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The Month in Photos: October 2026

Avery Craine Powell — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 16:34:48 +0000

October brought the sights and sounds of fall to �鶹��Ƶ, with a month full of celebrations, traditions and opportunities for connection. From welcoming alumni back to campus for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, launching the new School of Engineering, to the changing colors of autumn, the �鶹��Ƶ community embraced all that the season had to offer.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from October through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.

‘Everybody’

�鶹��Ƶ Performing Arts presented “Everybody,”��a modern adaptation of the 15th-century morality play Everyman, one of the first recorded plays in the English language.

�鶹��Ƶ Performing Arts dress rehearsal of “everybody” at Scott Theater on October 1, 2026

A transformational education

An opening celebration for the Roberts Academy, the university’s new elementary school for children with dyslexia, featured a special student performance on Oct. 2, and a ribbon-cutting with Marjorie and Hal Roberts, whose generosity helped establish the school in 2025.

The Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ is the fourth private school established by the couple, joining Vanderbilt University, Mercer University, and Florida Southern College in a network of programs committed to the advancement of education for children with dyslexia and related conditions.

From left: Tait Arend, Ann Bullock, �鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book, Marjorie Roberts and Hal Roberts cut a ribbon on Oct. 2, 2026, to formally open the Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ.

Tiny shelf concert

�鶹��Ƶ’s Musical Theatre department hosted a “Tiny Shelf Concert on Oct. 2 in Belk Library.

Students from �鶹��Ƶ’s Music Theatre department perform in Belk Library lobby on Friday, Oct. 2 for the fall Tiny Shelf Concert.

The ‘biggest’ Rock the Block yet

The Office of Alumni��Engagement��and��the��Student Union Board collaborated once again to��host��the Homecoming concert with DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) bringing approximately 5,000 attendees to the annual Rock the Block concert on Oct. 9.

Rock the Block featuring DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) at Young Commons on October 9, 2026

Rock the Block featuring DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) at Young Commons on Oct.�� 9, 2026

Learning everywhere

Assistant Professor of Management Jose Cerecedo Lopez teaches a class outside near the Koury Business Center.

Outdoor class with Jose Cerecedo Lopez on Oct. 9, 2026

Engineering excellence

Dozens of university leaders, faculty, staff and students were joined on Oct. 30, 2026, by the CEO of the world’s leading accrediting body for engineering education programs, as well as North Carolina’s secretary of commerce, for a morning of reflection on the rise of �鶹��Ƶ’s new School of Engineering and Computing.

Engineering & Computing Launch Event at Founders Hall on Oct. 30, 2026

Pumpkin playfulness

The �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden Club and the Garden Studio course hosted the 18th annual��Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 30, uniting students, organizations, faculty, staff and��community members with fall festivities, including��live music, fun crafting activities and food at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

Annual �鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival offers warm welcomes and smiles

Avery Craine Powell — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:49:18 +0000

The �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden Club and the Garden Studio course hosted the 18th annual Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 30, uniting students, organizations, faculty, staff and��community members with fall festivities, including��live music, fun crafting activities and food at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden.

Participants were met with stew and chili options with apple cider to match. Tables lined the garden, hosted by different organizations at �鶹��Ƶ, including WSOE, Milk Club and �鶹��Ƶ Dining.��

Claire Moorhead, vice-president of Phoenix Free, was tabling a tie-dye activity for the festival. It was her second year tabling for the event, and she noted the positive effect it has on campus.��

“The main goal is just to spread joy and happiness,” she said. “It’s so nice, it’s so sweet, but on a personal level, the point of any tabling event for Phoenix Free is just kind of get the name out. If there’s anybody ever struggling, just knowing that there’s a place on campus for them.”��

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Gardens on Oct. 30

Michael Strickland, director of the Center for Environmental Studies and assistant teaching professor of English and environmental studies,��teaches the Garden Studio class. He helped start the garden in 2006 and the festival in 2008, watching it grow throughout the years.��Students from his garden studio class work to maintain the garden and create vital aspects of the garden.��For the festival, his students tabled a food section featuring Brunswick stew, a traditional North Carolinian harvest stew.��

“It’s the end of the season; you just throw everything in a pot,” he said. “Typically in North Carolina, you can throw alligator, turtle, possum, whatever you got. We don’t do that here, but we throw all the different fall vegetables in there.”��

Sophia Barnes, an eco-rep for Loy Center with the Office of Sustainability��tabled a��craft-making activity. Barnes promoted sustainability by offering thrifted cloth, string, and recycled newspaper to make little ghost figures. ��

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Gardens on Oct. 30

For Barnes, events like the Pumpkin Festival make sustainability and their goals all the more enjoyable. ��

“I think that it’s a really good vibe with all of the sustainable clubs together at once,” she said. “I like when we do events like this and we have Garden Club and Farm Club and the Office of Sustainability, and we can all kind of collaborate.”��

Barnes’ table also offered thrifted Halloween costumes that were free to take, offering a sustainable alternative to costume hunting.��

For attendees, they explored free activities, crafts, food items and desserts. Pumpkin carving, however, was the most popular activity. Three large tables were filled with students carving unique designs.��

One attendee,��Eadaoin Bourgerie ’30, was carving a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern.��

“I just really wanted to carve a pumpkin, so gotta so I got to get into the holiday spirit,” she said. “I like all the little treats and stuff, and it’s also just really homely here.”��

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Law students share personality and perspective in annual poetry slam

Michael Abernethy — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:09:32 +0000

Law students in Greensboro and Charlotte offered glimpses into their lives outside the classroom through poetry that explored personal experiences, challenged assumptions and found humor in unexpected places.

The annual poetry slams, organized by �鶹��Ƶ School of Law’s Legal Method and Communication Program, brought students together on Oct. 20 in celebration of the National Day on Writing, an annual observance established by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Somer Dice LF’28 recites her poem, “The Holdout,” at �鶹��Ƶ’s Charlotte campus on Oct. 20, 2026.

Through original poems that ranged from deeply personal reflections to witty observations about law school and life, students revealed parts of themselves that classmates and professors might not always see in the classroom.

In Greensboro, students competed in the Eighth Annual High Rhymes and Misdemeanors Poetry Slam. Charlotte students in the Flex Program held their third annual Poetry Slam, continuing a tradition that encourages creative expression and builds community among future lawyers.

Greensboro: ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’

Marlaisha Vereen L’27 claimed first place and the People’s Choice Award for her poem, “We Once Shared the Same Sky.”

Marlaisha Vereen L’27 earned first place and the People’s Choice Award for her poem, “We Once Shared the Same Sky,” an emotional reflection inspired by a summer internship in criminal law in her hometown of Gainesville, Florida.

During the internship, Vereen encountered familiar faces from her childhood, prompting her to reflect on how differently life had unfolded for people who once shared similar dreams.

Greensboro Poet Laureate James Daniels, also an assistant professor of English at N.C. A&T University, recites his poem “Pushout: Ode to the Black of the City” on Oct. 20, 2026.

“Reconnecting with familiar faces after being away for so long caused me to reflect on how differently life unfolds for people who once shared the same dreams,” Vereen said. “As future attorneys, we must never become so consumed with learning the law that we forget the humanity behind it.”

“My hope is that my vulnerability reminds others of the importance of compassion and never forgetting where we come from.”

The Greensboro competition featured a panel of judges that included James Daniels, Greensboro’s poet laureate and an assistant professor in North Carolina A&T State University’s Department of English; Krista Contino-Saumby, director of career services at �鶹��Ƶ Law; and Sue Liemer, professor of law. Trey McClenny served as emcee.

Daniels also performed an original poem, “Pushout: Ode to the Black of the City,” for the audience.

�鶹��Ƶ Law students in Greensboro watch Giles Paradie L’27 recite his poem, “Muse,” during the eighth annual poetry slam.

Flex Program flexes lyrical prowess

In Charlotte, Nadia Mazza LF’28 held first place for the third year with her poem, “1 & Done.” It is her third win

Nadia Mazza LF’28 and �鶹��Ƶ Law Dean Zak Kramer

Nadia Mazza LF’28 captured first place in Charlotte with “1 & Done,” a lighthearted celebration of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s recent bar examination success and the culture of achievement fostered by Dean Zak Kramer and the school’s “One and Done” slogan.

The poem drew inspiration from the Class of 2025’s record performance on spring bar examinations in North Carolina and 11 other jurisdictions, when 90.9% of �鶹��Ƶ Law’s first-time test-takers passed. Kramer had promised to get a tattoo if the class reached an 85% passage rate.

“I thought Dean Kramer’s promise to get a tattoo was a compelling — and fun — way to show the power of shared motivation and commitment to a goal,” Mazza said. “I love how traditions bring a community together and give us meaningful ways to celebrate milestones like this!”

The Charlotte judging panel included Louis A. Trosch Jr., a retired Superior Court judge in North Carolina’s 26th Judicial District and an attorney at Conrad, Trosch & Kenny; Karen Neff, director of �鶹��Ƶ Charlotte; and Gabrielle Kelly, senior assistant city attorney in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Police Attorney’s Office. Adjunct Professor Bob Minarcin served as emcee.

Hanny Echeverria Navarro LF’30 won the People’s Choice Award in �鶹��Ƶ Law – Charlotte’s third annual Poetry Slam.

Greensboro ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors’ Poetry Slam winners

First place and People’s Choice Award: Marlaisha Vereen L’27 — “We Once Shared the Same Sky”

Second place: Elaijah Lapay L’28 — “Call”

Third place: Rachel Dale Walker L’28 — “American Will”

Charlotte Poetry Slam winners

First place: Nadia Mazza LF’28 — “1 & Done”

Second place: Somer Dice LF’29 — “The Holdout”

Third place: Auston Johnson LF’30 — “Icarus”

People’s Choice Award: Hanny Echeverria Navarro LF’30 — “You Don’t Own Me”

Storybook Maze inspires �鶹��Ƶ community to break down book barriers

Brinna Hayes — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:06:28 +0000

“Radical street librarian” Storybook Maze showcased the past, present and future of book barriers to �鶹��Ƶ students, faculty, and community members during the �鶹��Ƶ Liberal Arts Forum on Oct. 6 in Whitley Auditorium.

The Liberal Arts Forum plans academic speaker events at �鶹��Ƶ. Student members of The Liberal Arts Forum collaborate to discuss potential speakers and budget management before voting at the end of each semester.

Storybook Maze speaks at the �鶹��Ƶ Liberal Arts Forum on Oct. 6 in Whitley Auditorium.

Since its founding in 1958 by James P. Elder Jr. ’60, the Liberal Arts Forum continues to bring unique academic speakers to �鶹��Ƶ and encourage meaningful conversations around the arts and humanities, mathematical and natural sciences, and social sciences, inside and outside the classroom.

During her speech, Maze gave the audience background on how her work started as a “radical street librarian.”��She used this term to refer to someone who improves access to literary resources in underserved communities through unconventional ways.

Maze started at her home front stoop, reading books to her nieces in Baltimore. However, kids from the neighborhood began to join, begging Maze to re-read books.

After a couple of rounds, she would say, “Okay, you guys go home and read a book at home.” The children would respond, saying, “We don’t have any books at home.”

She then started Stoop Storytime where she’d read to neighborhood children on Saturdays, giving away books she had available. Eventually, she began a career in libraries but noticed that the children who visited her stoop weren’t the ones coming into the library.

Maze says she then did some research and came across the term “book desert,” a geographical area where access to reading materials is limited or challenging. She found that Baltimore experiences one of the highest levels of book deserts, with one child to every 300 books.

Although libraries are an option, Maze says barriers such as transportation, costs, fixed addresses and a valid ID to get a library card prevent young children from accessing them.

In the past, librarians fought against these barriers. Maze referenced work from pack horse librarians in the 1930s, where they would take pounds of books in pillowcases on mules or horses for children in the mountains.

“They traveled in rain and snow and heat because there weren’t roads,” she said. “They navigated through creek beds and rivers and animal trails along fence lines, often covering 20 miles a day.”

Storybook Maze speaks at the �鶹��Ƶ Liberal Arts Forum on Oct. 6 in Whitley Auditorium.

Maze brought to light the barriers that Black communities specifically have faced with books and reading.

“Those who were caught were often violently punished or sold or even killed,” she said. “Enslaved people had to be strategic and resourceful when learning to read and write.”

The barriers and violence that Black communities experienced didn’t legally stop until 1960, when the last anti-literacy law against Black individuals was repealed.

“My mom was born in the ’50s, so sometimes we’re just one generation away from these circumstances,” she said.

Because of these barriers, both current and past, she needed a solution.

Maze gave TikTok a try. She posted a video that described her journey of providing books to local children. The next morning, the video had over one million views, and she had messages from people she didn’t know before.

She went to work at the library and came home to find piles of books from her Amazon Wishlist at her front door.

“It was super overwhelming,” she said. “It just kept coming and coming and coming until the whole garage was filled”

Through her journey, Maze created free public book vending machines, pop-up free bookstores and street-corner storytime. She even started Storybook Trolley, a mobile vehicle with a built-in library.

To date, she has distributed 7,000 books, and her goal is to give away 500,000 books in Baltimore and nationwide over the next five years.

“We’ve built a foundation,” Maze said, “and we’re going to scale our little free libraries and our book vending machines and our trolleys. And I want to launch an army of radical street librarians all over this nation.”

Broadway’s Sharon Wheatley visits �鶹��Ƶ in preparation for ‘Come From Away’

Kate Ragan — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:25:11 +0000

Sharon Wheatley, an original Broadway cast member of “Come From Away,” works with �鶹��Ƶ theatre students preparing to stage the show at �鶹��Ƶ.

On Sept. 20, �鶹��Ƶ Music Theatre’s cast and creative team of “Come From Away” had the opportunity to learn from Sharon Wheatley, an original Broadway cast member of the Tony Award-winning musical.

Wheatley is an actor, writer and educator whose Broadway credits include “Come From Away,” “Avenue Q,” “Cats,” “Les Misérables” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”�� She originated the role of Diane in Come From Away and performed throughout the show’s Regional and Broadway run. Wheatley was involved in the show’s development and worked closely with the stories and experience of the real people that inspired the characters on stage. For �鶹��Ƶ’s cast, Wheatley’s firsthand knowledge of the original production offered a chance to better understand the people and experiences behind the characters they are portraying.

Come From Away tells the true story of approximately 7,000 transatlantic airline passengers who were stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, after U.S. airspace closed following the September 11th attacks. The musical tells the story of the unexpected relationships that formed between passengers and the small coastal community that welcomed them in.

Maddie Forcier ’27 (Diane) and Jakob Robinson ’28 (Nick) work with Sharon Wheatley on Sept. 20.

Wheatley was involved in the show’s development and worked closely with the stories and experiences of the real people that inspired the characters on stage. Her experience gives her a unique perspective for students preparing to bring the musical to �鶹��Ƶ. For �鶹��Ƶ’s cast, Wheatley’s firsthand knowledge of the original production offered a chance to better understand the people and experiences behind the characters they are portraying.

“�鶹��Ƶ’s students were a delight on every level. Smart, willing, kind and fiercely talented,” said Wheatley. “They bring talent and so much more to every session. I cannot wait to work alongside them as actors on a professional level.”

Maddie Forcier ’27, who is playing Diane in �鶹��Ƶ’s production, reflects on the experience as one that was formative for the creation of her character.

“Having Sharon at rehearsal was a gift because she brought a lot of insight about the world of the show – both as an actor who did her research and as a person who experienced the events of Sept. 11 firsthand,” said Forcier. “She encouraged me to further examine the function of my character in this story and bring out qualities that serve this function. I now have a more colorful understanding of Diane where – yes, she serves as the love interest – but she has tons of grit and vitality as well.”

Students listen to Broadway’s Sharon Wheatley during a Q&A session.

As �鶹��Ƶ prepares to tell the story 25 years after the events that inspired it, the visit serves as a reminder that “Come From Away” is more than a musical about September 11; it’s a testament to the community, connection, and strength found during times of tragedy.”

As rehearsals continue, Wheatley’s visit gives �鶹��Ƶ’s cast a direct connection to the musical’s original Broadway production as they prepare��to share its story with a new audience.

Directed by Jacob Brent, with choreography by Courtney Liu and music direction by Haidee Dollak, Come From Away will run Oct. 30 through Nov. 7 as part of �鶹��Ƶ’s 2026-27 performing arts season.

�鶹��Ƶ’s Sklut Hillel Center celebrates 13th anniversary during Family Weekend

Sarah LaPedis — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:49:20 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ’s Sklut Hillel Center celebrated its 13th anniversary with a “B-Mitzvah” during Family Weekend 2026 with hundreds of students, parents, family members, alumni, university leaders, community members and friends joining �鶹��Ƶ Jewish Life and Hillel for a Shabbat service and Bagel Brunch.

For the Sklut Hillel Center, it was an opportunity to celebrate not only the building’s “B-Mitzvah” – a nod to��the��Bat or Bar Mitzvah ceremony that represents an adolescent’s transition into greater responsibility within the Jewish community – but the people, relationships, and community that have made it an epicenter of Jewish Life at �鶹��Ƶ since 2014.

“The number 13 in Judaism stands for ‘love,’ and I felt a lot of love in the Sklut Hillel Center and at the B-Mitzvah celebrations,” said Rabbi Maor Greene, Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life,��“I feel so blessed to be a part of this loving community.”

The B-Mitzvah Shabbat service brought the community together in the Sklut Hillel Center Pavilion and backyard, with �鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book, students, families, alumni, university leaders, and community members all joining the celebration. Former �鶹��Ƶ Jewish Life professionals also returned to celebrate and reflect on the community’s growth.

The Sklut Hillel Center’s 13th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 25-27. The B-Mitzvah Shabbat service brought the community together in the Sklut Hillel Center Pavilion and backyard, with �鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book

The Sklut Hillel Center’s 13th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 25-27.

Hillel Shabbats consistently welcome 70-100 people, more than double the attendance from earlier years of the center.

“It was amazing to see how many people care about Jewish Life at �鶹��Ƶ,” said Miri Pottebaum ’27, co-president of �鶹��Ƶ Hillel.

Betsy Polk Joseph, Senior Director of Jewish Life, said she was thrilled by the joyous energy that hummed throughout the weekend. One moment she says she will long remember is when community members joined the Shabband, the Hillel student band, to sing the “Shehecheyanu,” a blessing that marks a joyous moment in time.

The weekend concluded with the B-Mitzvah Bagel Brunch in McKinnon Hall, where students, families, staff, and university leaders gathered to celebrate the past 13 years and look toward the future.

Jon Dooley, Vice President for Student Life, encouraged students – especially those new to �鶹��Ƶ – to walk through the doors of the Sklut Hillel Center whenever they are looking for community.

The Sklut Hillel Center’s 13th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 25-27.

Student reflections on Family Weekend 2026��

“This is where I’ve made some of my closest friends and it has been a place for me to express my Judaism and learn my friends’ traditions.” – Ellie Agulnek ’27��

“I feel so lucky that I go to �鶹��Ƶ and that there is such a strong Jewish community here.” – Ben Shuman ’29

“It was a really empowering experience to see so many �鶹��Ƶ students and their families together.” – Josh Hertz ’29.

“It was magical celebrating the Family Weekend B Mitzvah with both of my families – the one from home and the one I’ve made here at �鶹��Ƶ Jewish Life and Hillel.” – Anna Gratz ’30

The Month in Photos: September 2026

Avery Craine Powell — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:51:06 +0000

September brought the �鶹��Ƶ community fully into the rhythm of a new academic year, with classrooms bustling, fall traditions returning and opportunities for learning and connection unfolding across campus. From thought-provoking speakers and engaging performances to Phoenix athletics and everyday moments of campus life, the month offered plenty to capture.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from September through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.

One and done

�鶹��Ƶ School of Law Dean Zak Kramer challenged the Class of 2025 to achieve an overall first-time bar passage rate of 83%, a mark that would have been the highest in �鶹��Ƶ Law history.

The class’s Student Bar Association president had a counterproposal: What if they reached 85%? Would the dean get a tattoo?��Kramer said yes.

The Class of 2025 responded with a 90.9% overall first-time bar passage rate across North Carolina and 11 other states. On Sept. 4, Kramer responded by rolling up his sleeve.

Law School dean Zak Kramer sits for a “1 and done” tattoo on Sept. 04, 2026.

Lab learning

As the fall semester gets fully underway, students are in the classroom learning through hands-on experience.

Antonio Izzo microbiology class in McMichael 217 on Sept. 09, 2026.

Blake Hament and students working with humanoid robot at IQ on September 17, 2026.

Feline fun

�鶹��Ƶ Volunteers!, through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, provides all members of the �鶹��Ƶ campus the opportunity to develop an ethic of service by connecting campus and community through service experiences. In Sepetember, students had some feline fun with animals at Burlington Animal Services.

�鶹��Ƶ Volunteers at Burlington Animal Services on September 11, 2026.

Hispanic Heritage Month

�鶹��Ƶ kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a kick-off event. The month-long celebration features the theme “Floreciendo Juntos (Blooming Together): Honoring Identity, Culture and Well-being, ” highlighting the diverse backgrounds, unique stories and rich history that shape Hispanic and Latino communities.

Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff on Sept. 15, 2026.

Green Tara Sand Mandala

An annual tradition through the Truitt Center for Relgious and Spiritual Life, Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Palden Sangpo constructs a Green Tara sand mandala for healing and peace during a period of three days.

Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Palden Sangpo constructs a Green Tara sand mandala in Sept. 2026

‘Skills of the heart’

New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks spoke to a sold-out crowd in Alumni Gym for Fall Convocation on Sept. 25, part of Family Weekend and the �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series. He reminded the audience of two��important skills needed for success — two skills that have taken him time to learn: how to see people and how to have an impact on the world.

David Brooks speaks at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

Family fun

�鶹��Ƶ hosted Family Weekend on Sept. 25-27 with a variety of activites, including a football game as the Phoenix took on the University of Maine Bears.

Family Weekend – Fan Fest and football vs. Maine on Sept. 26, 2026.

‘There’s Always This Year’

Author Hanif Abdurraqib reflected on mentorship, home and storytelling during his Common Reading lecture on Sept. 29. His book, part poetry, memoir and meditation on history and modern culture, “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s 2026-27 Common Reading. Incoming first-year students read the book over the summer before exploring it from a variety of perspectives with their First-Year Foundations instructors during their first year at �鶹��Ƶ.

�鶹��Ƶ Common Reading Lecture with Hanif Abdurraqib in Alumni Gym on Sept. 29, 2026.

Hanif Abdurraqib reflects on mentorship, home and storytelling during Common Reading lecture

Avery Craine Powell — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:43:43 +0000

In Hanif Abdurraqib’s “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension,” the poet, essayist and cultural critic writes a love poem to the people and places that shaped him, demonstrating how love can make the ordinary iconic. During his Common Reading lecture on Sept. 29, Abdurraqib connected that idea to something central to �鶹��Ƶ’s mission: mentorship.

“You want to build your own internal Hall of Fame that adheres to what you know, what you love and the people who define a childhood for you,” he said. “I was fascinated to think about and write about the stories of the basketball communities that I grew up in that were players who were ‘LeBron-like’ to me before LeBron.”

Part poetry, memoir and meditation on history and modern culture, “There’s Always This Year” was selected as �鶹��Ƶ’s 2026-27 Common Reading. Incoming first-year students read the book over the summer before exploring it from a variety of perspectives with their First-Year Foundations instructors during their first year at �鶹��Ƶ.

�鶹��Ƶ Common Reading Lecture with Hanif Abdurraqib in Alumni Gym on Sept. 29, 2026.

Abdurraqib, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is the author of several poetry and essay collections and books that have earned national acclaim. His 2021 book, “A Little Devil in America,” was a finalist for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award and PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. It won the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and the Gordon Burn Prize.

For the Common Reading lecture, Abdurraqib sat down with Paula Patch, teaching professor of English, for a conversation in Alumni Gym. Interspersed with selected readings from the book, their discussion explored Abdurraqib’s writing process, the stories he chooses to tell and the people and places that shape his work.

“There’s Always This Year” is divided into four quarters, like a basketball game played by Abdurraqib’s favorite team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the structure took time to develop, and Abdurraqib readily described his initial draft as “bad.”

“I really took seriously the conceit of the countdown, and so the whole thing was flipped. The fourth quarter was once the first quarter. So, it began backwards. It was difficult, but it wasn’t good, and I think this idea that I had written a very hard book, I was so proud of that,” he said. “I remember feeling so proud when I turned it into my editor … She was very impressed by the rigor of it, but it wasn’t a good book. So, I think one thing that is challenging for writers is to humble oneself.”

�鶹��Ƶ Common Reading Lecture with Hanif Abdurraqib in Alumni Gym on Sept. 29, 2026.

Abdurraqib said he often begins writing without knowing exactly what a book will become, allowing curiosity to guide the process.

“The function is, I have a single curiosity that around it has a garden that has not yet bloomed and I’m writing to find the proper ways to water that and feed that,” he said. “I really do think you can come to this book and get reflected back to you what you most want. … I think the idea of writing a book was to create these small illusions to give people the idea that they’re reading one thing when they’re actually reading something else.”

Abdurraqib still lives in Columbus and feels a strong sense of responsibility to the city and the people who shaped him. That connection emerged throughout the conversation as he reflected on what it means to call a place home — and what it means to document that place as it changes.

“I really value that people there have known me since I was a kid, and I lot of people looked out for me since I was kid,” he said. “(The city) is just a bunch of gray, monochromatic columns. They’re tall, gray, metal … that no one really lives in because the city is trying to build itself up for a population it imagines will arrive, and it’s doing that at the expense of the population that already exists. So there’s a way that staying there and writing from the perspective of the city, both the city that is and the city that was, is an archival tool.”

That responsibility to people and place also informs how Abdurraqib thinks about mentorship. He told the audience that mentorship does not always have to take a traditional form.

He recalled a group of children who were beaten by police after stealing candy from a store. In response, drug dealers Abdurraqib grew up around began asking the children to hold their jewelry while they played basketball, paying them for the task.

For Abdurraqib, that seemingly small gesture offered a different possibility to young people in his community — and expanded his understanding of what it means to look out for someone else.

“That’s a level of mentorship that builds an ideology that still propels me to this day,” he said. “I ask the question of, ‘What of myself can I offer to someone that might rescue them momentarily from another life that is different from their current life?’”

�鶹��Ƶ Common Reading Lecture with Hanif Abdurraqib in Alumni Gym on September 29, 2026.

David Brooks teaches ‘skills of the heart’ in 2026 Fall Convocation address

Avery Craine Powell — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:47:10 +0000

New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks says there are two important skills needed for success — two skills that have taken him time to learn: how to see people and how to have an impact on the world.

“I tried to teach myself these social skills of how to see other people, and they’re basic social skills,” Brooks said. “It’s not mystery. It’s how do you learn to end a conversation gracefully? Are you going to be a good listener? How do you ask for and offer forgiveness? How do you ask somebody out? How do you break up with someone without breaking their heart? These are skills. And somehow, the last couple of generations, we have not taught these skills.”

Brooks spoke to a sold-out crowd of students, families, faculty, staff and friends of the university during Fall Convocation on Sept. 25 in Alumni Gym. The event, held during Family Weekend, concluded with Brooks joining Student Body President Michael Swartz ’27 for a question-and-answer session featuring questions from the audience.

David Books sits for a question and answer session with the audience, moderated by Student Government Association President Michael Swartz ’27 during �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

In addition to his longtime work for The New York Times, Brooks serves as a staff writer at The Atlantic, a commentator on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. He is also the author of multiple bestselling books, including “How to Know a Person,” “The Second Mountain,” “The Road to Character” and “The Social Animal,” which explore moral development, human connection and the search for meaning.

“The purpose of today’s gathering has never changed. A university education is far more than the accumulation of credits and credentials. An �鶹��Ƶ education is about engagement, engagement with ideas and engagement with each other,” �鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book said during her opening remarks. “We want to listen, to discuss, and to see the world through the eyes of another person, and to use that knowledge to imagine a different world. A better world. Those are the habits of mind and heart.”

�鶹��Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book welcomes the audience to Fall Convocation in Alumni Gym during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

Learning to see others

Blending personal anecdotes with stories of people he has encountered throughout his life and career, Brooks offered several ways to become better at seeing and understanding others.

The first begins with something simple: how people look at one another.

“When we’re meeting somebody, we are unconsciously asking ourselves a question. Is this person going to be nice to me? Am I a person to this person? My priority to this person. And the answer to that question will be expressed in your eyes before any words come into your mouth,” he said.

David Brooks speaks at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

Brooks also emphasized “accompaniment,” focusing on what another person may need or be experiencing in a particular moment.

“Accompaniment is another centered way of being in the normal circumstances of life,” Brook said. “What does this person need right now? What are they going through right now? And that’s just such a generous, everyday skill.”

Becoming a great conversationalist is another part of truly seeing people, Brooks said. He noted that conversation experts have told him a person should give someone either 100% of their attention or none of it, but never split it 60/40.

He also encouraged the audience to become “loud listeners” and to ask questions that invite people to tell stories about themselves.

“Get somebody telling a story. I no longer ask people, ‘What do you believe?’ I ask, ‘How do you comfortably believe that?’ I want to know who influenced them and what event influenced them. The other part of good questions is, they’re more ambitious than you feel comfortable with. You think people are shy, you’ve got to earn their trust. That’s true, of course. But people want to get deep faster than you think.”

Making an impact on the world

David Brooks speaks at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

Turning to the second skill — how to have an impact on the world — Brooks described the “gleam” he often sees in people’s eyes.

“It’s the gleam on the young person’s eyes who was anticipating a big life, and it (is) hungering for a big life and I just love that boldness of spirit,” he said.

Brooks encouraged those gathered to be “enthusiastically engaged” with the world and to embrace their desires, motivations and passions.

“Deep down inside of us, each of us has a spiritual core. This nuclear actor, a place in the innermost core of all of our beings that produces immense flows of energy,” he said. “This is the place your desires come from, your yearnings, your tears, your aspirations, your affections, your hopes, your enthusiasm, and your loves,” he said.

Skills of the heart

Brooks also offered four concepts for students to consider as they navigate college.

The first was Rumspringa, drawing from the Amish rite of passage. Brooks said college should provide students with opportunities to explore rather than focusing exclusively on preparing for a profession.

“In my view, every college in America, including the one I teach at, is over-professionalized. It is a time in life, which is, for many people, the only time in life, you just get to explore. You get to wander,” he said.

He next introduced epitasis, a Greek term for “stretching” or an increase in intensity. Brooks described happiness as a pursuit and emphasized the importance of teaching people “to keep going.”

The third concept was orthocardio, or having the right kind of heart.

“The kind of heart that will love the right things the right way,” he said.

Finally, Brooks discussed phronesis, the Greek concept of practical wisdom and the ability to understand what matters in a given situation.

“It’s an intuitive grasp of any situation. What really matters here? How are events flowing? It’s the ability to see a person whole. Logic allows us to take things apart, figure it out. Phronesis allows us to see reality cold,” he said.

Together, the ideas returned to the central message Brooks offered throughout his address: Education should develop more than a person’s intellect. It should help students develop the human skills needed to understand others, pursue meaningful lives and engage fully with the world around them.

“The schools I admire most do not treat children and students as brains on a stick; but as whole people, and engage their ambitions and their dreams and the desires just as much as facts about spreadsheets,” Brooks said. “And so, what I’ve tried to describe to you tonight is skills, which are not skills of the head, but are skills of the heart.”

David Brooks speaks at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation during Family Weekend on Sept. 25, 2026.

Bestselling author David Brooks to speak Friday, Sept. 25 for Fall Convocation

Avery Craine Powell — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:51:55 +0000

David Books, bestselling author and longtime New York Times columnist, will speak at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fall Convocation on Friday, September 25 at 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Gym.

Brooks is a leading observer of American culture, politics and civic life. He serves as a staff writer at The Atlantic, a commentator on PBS NewsHour and a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. Over decades in journalism, his columns have become some of the most widely read in the nation, offering insight into political dynamics, social trends and the challenges facing modern democracy.

Brooks is the author of multiple bestselling books, including “How to Know a Person,” “The Second Mountain,” “The Road to Character,” and “The Social Animal,” which explore moral development, human connection and the search for meaning. His work emphasizes the importance of community, empathy and the cultivation of both inner character and outward relationships as essential to a flourishing society.

Fall Convocation is the first event in the �鶹��Ƶ Speaker Series.

This event is sold out.��

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