NEWS RELEASE
LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY
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TEDxLSSU will take place on March 22, 2023 at the Lake Superior State University Library from 7 – 9 p.m. The independently organized event, licensed by TED, features local and non-local voices exploring the theme of 'Identity'.
Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe.
“The theme for this year’s annual TEDxLSSU was inspired by the re-energizing of the LSSU Native American Center. The hiring of a new Native American Center coordinator, Robear Assinewe-Beaupre, helped spark a renewed discussion across campus around the concept of ‘Identity,’” said event organizer Marc Boucher, director of library and academic services. “There are so many ways that we as individuals conceive of the idea of who we are, or where we come from, that we thought exploring this issue through the TEDx platform would be perfect.”
LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley added, “This year we received more than 100 speaker applications, the most ever for us. We take even more pride in the wide-ranging and fascinating speakers who help fulfill our vision of offering an innovative and transformative education, our core values of advancing diversity and promoting freedom of expression, and one of our strategic plan priorities of collaborating with community partners. This will be a powerful, educational, and motivating event to foster lifelong learning for the campus and the region.”
Speakers at TEDxLSSU 2023:
• Colin Corby, CEO of Technology Wellbeing Ltd., and Ana Smith, leadership strategist: Are We Losing Our Human Identity to Technology?
• Sean Douglas, U.S. Air Force (ret.) and founder of The Success Corps, host of Create Launch Monetize podcast, and bestselling author: The Answer to Veteran Suicides and Why Identity Matters
• Sawyer Dowd, LSSU sophomore psychology major: The Importance of Recognizing Intersectionality
• Koral Fritz, LSSU assistant professor of business and licensed attorney: Using Mirrors to Explore and Develop the Self
• Rev. Brandan Robertson, author and public theologian: Gay and Christian, No Contradiction
• Dr. James Wilkerson, director of staff diversity and equity and Title IX coordinator at Indiana University Southeast, author, and sexual assault prevention advocate: When We Cry: Mental Health, Masculinity, and Male Identity
TEDxLSSU 2023, underwritten by the LSSU Issues and Intellect Fund, is free and open to the public. The six live presentations will each run less than 18 minutes, and there will be two short TED videos shown during the two-hour event. Seating will be limited to the first 100 attendees. Overflow seating will be available on site. For full details about TEDxLSSU 2023, visit the website.
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