Four guest speakers will address the topic, “My Generation” at Hastings College during the 24th annual 2009 Artist Lecture Series (ALS) Student Symposium, Tuesday, Oct. 27 and Wednesday, Oct. 28.

A new feature, the My Generation Car and Motorcycle Show will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24 in the Northeast parking lot of Lloyd Wilson Field. Members of the community are welcome to browse the show entries during Saturday’s game when the Broncos play Dana College. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

This year’s symposium explores the idea of the new college generation and the challenges and opportunities they face. All events and lectures will be in French Memorial Chapel unless otherwise noted, and they are free and open to the public. Speakers include: Dr. Mark Bauerlein, Lindsey Pollack, Jason Rohrer and Matt Wiggins.

Saturday, Oct. 24
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. - My Generation Car and Motorcycle Show at Lloyd Wilson Field

Sunday, Oct. 25
8 p.m. – ALS and HC Does Weekends presents “Girl Interrupted”

Tuesday, Oct. 27
7 p.m. – Dr. Mark Bauerlein presents “This Generation, The Dumbest Generation”

Dr. Bauerlein is a professor of English at Emory University. He worked recently as Director of the Office of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. Among his books are “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future” (2008) and “Literary Criticism: An Autopsy” (1997). His articles and reviews have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Yale Review, Chronicle of Higher Education and more. He grew up outside Washington, D.C., and he earned his doctorate at UCLA in 1988.

Wednesday, Oct. 28
11 a.m. – Lindsey Pollak presents “This Generation in the Workforce”

Lindsey Pollak is a bestselling author, speaker and consultant specializing in Generation Y career and workplace issues. She has a decade of experience teaching young professionals how to build successful careers and advising organizations on how to maximize the potential of the new workforce.

Pollak’s professional speaking includes frequent keynote speeches and seminar presentations at universities, conferences and corporations around the country. College audiences have included Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, MIT, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, UT-Austin and many others.

1:30 p.m. – Jason Rohrer presents “The Non-Rise of the Video Game Auteur”

Jason Rohrer is an independent game artist, programmer and critic. With game designs that explore complex and subtle aspects of the human condition, his work has bolstered the acceptance of games as a serious art form. His games have been shown at festivals and art exhibitions in Toronto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Seattle and Lleida, Spain.
Rohrer’s 2007 release “Passage” received widespread critical acclaim. His 2008 release “Gravitation” won the Jury Prize at IndieCade, and “Between” won the Innovation Award at the 2009 Independent Games Festival. Rohrer was featured in Esquire's December 2008 "Genius Issue" along with 27 other innovators.

3 p.m. – Extended Q&A session with Dr. Mark Bauerlein and Jason Rohrer in the Wilson Center

6 p.m. – The Young Americans Project movie, “Our Time”
Co-directed and produced by ALS guest speaker, Matt Wiggins, “Our Time” is a documentary aimed at capturing the essence of youth culture during an inflection point in American history.

7 p.m. – Matt Wiggins from the Young Americans Project
Matt Wiggins is a social entrepreneur. His most recent collaboration is Remedy Ventures, which is a point-of-care interoperability platform that links physicians and nurses to a variety of practical software systems. Remedy Ventures aims to lower the cost and improve the quality of healthcare delivery through the use of innovative mobile platforms - like the iPhone.

Wiggins assembled the team that would become Remedy Ventures while working as a field organizer for the Obama campaign in Ohio. Before the campaign, he created and sold an interactive media company called SexyPolitics to NewsCorp. Prior to this, he worked on The Young Americans Project where he co-directed and produced “Our Time,” a documentary that aimed to capture the essence of youth culture during an inflection point in American history.
 
Faculty sponsor for the ALS Student Symposium is Brett Erickson, assistant professor of communication arts at Hastings College.

Students on the ALS Student Symposium Committee include: co-chairs Katie Armstrong, Eaton, Colo., Beth Hartman, Columbus, Neb., and Heidi Hullinger, Fair Oaks, Calif.; and Kristin Beller, Lindsay, Neb.; Samantha Colbert, Weeping Water, Neb.; Worlanyo Dogbevia, Hastings, Neb.; Toby Flint, Brookings, S.D.; Anna Mullen, Des Moines, Iowa; Morgan Peters, St. Paul, Neb.; Scott Peterson, Broken Bow, Neb.; Kenny Smith, Aurora, Colo.; and Amanda Voss, Fremont, Neb.

The ALS Student Symposium is a program designed to bring artists and lecturers to campus each year that focus on a selected topic. Past symposium topics have featured: Terrorism, Generation X, America and the World, Global Village Competition, Play, Revolutions and Truth, and Frontiers.

Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. Hastings College was named 75th Best Value College in the nation and #1 in Nebraska by Forbes.com and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. It was named a 2010 “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review and rated a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s.