Saturday U: Free One-Day College Education Program Feb. 26 in Jackson

February 21, 2011 — University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan will be among speakers Feb. 26 for the winter term of Saturday U -- the free one-day college education program.

A half-day of college classes and discussion begins with refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed by Buchanan's welcoming address at 8:45 a.m. at the National Museum of Wildlife Art Cook Auditorium.

Three UW professors will then present lectures concerning the dilemmas of digital media; the secrets of Wyoming's geologic wealth; and what is driving China's agenda on the world stage. The day wraps up with a free lunch and conversation with all three professors.

In its second year, Saturday U is a collaborative program that connects popular UW professors with life-long learners in Jackson Hole. Offered three times a year, Saturday U is sponsored by the university, the UW Foundation and Wyoming Humanities Council and presented by Central Wyoming College (CWC), National Museum of Wildlife Art and Teton County Library Foundation.

Listed are program topic descriptions and UW professors lecturing:

9:15-10:15 a.m. - "Digital Conversations: Media, Audiences and Content in the 21st Century,"
Gracie Lawson-Borders, UW Department of Communication and Journalism associate professor and College of Arts and Sciences associate dean. Traditional media such as newspapers, television and radio are adapting how they deliver content in an era increasingly dominated by online media. How do media, audiences and information connect in the digital age?

10:30-11:30 a.m. - "Fingerprints on Wyoming's Rock of Ages," Carol Frost, UW Department of Geology professor and vice president for special projects. Wyoming's spectacular scenery and abundant resources are well known and widely-appreciated assets. Less known is the state's 4-billion-year geologic history that produced these natural treasures.

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. -- "The People's Republic of China: Communist, Capitalist or Confucian?" Michael C. Brose, UW Department of History chairman and associate professor. China embodies and uses all three attributes or ideologies -- communism, capitalism and Confucianism -- in its post-Mao resurgence on the world stage. All need to be understood as the basis of China's highly developed sense of nationalism, which has been the main driving agenda of the state since its creation in 1949.

12:45-1:45 p.m. -- Lunch and question-and-answer session with the three UW professors in the Wapiti Gallery. Moderated by Paul Flesher, UW Religious Studies Program director and associate professor.

Participants may attend one, two or all three lectures, plus the final roundtable wrap-up. The program is free and open to the public. For more details, or to register for college credit or Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB) credit, call Susan Thulin, CWC outreach coordinator, (307) 733-7425.

For general information about Saturday U: The Free One-Day College Education or library programs, visit the library online at www.tclib.org or contact Teton County Library Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.

Photo:
Gracie Lawson-Borders, associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, will be among UW faculty members who will teach at Saturday U.  (UW Photo)