The Last Lecture Series

750 Chase Parkway,Waterbury CT 06708

26 April, 2022

Description

When two popular professors are invited to headline the Last Lecture Series, community members, students, staff, and faculty must attend! Back after a pandemic hiatus, the Naugatuck Valley Faculty Senate will celebrate our faculty and their expertise and achievements. This year’s event, The Last Lecture Series, quite popular at other colleges and universities, will be held Tuesday, April 26th from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center's Playbox Theatre. The Last Lecture was popularized by a talk Professor Randy Pausch delivered at Carnegie Mellon University titled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Childhood Dreams.” Professor Pausch shared stories of his childhood, the many lessons learned along the way, and wise counsel on how to live life to the fullest. Inspired by Pausch’s last lecture, NVCC’s Faculty Senate Last Lecture Series invites retiring faculty to offer sage counsel and explore matters that have shaped them in profound and important ways. In their talks, faculty answer the question, “If this was my last lecture, what would I want students and colleagues to know, to hold dear, to remember, to ponder, and to treasure.” In 2019, our inaugural speaker was Professor Bill Foster who shared his reflections on “Teaching Community College: Brain, Heart, Courage, Home.” This year, we have two remarkable professors, Steve Parlato and Jane Wampler delivering their lectures. Parlato's title is "Always Open" while Professor Wampler will share reflections on "Lifelong Learning: Things I've Learned Since Turning 50." Knowing Professors Parlato and Wampler, the Faculty Senate is confident that we will surely laugh, maybe cry, but certainly, we will all be enriched by Steve and Jane’s warmth, humor, candor, and brilliance. On the same afternoon, there will be a staff/faculty retirement celebration, hosted by the Naugatuck Valley Community College Center for Teaching, prior to the Last Lecture series, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. All are invited to attend the celebration in the Fine Arts Center Atrium. Refreshments will be served at 2 p.m. with the Last Lecture Series beginning at 3:30 p.m.