Oct. 27, 2008 – What will universities look like 20 years from now? How will they educate students for critical roles in a world with increasingly porous borders? What impact will their research have on critical challenges facing the world? How will they respond to dramatic demographic shifts in population and complex ways students acquire and process information? How will higher education respond to decreasing levels of public support and increasing demands for its services? Will universities remain relevant in an environment in which information is so freely available and easily transmitted?
Each fall, Continuing Education at The University of Utah presents the annual Frederick W. Reynolds lecture in order to answer hard questions, provide insight into exciting aspects of the University and give the community a glimpse into the future of higher education in Utah.
University of Utah President Michael K. Young will deliver the 58th Frederick W. Reynolds Lecture and will address how the U is leading the charge to become a 22nd century university through a variety of initiatives geared to keeping the U on the leading edge of today’s academic and business worlds.
The lecture, to be held Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m., is titled “The 22nd Century University: Bricks, Bytes, Beakers, and Business” and will be held in the auditorium of the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building (room 220) at 257 South 1400 East in Salt Lake City. The lecture will be followed by a dessert reception. The general public is welcome at both events with RSVP. To RSVP, contact Amber at (801) 585-0911.
“We are honored to have President Young as our guest speaker for this lecture series, which has such a long and storied history,” says Sandi Parkes, assistant vice president of Continuing Education. This event has been an integral part of Continuing Education’s 100-plus year history and has long served as a forum for citizens to learn more about what’s happening ‘on the hill.’ President Young is truly charting new territory at the helm of the U, and we can’t wait to share that with the public.”
For decades the Reynolds Lecture has been an essential part of the U and Continuing Education. Many distinguished university faculty members have taken part in the annual lecture, always providing a stimulating (and sometimes controversial) evening for audience members. By opening the Reynolds Lectures to the general public, the series also serves as a way to open the University and academia to the community, providing a forum for citizens to learn more about what is happening at the U. Throughout the years, the Reynolds Lecture has remained true to Continuing Education’s mission by fulfilling the charge to extend university and learning opportunities into the community.
Young began his tenure as the 14th president of the University of Utah in August 2004. Prior to his appointment at the U, he was dean and lobingier professor of comparative law and jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School (1998-2004). His academic career includes serving as the Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law and Legal Institutions and director of the Center for Japanese Legal Studies, as well as director of the Project on Religion, Human Rights and Religious Freedom at Columbia University, where he taught from 1978 to 1998. He has also been visiting professor and scholar on the law faculties of the University of Tokyo, Wasoda University, and Nihon University in Japan.
He is widely recognized not only for his academic work on Japanese law and international trade, but also for his tireless advocacy on behalf of international human rights. He has served as chair, vice chair, and member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and was appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist to the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission.
During the administration of President George Bush, Young served as ambassador for trade and environmental affairs (1992-93), deputy under secretary for economic and agricultural affairs (1991-93) and deputy legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State (1989-91). Young is a 1973 graduate of Brigham Young University (which he lovingly refers to as ‘the University of Utah at Provo’) and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1976, where he served as a note editor of the Harvard Law Review. He was a member of the Committee on International Judicial Relations of the Judicial Conference of the United States and is a fellow of the American Bar Association. Recently, he was asked by Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman to serve on a gubernatorial task force – the Globally Competitive Workforce Steering Committee – to help formulate solutions to the challenges Utah is facing as it addresses the workforce needs of the future. He and his wife, Suzan, who is a registered nurse, are the parents of three children.
Continuing Education at the U enriches the lives of people of all ages in the greater community and beyond by providing extraordinary learning opportunities from the university. The division encompasses nine programs: Academic Non-Credit, Lifelong Learning, Exam/Test Preparation, Professional Education, Technology Education, Youth Education, Distance Education, the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning and the English Language Institute. Information about each of Continuing Ed’s programs can be found at http://www.continue.utah.edu/.