Thursday, April 19

by Dr. Fred L. Johnson III

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

Professor Fred Johnson, one of Hope College’s most celebrated teachers, discusses how centuries old patterns of discrimination play out in new forms and challenges. He will offer action steps that need to be taken to secure the diminished benefits of citizenship for African Americans.

Speakers Series of South Haven Launches 2018 Season on Thursday, April 19 with “While Black People Slept” by Dr. Fred L. Johnson III.

While Black People Slept will be the subject for the opening presentation of the 2018 Speakers Series of South Haven on Thursday, April 19 at Lake Michigan College in South Haven. The speaker, Professor Fred Johnson, is one of Hope College’s most celebrated teachers, a seven-time semi-finalist in the Toastmaster’s World Series of Public Speaking, and a former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. A pre-presentation reception with the speaker will be held at 6:45 p.m. followed by the talk at 7:30.

Johnson will assess how the much hoped for post-racial America heralded by Barack Obama’s 2008 election has been eroded. Changes that led many to presume that great leaps of progress had been achieved were actually retrenched patterns of discrimination and marginalization that have gained momentum. “They are the nations’s dirty secrets hiding in plain sight” he says.

Although 21st Century America affords more benefits and opportunities for Black Americans than previous generations, Johnson says that “Blacks in the 21st Century have been lulled by the achievements of their forebears and now confront old problems in the guise of new challenges.” He will discuss areas of old and new discrimination that persist in diminishing benefits of citizenship for African Americans while addressing strategies for resolution.

Recognized as a vibrant speaker and effective teacher, Johnson has advanced seven times to the Toastmaster’s World Series of Public Speaking and last year won 2nd place in the semi-final round. He has received the Hope Outstanding Professor Educator Award and Hope students voted him their Favorite Professor Award. Johnson also draws full houses at his regular adult lectures and programs at Hope, Calvin, and Aquinas Colleges and Grand Valley State University.

He brings a wealth of practical experience to his teaching from his service as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer and working in the automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace industries. In 2008 and 2010, he ran for the House of Representatives from Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District.

Johnson earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees from Kent State University in Ohio. His primary field of study is 19th Century U.S. History, specifically the Civil War. His other areas of expertise include U.S. Military History, History of U.S. Foreign Policy, 20th Century U.S. History, and Africa.

He is the author of numerous articles and book reviews, three novels published by Random House, and co-author of a biography of the late actor and Hip-Hop artist Tupac Shakur.

The presentation “While Black People Slept” by Dr. Fred L. Johnson III was well attended. Here’s some photos from the event.

Thursday, September 28

by Yvonne Caamal Canul

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

Dr. Canul was named 2015 Michigan Superintendent of the Year and currently serves as Superintendent of Lansing Public School District. She will describe her perspective on what really works in education today and why we should care.

Yvonne Caamal Canul, considered one of the most dynamic and visionary education leaders in the United States today, will bring her thought-provoking message to the Speakers Series of South Haven on September 28 at Lake Michigan College at 7:30 pm. The evening will begin with a pre-presentation reception with the speaker at 6:45 pm. Admission is $10. Students and educators are admitted without charge.

Caamal Canul recently received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation American Association of School Administrators award for her exemplary talent, vision, and creativity. Her presentation in South Haven will challenge conventional wisdom about education as she focuses on issues of significance for all Americans. She believes public education has been the great equalizer in America, but challenges us to ask if our current approach continues to accomplish that goal.

Yvonne is known for bold decisions accompanied by a positive attitude with a focus on student achievement based on principles of child development and sound research. She has served as Superintendent of the Lansing Public Schools since 2012, and is described as a no-nonsense, student-focused leader dedicated to educating students in a caring and collaborative environment. The Michigan Association of School Administrators named her Michigan Superintendent of the Year in 2015.

Raised in Latin America until she was 15, Yvonne earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater from Olivet College and in 1997 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Her master’s degree in elementary education and racial and ethnic studies is from Michigan State University. She founded the Center for Language, Culture, and Communications, Lansing’s first multi-culture based focus school. She was awarded the Capital Area Hispanic Representatives Award for Achievement and the National Educator Award from the Milken Foundation. She led the school improvement division for the Michigan Department of Education, worked with the Outreach and Engagement Office at Michigan State University, taught at all levels in the Lansing Public Schools, and served as its director of curriculum and assessment.

“Some will find Yvonne Caamal Canul’s ideas controversial,” says Elaine Stephens, program chairperson. “Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with her, the audience will be stimulated to think about education differently.”

The presentation on Bold Ideas for Better Schools from Dr. Canul was well attended. Here’s some photos from the event.

Watch the Video – Bold Ideas for Better Schools, Dr. Yvonne Caamal Canul

Thursday, August 31

by Ebrahim Moosa

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

Ebrahim Moosa, considered one of the world’s most influential Muslims, will be the next featured speaker in the 2017 Speaker Series of South Haven. The event will be held on Thursday, August 31 at Lake Michigan College at 7:30 pm. A pre-presentation reception will be he held 6:45.

Moosa, a professor of Islamic Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will speak on Reform in the Contemporary Islamic World. Approaching Islam as a faith for all eras, he will explore the need for a progressive Islam interpreted in the context of contemporary human dignity, identity and ethics.

“His appearance is certainly timely,” says Frank Cunningham, chair for the event. “And very much in keeping with our mission to bring dynamic and knowledgeable speakers to address issues, innovations and ideas shaping our lives. It promises to be a very informative evening about one of the world’s great faiths and the adaptations of its truths to today’s world. It can be a pier in a bridge of understanding”

Acknowledged as “one of the most prominent intellectual theoreticians behind progressive Muslim thought” Moosa defines himself as “a traditionalist with a critical bend.”

“The key thing about progressive or critical traditionalist approach in Islam, to me, is that we must see that all knowledge must substantiate and support the fulfillment of human dignity. Human dignity is at the core of all Islam’s messages. And if knowledge does not deliver on human dignity, then that knowledge really is questionable.”

Moosa will explore the question of heritage in the Arab-Islamic world and how heritage affects identity. It involves issues of politics, the interpretation of Islamic law, and the need to shift to a public theology centering on ethics and human dignity. Moosa maintains, however, that events such as the emergence of military and despotic regimes after the Arab Spring and foreign destabilization of the region has prevented these debates from flowering into social policies.

Often called to the world stage, he recently commented extensively on Ramadan and the practice of fasting for the Australian Broadcasting Company. “Fasting is an act which is breathtakingly simple in expression, but immensely demanding in execution. Yes, there might be some disciplinary and health benefits, but for 29 or 30 days back to back? That takes some doing…” says Moosa.

A native of South Africa, Moosa taught at the University of Cape Town, and Duke and Stanford Universities before joining the Notre Dame faculty in 2014.

The presentation on Mid East issues from Dr. Ebrahim Moosa was well attended. Here’s a video and some photos from the event.

Watch the video – Ebrahim Moosa: Mid East Issues – by Richard Brunvand.

Thursday, June 15

by Bing Goei

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

Bing Goei, a highly successful and entrepreneurial Asian-American who currently serves as Director of the Office for New Americans for the state of Michigan, will address the Speakers Series of South Haven audience on Thursday, June 15 on the campus of Lake Michigan College in South Haven at 7:30 p.m. His topic will be Immigration and Our Future. The evening will begin with a pre-presentation reception with the speaker at 6:45 p.m.

Goei is a proud Asian-American who immigrated to Michigan from Indonesia via the Netherlands with his family in 1960. He will share an inspiring story of his journey including the obstacles, challenges and opportunities along the way, and how hard work and perseverance helped assure his ultimate success. In 2001, he purchased Eastern Floral out of bankruptcy and rebuilt the Eastern Floral Company into one of the top 50 Teleflora businesses with six West Michigan locations in Holland, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids. His passion for entrepreneurship and diversity led him to create the International Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, a business incubator offering low-cost space to young, minority and female entrepreneurs in Grand Rapids.

His role as Director of the Michigan Office for New Americans is designed to help grow Michigan’s economy by attracting and retaining global talent, and promoting skills, energy and entrepreneurial spirit within our immigrant communities; and to make Michigan a more welcoming state. He is responsible for supporting and coordinating immigration initiatives and for making recommendations to the Governor on state and federal policies and programs.

“Goei makes the case for why immigration is so important to the future of Michigan and our country. His perspective on immigration and how it can help our economy will challenge some of the current objections we have been hearing over the past few months”, said Mark Odland, President of the Speakers Series and Program Chair for this event.

Bing Goei was named the West Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2005, and has been inducted into the Junior Achievement West Michigan Business Hall of Fame. Just recently, he was awarded the West Michigan American Red Cross Clara Barton Humanitarian of the Year Award, and currently serves on the TALENT 2025 CEO Council.

The presentation on Immigration from Bing Goei was well attended. Here’s a video and some photos from the event.

Watch the video – Bing Goei: Immigration and Our Future – by Richard Brunvand.

Read more about the event on our blog in this article by BECKY KARK – For the South Haven Tribune >>>

Thursday, May 4

by Jack Lessenberry

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

Jack Lessenberry is a renowned political reporter and well known throughout Michigan and many areas of the country. His radio show on NPR is well followed and his newspaper editorials are closely read. Jack will address issues specifically related to the future of Michigan.

Noted prize winning Michigan Journalist and Public Radio analyst Jack Lessenberry will be a guest of the Speaker Series of South Haven on May 4 at 7 :30 pm. at Lake Michigan College. Lessenberry’s topic is Making Michigan Even Better. A pre-presentation reception will be he held 6:45.

Lessenberry will draw on his forty years of experience watching the workings of Michigan government to explore why the State is such a great place to live and how it can be made even better.

“This will not be a partisan discussion at all,” says Lessenberry, “rather it will present suggestions from a lifetime of watching our government and how it could be better.”

“In that lifetime of watching,” says Frank Cunningham, chair of the Thursday night event, “Lessenberrry has established himself as one of the most respected voices in Michigan journalism. He is most popularly recognized statewide for his daily commentaries dealing with important state issues on Michigan Public Radio”

A Detroit native, Jack originally intended to become a historian, but recognized that he wanted to become a journalist during his graduate studies at the University of Michigan where he earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism and East European Studies. Since then, he has worked in every medium from newspapers to the internet.

In his work as a foreign correspondent and Executive NationalE of The Detroit News he reported from more than 40 countries. His articles have also appeared in many national and regional publications, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Among his favorite memories are of interviewing Gerald Ford about Watergate in 1995 and winning a national Emmy for a documentary about Jack Kevorkian in 1994. The Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists named him Journalist of the Year in 2002.

In addition to his work at Michigan Radio, he is head of Journalism Faculty at Wayne State University and a contributing editor and columnist for The Metro Times, Dome Magazine, The Traverse-City Record Eagle, and The Toledo Blade, where he also serves as ombudsman.

Although he hosts the weekly public affairs program “Deadline Now” on WGTE-TV in Toledo, Jack mostly stopped watching TV- except for documentaries-when Mr. Ed was canceled, although he admits to a fondness for the crusty old butler on Downton Abbey.

He is the co-author of the book, “The Peoples Lawyer, The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nations Longest-Serving Attorney General,” published by Wayne State University Press in September 2015.

Photos from the Event

Watch the video – Jack Lessenberry: Making Michigan Work Even Better – by Richard Brunvand.

Read more about the events and speech on our blog in this HP article, by BECKY KARK – For the Herald-Palladium >>>

Thursday March 30, 2017

by Dr. Jean Norris

6:45 pm Pre-presentation Reception with Speaker – 7:30 pm Presentation Begins
Lake Michigan College, South Haven Campus
125 Veterans Blvd.
South Haven, Michigan

The Speakers Series of South Haven continues with its second presentation of 2017 with a topic that will challenge students and parents to seriously consider if college is the best choice. Dr. Jean Norris, who has spent over 30 years working in higher education marketing and admissions, will tackle that difficult question when she addresses the audience in South Haven on Thursday March 30.

With the certainty of college costs and student loan debt continuing to mount, and the uncertainty of post-graduation employment with an income that will support living expenses and repayment of all that debt, it isn’t unreasonable to ask if it is really worth it.

“If you are a high school student, parent, or grandparent of a student making a higher education decision, you may be asking if the investment is really worth it. Is this a dream worth pursuing? We believe Dr. Norris will help answer those questions and others,” said Frank Cunningham, one of the Speakers Series charter board members who is program chair for this event.

A college degree is part of the American dream for many families. Yet with 80 % of students changing majors at least once and only 59 % of younger students completing their degree, finding the right course of study and the right school is no easy task.

Dr. Norris will present an insider’s view of the recruitment and admissions process. Her experience and insights will help families address the challenges they face in finding the right fit between student and program, as well as determining if is really worth the money and effort.

Dr. Norris and her son Michael, who will draw upon his own educational journey, will share what they have learned and introduce the Five Factors of Fit that help allign goals with career and college options. Whether you or someone you know is considering college, “Is College the Best Choice” will be a lively presentation on how to empower yourself to make the best decision. Earlier in the day, they will make a special presentation at the South Haven High School designed to assist students in aligning their goals with career and college options.

Dr. Norris took a non-traditional path to higher education, getting her first full-time job, an apartment and a Ford Mustang at age 18. But the idea of being the first person in her family to go to college inspired her to sell everything, move, and enroll in a medical assisting program. She went on to earn a Bachelors degree in Management, a Master’s degree in Communicaiton and Training, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. She is a popular presenter on the higher education conference circuit, an award-winning author, and managing partner at Norton/Norris, Inc, a Chicago based consulting firm working with colleges and universities around the country.

The presentation will be held on Thursday, March 30 at Lake Michigan College in South Haven. A pre-presentation reception with the speaker will begin at 6:45 followed by the speech at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door including the reception. Students are admitted free.

Watch the video by Richard Brunvand.

Watch the video – Dr. Jean Norris: Is College the Best Choice? – by Richard Brunvand.