CEO of Land O’Lakes, one of the nation’s largest food and agricultural cooperatives, and the first openly gay woman to lead a Fortune 500 company.

Ford’s lecture is part of the Ivy CEO Speaker Series, launched in October 2016 to create opportunities for CEOs to connect with business students. The series provides a forum where CEOs can share their path to the top and inspire students who are preparing to launch their own careers.

Our Digital Future (Through the Lens of the Past)

Sept. 26

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Great Hall, Memorial Union

Douglas Van Houweling, a professor emeritus in the School of Information at the University of Michigan, will discuss how “Digital technology has transformed our world and our lives over the last 50 years. We’ve come from punched cards to social networks and artificial intelligence. Looking back, what have we learned? Looking forward, where are we headed? What should we hope for? How can we realize a better future?”

Houweling has had a long career in higher education information technology leadership and management. He has led the information technology function at Cornell University, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the University of Michigan. In 2005, Houweling became the inaugural recipient of the ISU’s John V. Atanasoff Discovery Award, and in 2014, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

Channeling Mextasy: Latinxers in the Digital Age

Sept. 28

When: 1 p.m.

Where: Sun Room, Memorial Union

William “Memo” Nericcio, a Mexican-American public intellectual, artist, cultural critic and professor of comparative literature at San Diego State University, will speak about the many stereotypes of Mexicans and other Latinas/os in American mass media and popular culture, when and how they were introduced and why they persist. 

Nericcio’s lecture is the topic of his book Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of “Mexicans” in America as well as the art exhibition, “Mextasy.” Nericcio currently directs San Diego State’s Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Program and serves on the faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies.

The exhibition “Mextasy” will be on display Sept. 10 to Oct. 30 in the Memorial Union Multicultural Center as part of Iowa State’s U.S. Latino/a Studies Program’s 25th-Anniversary celebration and Hispanic Heritage Month.