The Office for Campus Enrichment and Engagement sponsors the Campus Enrichment Lecture Series, aimed to inspire community engagement, campus dialogue and enhance campus culture through lectures that connect us as a broader community united in our mission of academic and research excellence.
Coming this spring, we are excited to share that the Campus Enrichment Lecture Series will focus on The Power of Dialogue. Our lectures this semester will explore different perspectives and will examine how dialogue can deepen understanding.
This series invites our campus to come together to listen intently, feed curiosity and create ways to meaningfully engage with ideas that shape our shared community.
We will kick off the Spring Series with our first lecture this February 27, 2026! Check out the upcoming lectures, which are open to the public.
Negotiating Reality: How to Communicate and Resolve Conflicts in a Post-Truth World Moderated Panel Discussion
- Featuring Kwame Christian, Esq
- Tinkham Veale University Center - Ballroom A
- March 20, 2025
- 12:30-2pm
Register Here for the Lecture with Kwame Christian!
The Transformative Power of Civil Dialogue
- Moderated Panel Discussion
- Linsalata Alumni Center - Foster-Castele Great Hall
- April 10, 2026
- 12:30-2pm
In Spring 2026, the Campus Enrichment Lecture Series will focus on The Power of Dialogue. Our lectures this semester will explore different perspectives and will examine how dialogue can deepen understanding.
Athlete Activism and the Politics of Dialogue in American Life: A Conversation on Race, Sport and Citizenship
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, a powerful narrative has emerged positioning Black athletes as primary torchbearers for social justice causes. During this time, they have consistently challenged and reshaped national conversations surrounding race, activism, and citizenship in the United States. Yet, within the tightly regulated boundaries of collegiate and professional sports, the humanity of these athletes is often overlooked, especially when expectations of social responsibility are placed upon them. This keynote explores contemporary understandings of how race continues to shape the expectations placed on Black athletes beyond the playing field, and how communities across the U.S. grapple with enduring inequalities that make their activism both urgent and necessary. This lecture will help us explore how activism and advocacy impacts one's professional and personal life beyond the parameters of sport and social identities.
In the Fall 2025 our Campus Enrichment Lecture Series focused on the theme of Minds in Motion Understanding Mental Health.
Understanding the Complexities of Mental Health: Moderated Discussion
This moderated panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Naomi Drakeford, Director of Clinical Counseling Services. This discussion explored the complexities of mental health from a range of perspectives to create a rich and inclusive dialogue.
Our panel participants were Clarence “Tre” Armstrong III
a Graduate Student in the School of Medicine. Jason Steckel, Associate Director for Greek Life. Rini Ghosh Assistant Director of Health Research Outcomes and Engagement with the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative. Dr. Emmitt Jolly, Professor in the Department of Biology and Karen Potts, Student Athlete and Third Year Psychology Major.
Campus Enrichment Lecture Series: Minds in Motion Understanding Mental Health Featuring Dr. Tyffani Monford
This workshop was a part of our Fall Lecture Series Minds in Motion - Understanding Mental Health. With this event, our campus community learned about tools and strategies to achieve emotional wellness, engaged in self care and learned ways we can show up authentically in spaces even on a bad day.
Dr. Tyffani Monford is a licensed psychologist and Director of Clinical Services for Metro Health’s Behavioral Health Hospital. She is also an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-Department of Psychiatry.
Campus Enrichment and Engagement Lecture Series: Minds in Motion featuring Chamique Holdsclaw
In this presentation, Chamique shared her personal journey of battling mental illness, the need to destigmatize it, and the importance of stopping discrimination against those who suffered from it. She also addressed how others could help, from promoting understanding and empathy to improving knowledge, having open conversations about mental well-being, and working together to ensure that mental health was recognized as an essential human right.
Hailed as the “female Michael Jordan,”Chamique Holdsclaw was a basketball superstar. From leading The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers to three straight NCAA national championships with her team and legendary Coach Pat Summitt to the Olympics to the WNBA, nearly no one has had more focus or drive on the court. And yet underneath, she was pushing down mental health issues that eventually led to a total mental and physical breakdown. Chamique suffered from serious bouts of depression and manic episodes, a suicide attempt and an incident in Atlanta involving a firearm. After the episode in Georgia, she was finally open to getting help and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe anxiety. After a long journey of learning to manage her illness, Chamique has come back just as fierce. But this time, she’s dedicated her life’s work to mental health and wellness activism-- sharing her own personal struggles with depression depicted in her documentary, Mind|Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw.