UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Forum Speaker Series returns this fall with upcoming speakers slated for Oct. 25 and Nov. 3.
On Oct. 25, Douglas M. Leech, founder and CEO of Ascension Recovery Services, and a Penn State graduate, will present “Successful entrepreneurship in a post-pandemic world." Visit the registration page to purchase tickets/tables here.
About the lecture: Leech has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Penn State and worked at Ernst & Young in Pittsburgh before founding Ascension Recovery Services. Through his own struggles with addiction and subsequent recovery, Leech developed a passion for helping those suffering from the disease of addiction and set out to increase access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment across the country. The mission of Ascension RS is to expand access to care by opening comprehensive, person-centered SUD and co-occurring mental health disorder treatment centers across the country providing for all who need treatment, regardless of insurance type or ability to pay. Join us as we learn more about Leech's time at Penn State and his journey of addiction, recovery, and founding Ascension, and as he shares his insights on how to overcome adversity and be successful in business with a mission and purpose.
On Nov. 3, Mark Becker, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, will present "Won’t Lose This Dream: How an Upstart Urban University Rewrote the Rules of a Broken System." Visit the registration page to purchase tickets/tables here.
About the lecture: Many a college graduate recalls being told “look to your left, look to your right, in four years one of you won’t be here.” However, the truth is even more discouraging. Only a little over one-half of the freshmen who start college each fall graduate within six years. The statistics are worse for racial minorities and students from low-income families. In this talk, Becker will explore how Georgia State University transformed from a little known commuter school in Atlanta, Georgia, into one of the most innovative and fastest rising universities in the nation by pioneering a new approach to student success that increased graduation rates, eliminated disparities, and thereby leveled the playing field for all students.
About the Forum Speaker Series
The forum series is modeled after the National Press Club Speaker Series, which includes a presentation by an invited speaker, followed by audience questions.
The buffet-style luncheons are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Presidents Hall of the Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotel, on the University Park campus.
All events are open to faculty, staff, students and the general public. Tickets for the Penn State Forum are $25 each, or $250 for a table of 10, and include a buffet lunch. Tickets may be purchased by visiting the Forum Speakers website.
Upcoming speakers for the 2022-23 series include:
- Dec. 1 — Na’ilah Nasir, president of the American Educational Research Foundation, National Academy of Education member, and CEO of the Spencer Foundation, will present a lecture (title TBA).
- Feb. 23, 2023 — Velvet Brown, David P. Stone Chair and associate director for equity, diversity and inclusion in the School of Music, and the Penn State Laureate for 2022-23, will present a lecture (title TBA).
- March 23, 2023 — Sabaah Folayan, award-winning film director of the documentary “Whose Streets?", will present a lecture (title TBA).
- April 20, 2023 — Derek Lee and Monica Bond, wildlife biologists, activists and Penn State Eberly College of Science professors will present “True Tall Tales from Tanzania."
Forthcoming lecture topics will be added as they are available. More information about the series is available on the Penn State Forum Speakers website.