Fairfield University's Open VISIONS Forum announces an exciting 2005-06 season | Press Releases

Open VISIONS Forum, an outreach program of Fairfield University's University College, announces its ninth season, featuring distinguished and diverse speakers from the worlds of art, culture and public affairs. They are: "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert; respected writer/educator Leonard Fein; best-selling author Isabel Allende; world-renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks; Glenn D. Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art; attorney and human rights activist Anita Hill; political columnist and author Peggy Noonan; and filmmaker Mira Nair.

"I am very excited to learn from this roster of distinguished individuals, each of whom has challenged us to respond to the issues of our complicated world," said Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D., director and moderator of Open VISIONS Forum.

All eight programs will take place in Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Tickets will be available on Sunday, May 1, for season subscribers and for those wishing to become sponsors and patrons to the series. All tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 1.

Trusted political analyst and NBC's "Meet the Press" moderator/managing editor Tim Russert kicks off the series on Monday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. Russert took the helm at "Meet the Press" in 1991 and, since then, it has become the most watched Sunday morning interview program in the United States and the most quoted news program in the world. In addition to his duties at "Meet the Press," the longest-running program in television history, Russert is a political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and "Today," the anchor of CNBC's "The Tim Russert Show" and a contributing anchor for MSNBC.

In 2001, Washingtonian Magazine named Russert the best and most influential journalist in Washington, D.C., while Reader's Digest dubbed him America's best interviewer in 2004.

Leonard Fein , a writer/educator known for his insightful commentary on contemporary Jewish life, will present the Jacoby-Lunin Humanitarian Lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. Fein has written more than 800 articles and essays appearing in such publications as The New York Times , The New Republic , The Nation , The Los Angeles Times , Commonweal , Commentary and Moment , the magazine on Jewish affairs he founded in 1974.

Fein is the author of "Where are We? The Inner Life of America's Jews" and "Israel: Politics and People," which was required text in all Israeli universities for more than a decade. In addition to his writing, Fein has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University, and has lectured at about 60 college campuses, 400 American communities and more than a dozen foreign countries. He is a former director of the Commission on Social Action of the Reform Jewish movement and the founder of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a widely recognized campaign against world hunger.

The Jacoby-Lunin lecture was created in 1951 to promote causes of humanity and brotherhood. The lecture is presented in affiliation with the University's Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies.

Celebrated author Isabel Allende takes the stage on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m. Born in Chile, Allende worked as a journalist for newspapers and women's and children's magazines before releasing her first novel, "The House of the Spirits," in 1982. She followed the critically acclaimed book with a string of others, including "Daughter of Fortune," "Portrait in Sepia," and the young adult novels "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon" and "Forest of the Pygmies." Allende's award-winning books have been translated into 27 languages and have been on bestseller lists in Europe, the United States, Latin America and Australia.

Open VISIONS Forum will present Allende in collaboration with Pequot Library in Fairfield.

Oliver Sacks , the world-renowned neurologist and best-selling author of "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," will speak on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. Born in London, Sacks came to the United States in the 1960s, working for a time at Beth Abraham Hospital in New York City, where he encountered patients locked in odd frozen states. His work trying to release them through radical doses of medication led to his second book, "Awakenings," a bestseller later made into a popular film. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for his continuing innovative work in neurology, Sacks has written nine books and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Times, which has dubbed him "the poet laureate of medicine."

Sacks' appearance is sponsored in part by Fairfield University's School of Nursing.

The University's Art History Department will co-sponsor a lecture by Glenn D. Lowry , director of the Museum of Modern Art, on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. Lowry is the sixth director of the museum, having taken the helm in 1995. A leading advocate for contemporary art, the Harvard-educated director has overseen one of MoMA's most exciting eras: The Manhattan museum reopened in November 2004 after a $425 million renovation and expansion and a highly successful capital campaign to ensure its healthy future.

Anita Hill , the attorney/educator who came to prominence during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, will speak on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. During Senate hearings in 1991, Hill made graphic allegations of sexual harassment against Thomas, then her former boss and a Supreme Court nominee, bringing the issue to greater prominence on the national stage. Now a professor of law, social policy and women's studies at Brandeis University, Hill wrote her autobiography, "Speaking Truth to Power," in 1998, and is a strong advocate for human rights.

Hill's appearance will be co-sponsored by the Fairfield University Student Association and the University's Center for Multicultural Relations.

Peggy Noonan , one of the country's most recognized conservative voices, will take the stage on Wednesday, March 22, at 8 p.m. A former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and speechwriter for former President George Bush, Noonan is the best-selling author of five books, including "What I Saw at the Revolution," "The Case Against Hillary Clinton" and "When Character Was King." A contributing editor at The Wall Street Journal, her articles and essays have appeared in Forbes, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times and many other publications. She's also a frequent guest on political talk shows and has been a special advisor to the television drama "The West Wing." Noonan's lecture will be presented in collaboration with the Aloysius P. Kelley Chair in Catholic Studies celebrating the Jesuit Jubilee Year.

The Open VISIONS Forum season concludes with acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair , who will speak on Wednesday, April 5, at 8 p.m. Born in India, Nair began her career as an actor, then turned to directing award-winning documentaries, such as "So Far From India" and "India Cabaret." Her debut feature film, 1988's "Salaam Bombay!" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and she has followed that success with several other award-winning films, including "Mississippi Masala," "Vanity Fair," "Monsoon Wedding" and HBO's Emmy-winning "Hysterical Blindness."

A polished director, writer and producer, Nair started her own film company, Mirabai Films, in 1989, and strives to give voice to stories that usually go unheard. Nair, who has been lauded for her humanitarian work on behalf of the children of India, will deliver the fourth annual Ignatian Residential College lecture, funded by the Lilly Endowment.

Open VISIONS Forum is an art, culture and public affairs lecture series designed to challenge "the life of the mind." Since its founding in 1997, the series has attracted a range of notable speakers, including actress Mia Farrow, former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, PBS filmmaker Ken Burns, author Salman Rushdie, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and acclaimed author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

The 2005-06 season is partially sponsored by Bank of America and Moffly Publications.

All lectures take place in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. Ticket prices for Tim Russert and Peggy Noonan are $35 and all other lectures are $28, with discounts available for senior citizens and students.

For patrons and sponsors, there will be special meet the guest opportunities and private receptions. For more information, contact Elizabeth Hastings at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2688. For tickets or subscriptions, call the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit the website, www.quickcenter.com. For information on becoming a patron of Open VISIONS Forum, call University College at (203) 254-4000, ext. 2688.