President's Lecture Series
The President's Lecture Series (PLS) is a faculty initiative of the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences that is sponsored by the Office of the President. The lecture series is planned, organized, and administered by a committee of faculty volunteers who are guided by the PLS Mission Statement.
Mission Statement
PLS Mission Statement: By welcoming public intellectuals to a dynamic educational environment, The President's Lecture Series strives to provide a forum for critical discourse that is responsive to the interests of the Humber community. In fulfilling this goal, we commit to the values of free speech, diversity, and academic and social engagement.
Explore our archive!
We have a video archive of speakers going back to 2006 available as a resource to faculty, staff and students.
Get Involved!
Come to one of our upcoming talks. Here are the speakers for the Winter 2023 term:
Dr. Randy Boyagoda
Civil Discourse: What Is It, and Why Does It Matter at College?
Thurs, Sept 19th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Q&A + Reception to Follow
North Campus, B101 (Boardroom)
Dr. Randy Boyagoda is a Professor of English and Advisor on Civil Discourse at the University of Toronto. He is the author of a critical biography, scholarly monograph, and four novels, the most recent of which, Dante’s Indiana, was published in 2021. His fiction has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize, along with being named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Selection and Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year.
Michael Moss
The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food and the Industry Behind It
Wed, Oct 9th, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Q&A + Reception to Follow
North Campus, BCTI (Barrett Centre) 5th Floor
Michael Moss is an investigative journalist and author whose 2013 book, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. His most recent book, Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions, was published in 2021. He is a former investigative reporter with The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2010 for his work on contaminated meat.
Dr. Paul Kershaw
Unaffordable Housing, Climate Breakdown, Government Debts: Generational Fairness and Canadian Politics
Tues, Nov 5th, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., Q&A + Reception to Follow
North Campus, B101 (Boardroom)
Dr. Paul Kershaw is an Associate Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. He is also a regular media contributor and founder of Generation Squeeze, a Think and Change Tank promoting wellbeing for all generations. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the UBC President’s Award for Public Education through the Media in 2023; the award for Academic of the Year in 2016 from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC; and twice the Canadian Political Science Association honoured him with national prizes for his research on gender and politics.
Suggest a Speaker
The PLS Committee strives to be responsive to the entire college community. To generate as much interest as possible, the committee looks for speakers who will have broad appeal among the great diversity of students who attend the college. We actively seek feedback and suggestions from faculty, staff, and students.
PLS speakers are chosen on the basis of five criteria. PLS speakers must be 1) high profile 2) intellectually accessible 3) thought-provoking 4) Canadian- and/or internationally-focused, and 5) must not be sitting or campaigning elected politicians nor have already appeared at the college within the past three years. Do you know of a suitable speaker? If so, please forward your suggestion(s) to pls@humber.ca. Be sure to let us know what topics the speaker could address, their areas of academic specialization, their publications, and especially send us any links to interviews or talks available online.