Speakers Series of South Haven

Issues, Innovations & Ideas Shaping Our Lives

Previous Events Archive

2023
Cannabis…the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Jennifer Rigterink, Asst. Director MML
American Health Care. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. A Call for a New Model. Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE
Challenges to Democracy: The Growth of Autocracy in the World, Dr. Joel Toppen
The World According to Xi: Should US Fear China’s Rise? Dr. Ann Chih Lin

2022
How Technology Both Increases Polarization and Builds Bridges, Dr. Lisa Schirch
Game Changing Advances in Medicine, Medical Geneticist Dr. Caleb Bupp, MD
Best place to live in 2050? Michigan! Best-Selling Author Parag Khanna
The Roots of Russian – American Discord, Professor Dr. Jim Butterfield

2021
What Went Wrong in Afghanistan? Professor Dr. Joel Toppen
Michigan Business Recovery, Executive Editor Kelley Root
The Pandemic Economy and Beyond, Dr. Paul Isely | Rob Cleveland | Jim Hettinger
The Inside Story of the Virus and the Vaccine, Dr. H. Clifford Lane, M.D.

2020
We regret the 2020 Speakers Series presentations were canceled because of the COVID pandemic.

2019
Smart Thinking in a Post Truth Age, Psychologist David Myers
Top Trends Affecting Michigan, Governor Jennifer Granholm
The Great Lakes Water Wars Continue, Journalist Peter Anin
Affordable Housing: Obstacles and Solutions, Advocate Ryan Kilpatrick

2018
Reflections on Leadership and Perseverance, Mayor Dennis Archer
Michigan Mid-Term Election Issue, Journalist Phil Power
While Black People Slept, Professor Fred Johnson
Foreign Policy Challenges in 2018 and Beyond, Diplomat Jack Segal
A Road Map to Long Term Economic Recovery, Economist Marci Rossell McCarthy

2017
Bold Ideas for Better Schools, Educator Yvonne Caamal Canul
Mid East Issues, Professor Ebrahim Moosa
Immigration and Our Future, Entrepreneur Bing Goei
Making Michigan Work Even Better, Journalist Jack Lessenberry
Is College the Best Choice?, Educators Dr. Jean Norris and Michael Norris
The Supreme Court in the Crosshairs, Professor David Ryden

2016
Fake News 2016, Author A. Brad Schwartz
The Case for Sentencing and Prison Reform, Advocate Joe Haveman
Reconnecting with Nature in a Digital World, Educator Erik Mollenhauer
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?, Journalist Rick Albin, Dr. J.H. “Joe” Schwarz, Joan Bauer
Saving the Great Lakes: Water Quality Issues, EPA Senior Advisor Cameron Davis, Sr.

2015
Fighting Crime and Building Good Community Relations, U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles
The Case of Economic Optimism, Economist Marci Rossell McCarthy
Transformative Changes Ahead for Americans, Health Care Advocate Jamie Orlikoff
Water Tension and the Great Lakes Compact, Journalist Peter Annin

Get ready, they’re coming to Michigan!

Parag Khanna
Parag Khanna

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Best-selling author Parag Khanna

Are you ready to move? Do you feel your welfare is at risk from political and economic crises, technology disruptions or climate change? Author and researcher Dr. Parag Khanna defended his claim that Michigan will be a top destination because of factors surrounding climate change, economies, and governments. According to his new book, “Move: The Forces Uprooting Us,” it appears the entire world will be coming to Michigan….. the best place to live on the entire planet by 2050.

Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and best selling-author. He is Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. He was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has traveled to nearly 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Watch the Video – Best place to live in 2050? Michigan! by best-selling author Parag Khanna

Video by Richard Brunvand

The Roots of Russian – American Discord

Jim Butterfield
Jim Butterfield

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Dr. Jim Butterfield
Political Science Professor Western Michigan University

Dr. Jim Butterfield, Professor of Political Science and Allied Faculty in Global and international Studies at Western Michigan University, explored the reasons Russia acts the way it does toward the United States and the West, drawing on such significant factors as its culture, religious Orthodoxy, search for identity and the breakup of the Soviet Union. He also offered insights into the current war between Russia and Ukraine.

Read the Herald Palladium article:
https://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/butterfield-says-no-easy-solutions-with-russia-ukraine/article_ee08c5be-671d-5a79-a1d7-073b3959cd4b.html

Watch the Video – The Roots of Russian – American Discord by Dr. Jim Butterfield

Video by Richard Brunvand

What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?

Dr Joel Toppen
Dr. Joel Toppen

Thursday, October 28, 2021

by Dr. Joel Toppen
Political Science Professor, Hope College

Hope College Political Science Professor Joel Toppen offered his insights on the 20-year war in Afghanistan and the implications of the Taliban’s return to power.

Below are photo’s from the event.

Watch the YouTube video: What Went Wrong in Afghanistan? Dr. Joel Toppen, Political Science Professor, Hope College

Michigan Business Recovery

Kelley Root
Kelley Root

Thursday, October 7, 2021

by Kelley Root
Executive Editor, Crain’s Detroit Business

The South Haven Speakers Series resumed in-person presentations with the focus on Michigan’s business climate and the pandemic.

Kelley Root, Executive Editor of Crain’s Detroit Business, discussed the way forward for Michigan business as they emerge from the pandemic.

Speakers series president Mark Odland welcomed everyone saying it was good to have a “live” audience after doing three virtual presentations to open the 2021season.

Ms. Root joined Crain’s Detroit Business in March of 2020 after working at The Detroit News for 16 years, most recently as managing editor. Prior to her time in Detroit, she was a reporter and assistant city editor for The Grand Rapids Press. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University where she served as editor-in-chief of The State News.

Watch the YouTube video, Michigan Business Recovery: Kelley Root, Executive Editor, Crain’s Detroit Business

The Pandemic Economy and Beyond

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Dr. Paul Isely | Rob Cleveland | Jim Hettinger

Dr. Paul Isely, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University, took a close-up look at the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and what we can expect as the pandemic comes to an end. He was joined by local panelist Rob Cleveland, president of Cornerstone Alliance; and Jim Hettinger, president & CEO of Jim Hettinger Urban Development Services, LLC. They discussed the local impact and economic outlook for southwest Michigan. The program was moderated by Speakers Series Vice President Julie Cowie.

Watch the video – The Pandemic Economy and Beyond, Professor Paul Isely

The Inside Story of the Virus and the Vaccine

The Speakers Series of South Haven launched its 2021 season on February 18 with a presentation focused on the “Inside Story of the Virus and the Vaccine” by Dr. H. Clifford Lane, M.D., Deputy Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease. View a recording of the online event (below).

Here’s some photos from the event.

Dr. Lane provided his findings on the virus, where it came from, how it got started, and how it spread so quickly and broadly throughout the United States. He shared stories about what he learned about the virus during his trip to China in February 2020 as one of two U.S. scientists to tour five different cities to get a first hand look at the epidemic. We heard his expert opinion on the vaccine and how it combats the virus, how it differs from other vaccines and how it was developed so quickly. We also heard his views on what we have learned to prevent future pandemics and how the method used to develop this vaccine can be utilized in the future as we encounter new diseases.

The Speakers Series collaborated with the Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College to present this event at no charge to the public.

This event was sponsored through the generosity of Spectrum Health Lakeland, The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College, Kiwanis of South Haven, Rotary of South Haven, and Bronson South Haven Hospital.