Every Wednesday, more than 500 people from the Upper Valley gather in Spaulding Auditorium to listen to guest lecturers speak about the future of American power and influence through the summer lecture series run by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth or OSHER@Dartmouth.
Tom Blinkhorn, the summer lecture chair of OSHER@Dartmouth, worked with a committee to determine the theme for the summer series this year.
While the themes of previous years included “Corruption: Pervasive, Persistent and Virulent,” “The Digital Revolution: Promise and Threat,” “Polarization: A Dangerously Divided America” and “The Middle East: Cauldron of Crisis and Change,” this year it was fitting to focus on the future of American power and influence in light of the upcoming presidential election, Blinkhorn said.
Speakers of this year’s series include David Rothkopf, the CEO and Editor of The Foreign Policy Group; Matthew Slaughter, incoming dean of the Tuck School of Business; Scott Sandell ‘86, a general partner at New Enterprise Associates venture capital firm; Robert Rae, a Canadian political leader and this week’s speakers, Marty Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post and Elisabeth Bumiller, Washington editor of The New York Times.
Meghan Oliver, an employee of the Norwich Bookstore, was present at this week’s lecture selling Bumiller’s book, “Condoleeza Rice: An American Life: A Biography.” Oliver sat alongside Bumiller as she signed books before the start of the lecture.
Oliver said that people who talked to Bumiller were very interested in meeting her. Everyone had something specific they wanted to talk to her about, she added.
After the lectures, the speakers are invited to a lunch at the Hanover Inn where they are joined by different members of the summer lecture committee. One of OSHER@Dartmouth’s leadership council members also hosts a dinner the night before for the speaker to introduce him or her to the Upper Valley and Dartmouth community, Blinkhorn said.
The summer lecture series is free for College students, faculty and staff. There are series tickets available where members of the Upper Valley can buy six tickets at once for a cheaper price. The option of becoming a member is also open in the summer, which can extend to the following year.
Program manager Lisa King works with the volunteers who make this program possible year-round.
“These are very dedicated volunteers,” King said. “They bring a lot of diversity and knowledge from their previous working lives.”
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth originally started in 1990 as the Institute for Lifelong Education at Dartmouth. It is a volunteer organization that provides lifelong educational programs for residents in the Upper Valley.
The program offers courses in many subjects, meeting once a week for two, three or typically eight weeks. In July and August, however, there is also the weekly summer lecture series.
The Summer Series began in 1997 when David Bisno noticed a lot of summer residents in the area. The lectures begin at 9 a.m. and after 45 minutes, the audience breaks out into the courtyard for refreshments.
Index cards are handed out so they can submit questions to the speakers. At the end of the lecture, there is a question and answer session using these index cards.
OSHER@Dartmouth is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. They will continue to celebrate all aspects of the program including study leaders, volunteers, members, lecturers, staff and their relationship with the College and the community, according to their fall catalog.
