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History and Ethics Forum

Statue of General Beadle, DSU past President.

History matters. Morality matters.

The long tradition of human thought and behavior is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of ideas. Yes, Dakota State University is an institution best known for its computing-related courses and technological advances. But DSU is also wise enough, aware enough, to see that we cannot fully understand the computing revolution unless we can place it in context: What does history tell us? What does moral reflection provide? How can we reach from the Ancients to the Moderns or the American Founding to the Computer Age? What is right and wrong about our world and our behavior, understood in the long tradition of human thought about history and ethics?

Dr. Clay Jenkinson will be the 2023 History and Ethics Forum speaker at DSU

The Future of the Humanities in an Artificial Intelligence Cosmos

Dr. Clay Jenkinson is an American humanities scholar, author, and educator, known as a Thomas Jefferson expert for his portrayals of America’s third president. He has presented for former President and Mrs. Clinton, and on the Colbert Report. The National Endowment for the Humanities once described him as, "A leader in the revival of Chautauqua, a forum for public discussion about the ideas and lives of key figures in American history."

He is currently the Director of the Dakota Institute, where he co-hosts public radio's The Thomas Jefferson Hour, and creates documentary films, symposia, and literary projects. He is also an accomplished author, having written several books on Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lewis & Clark.

Jenkinson is a North Dakota native, having graduated from Dickinson High School before attending Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota. He was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He is one of the first winners of the nation's highest award in the humanities, the Charles Frankel Prize, awarded by President George H.W. Bush for his achievements. Theodore Roosevelt in the Dakota Badlands: An Historical Guide.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
6:00 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Lecture
Location: Beacom Institute of Technology Collaboration Center
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Dr. Heather Wilson will be our 2022 speaker during the History and Ethics Forum at DSU.

History and Ethics Forum: Expanding the Cyber-Security Workforce

Dr. Heather Wilson, President University of Texas at El Paso. Her presentation was titled “Expanding the Cyber-Security Workforce.” She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has served as Secretary of the Air Force. She represented New Mexico in the U.S. Congress for 10 years and was President of the South Dakota School of Mines. She graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. She is a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, and in 2022 was elected inaugural chair of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities.

Video Recording

History and Ethics Forum: The Essence of Freedom: Liberty from the Ancient Greeks to the American Founding

Dr. Bradley Birzer, Professor of History and the Russel Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College. In addition to his teaching duties at Hillsdale, Birzer is co-founder of The Imaginative Conservative website, and the author of several books, including Russell Kirk: American Conservative and American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll. His presentation was titled "The Essence of Freedom: Liberty from the Ancient Greeks to the American Founding.”

Video Recording