Jefferson College is bringing back its annual Friday Speaker Series as a means to better connect the community with the campus.
“This is a great opportunity for the college to make those connections with people in the community who may otherwise not come to the campus,” said Laura Villmer, development specialist for the Jefferson College Foundation.
This year’s Jefferson College’s Friday Speaker Series will be held Sept. 11, Oct. 16, Nov. 13 and Dec. 11 in the Student Center’s newly renovated Viking Room on the Hillsboro campus.
The series is sponsored by the college foundation with the partnership of the president’s office at Jefferson College.
Villmer said anyone may attend the series, but seating is limited. The sessions’ capacity is 125 people and typically sells out.
This month’s session is already sold out; however, registration opens about a month prior to each event.
Admission for each session costs $13 and includes a buffet lunch from Great Western Dining along with beverages and dessert.
Lunch will be served at approximately 11:45 a.m. for each session and the presentation will begin once attendees go through the line and are seated. Speakers typically will present until about 1 p.m.
The topics and speakers scheduled for the series include:
Sept. 11: “Unseen St. Louis,” with speaker Elizabeth Eikmann, assistant director of curricular innovation in the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University and member of the Missouri Speakers Bureau.
Eikmann will share stories of images and objects from various St. Louis archives that reveal an unknown side of St. Louis history.
Oct. 16: “A Visit to the 1904 World’s Fair,” with speaker Jason Stratman, library outreach manager with the Missouri Historical Society Library.
Stratman will tell some stories from the 1904 World’s Fair through the eyes of past attendees based upon items from the Missouri Historical Society Collections.
Nov. 13: “Jefferson College Observatory: Advancing Astronomy and Inspiring Discovery,” with speaker Don Ficken from the St. Louis Astronomical Society.
Ficken will share the origins of the Jefferson College Observatory and the opportunities it creates for students and the community.
Dec. 11: “Holiday Musical Performance,” with Paula Martin, Jefferson College adjunct music instructor and Jefferson College music students.
Returning to the series this year is a holiday performance featuring familiar holiday songs and melodies performed by college vocalists.
To register or for information, email speakerseries@jeffco.edu or call 636-481-3116.