About
We at CWRU are driven by a vision we call our North Star. It states: Case Western Reserve is a high-impact research university that aspires to be a community where humanity, science and technology meet to create a just and thriving world. To help further that mission, we highlight diverse people, diverse opinions, and diverse ideas; but always with the goal of engaging in a dialogue that is civil and respectful. The North Star Seminar series is doing just that. By engaging in conversations like these, we are keeping civil discourse and learning alive in our institution and in our community.
Past North Star Seminars
The War in Ukraine: Perspectives from Academia
On Friday, March 4, 2022 the Office of the Provost hosted the sixth installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured economics professor Roman Sheremeta—a native Ukrainian—and visiting professor Paul Tiyambe Zeleza who recently penned a piece on the conflict called “Europe at War: The Specter of Competing Imperialisms.”
The pair provided perspectives on the war from an international point-of-view and talked about what it means in the context of our global community.
Strengthening the State of our Union: A Conversation with Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera
On Friday, May 21, 2021 the Office of the Provost hosted the fifth installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Macalester College President Dr. Suzanne Rivera. The pair focused on lessons for restoring civic dialogue in the aftermath of racial shock in Minnesota.
Framing a Better Civic Dialogue in an Age of Racial Reckoning: Universities, the Public, and You
On Wednesday, April 7, 2021 the Office of the Provost hosted the fourth installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured Jonathan Holloway, PhD, a U.S. historian, and 21st president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Improving Civic Dialogue in America: A Congressman’s Perspective
On February 23, 2021, the Office of the Provost hosted the third installment in the North Star Seminar series featuring the Honorable Gil Cisneros, philanthropist and former politician who served as the U.S. Representative for California's 39th congressional district from 2019 to 2021.
View the Feb. 23 Recording
Overcoming American Tribalism: Healing America through Common Purpose
On February 16, 2021 the Office of the Provost and the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence hosted the second installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured Reuben E. Brigety II, PhD, the 17th vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South and former U.S. ambassador to the African Union.
The Interdisciplinary Imperative: A Scholar’s and Administrator’s Perspective
On January 11, 2021 the Office of the Provost and the College of Arts and Sciences hosted the inaugural North Star Seminar. The event featured Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, PhD, vice chancellor (president) and professor of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the United States International University-Africa.
View the Jan. 11 Recording