Universities foster and protect the free exchange of ideas, open debate and diverse viewpoints as an indispensable part of their role to educate and serve the communities around them.

To that end, the University of Utah, in partnership with the Utah Economic Council, Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and the Hinckley Institute of Politics, has created a new speaker series intended to inform, engage and empower students, faculty and staff, as well as the wider Utah population.

Beginning on Oct. 28 with American Enterprise Institute economist Michael Strain, the Societal Impact Seminar Series will bring national thought leaders, distinguished scholars, and innovative thinkers to Utah to share insights on the economics, demographics, technological innovations, and public policies shaping the world today.

“It’s our hope that these seminars will connect academia to action by highlighting research that increases our understanding of the world, and the ways thought leadership can improve the decisions we make as a society,” said Taylor Randall, president.

The seminars follow other efforts at the university to support broad public discourse and facilitate respectful disagreement, including a new campus dialogue program manager and the president’s Viewpoint Representation and Expression Taskforce.

Like speaker series at Stanford, Baylor University and Kansas State University, the U seminars will target a range of ideological perspectives and scientific data. Speakers will focus on trends and insights that help Utah prosper over the long term, said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Planned topics of discussion include climate science, air quality, social mobility, energy, constitutional studies, economic policy, health science and well-being.

“Economics influences nearly every aspect of our society,” said Gochnour. “As part of the University of Utah’s Societal Impact Seminars, economist Michael Strain will share compelling insights about macroeconomics and a broad range of economic issues, including industrial policy, tariffs and trade wars, price controls, government debt, public finance, and more.”

Seminars will include a range of formats, including a traditional lecture, structured interview (fireside chat), point/counterpoint discussions, or collaborative dialogues. Each speaker will engage in a question-and-answer session and media availability during their visit.

Additional Societal Impact Seminar invited guests include: Raj Chetty, director of Opportunity Insights; Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and former U.S. secretary of energy; Shaylyn Romney Garrett, social entrepreneur and author; Yuval Levin, editor-in-chief of National Affairs; and Mark Zandi, chief economist Moody’s Analytics.

• Nick Thiriot Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute communications director
  801-842-9150 nick.thiriot@utah.edu