
Fall 2018 Lecture Series Announced
Today the Pell Center announced the Fall 2018 event series. Tickets to Pell Center events are free and will be available about two weeks prior to the event date. Please RSVP in advance for each event on the Pell Center’s Eventbrite page, and call 401-341-2927 email [email protected] with any questions or concerns. Scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for our email list and stay informed about … Read More

A Cartoonist’s take on the News with Gary Varvel
Air dates: August 4-6, 2018 Editorial cartoonists use illustration to offer a different perspective on the news and in doing so they challenge us to think in new ways. Gary Varvel brings a conservative perspective to his cartoons for the IndyStar. Gary Varvel was born in Indianapolis in 1957, graduated from Danville High School in Danville, IN, studied at John Herron School of Art (IUPUI) and after college spent 16 … Read More

Death of the Grand Old Party with Jay Bookman
Air Dates: July 21-23, 2018 American politics seemed sufficiently combustible even before the images and stories of immigrant children being separated from their parents pushed our temperature even higher. Jay Bookman argues the super-heated politics of 2018 are a reflection of the death of the GOP as a moderate, governing party. Jay Bookman is a columnist and blogger at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, specializing in foreign relations, national politics, environmental and … Read More

Optimism in the Age of Fear with Gregg Easterbrook
Air Dates: July 14-16, 2018 The conventional wisdom—the story that dominates public life—is that the world is falling apart. Literally, our infrastructure is crumbling. Our politics are devolving. Sea levels are rising. Gregg Easterbrook reminds us, however, that the reality of human experience is not that bleak and that there is opportunity in tackling the great issues we face. Gregg Easterbrook is the author of eleven books, including The New … Read More

Maddie McGarvey on “Story in the Public Square”
Air Dates: March 3-4, 2018 I know I’m not alone in marveling at the work talented photographers do; the composition; the courage to go after stories; the ability to frame a subject is a skill more than “pointing and shooting” a camera. This week’s guest, Maddie McGarvey, does it better than most. Maddie McGarvey is a freelance photographer based in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio University’s School of Visual … Read More

Dr. Martha McCann Rose to lead Nuala Pell Program
Dr. Martha McCann Rose has been named director of the Nuala Pell Leadership Program at Salve Regina University. Dr. Rose is a professor in the Education Department and a faculty fellow at the University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. “Martha Rose is a world-class educator and colleague,” said Pell Center Executive Director Jim Ludes. He continued, “Her commitment to students, her desire to see them grow as … Read More

The End of Moderate Conservatism: Foreign and Domestic Ramifications
As a tumultuous year comes to a close, Senior Fellow Iskander Rehman takes a deep look at some of the more profound transformations underway under the Trump administration—whether in the realm of politics or foreign affairs. Rise of the Reactionaries: The American Far Right and U.S. Foreign Policy Many of Trump’s core foreign policy beliefs are less unique than they seem at first, stemming from a longstanding reactionary tradition … Read More

John Marttila on “Story in the Public Square” August 19, 2017
Storytelling is at the heart of political campaigns. Guest John Marttila has studied those stories as part of a four-decade career in American politics. For more than forty years, Marttila has been a leading political strategist and advisor for political candidates, elected officials and ballot campaigns. In 1972, he co-founded his first company, which oversaw the strategy and produced advertising for Vice President Joe Biden’s upset senatorial victory. Marttila was … Read More

Christopher Vials on “Story in the Public Square” July 8, 2017
In the 1930s and early 1940s, prominent Americans publically endorsed a policy of “America First,” even if that meant turning a blind eye to the violence done in Europe by fascist political parties in Italy and, especially Germany. Christopher Vials argues that American fascism has roots that go back to the end of World War I—and is enjoying new dynamism today. Vials is an Associate Professor of English at the … Read More

June 17, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
The media’s role in modern American politics is that of investigator, arbitrator, and even king maker. Guest Thomas Patterson argues that, contrary to popular belief, media bias is not about left and right, but about positive and negative. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism, The Vanishing … Read More