Town Hall

Luke Shaefer, one of the nation’s leading scholars on poverty and social welfare policy, is the Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Shaefer also directs Poverty Solutions, which partners with communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. His … Continue reading "Town Hall: H. Luke Shaefer – “Ending Infant Poverty in the United States and Beyond”"

Orin Grossman has delighted audiences worldwide with his unique combination of performance and discussion of great American and European music. Dr. Grossman studied music at Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude and earned a Ph.D. in Music at Yale University. Dr. Grossman became Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Fairfield University in 1975 and he … Continue reading "Town Hall: Orin Grossman – “George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess: The Great American Opera”"

Robin Wright is an international relations expert, journalist, and author. She has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents for publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times Magazine, and Time Magazine. Wright has also been a fellow at the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as well as … Continue reading "Town Hall: Robin Wright – “America’s Global Challenges in 2026”"

Though the University of Michigan (U-M) claims Carol Hutchins, she was born in Lansing, MI, and attended Michigan State University (MSU). At MSU, she played on the varsity basketball team and was the starting shortstop as a freshman on the varsity softball team. After coaching one year at Ferris State, Ms. Hutchins moved to U-M … Continue reading "Town Hall: Carol Hutchins – “Challenges for Women’s Sports in Today’s World”"

Josh Cassada is an American physicist, test pilot, and a former NASA astronaut. Prior to becoming a naval aviator, Cassada graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Physics from Albion College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Rochester. He conducted experimental high energy physics research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. … Continue reading "Town Hall: Josh A. Cassada – “The Ultimate Remote Job: Living and Working Aboard the International Space Station”"

Tom Toro, a cartoonist and author, graduated cum laude from Yale. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010, and his cartoons also appear in Playboy, The Paris Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. He has contributed a dozen essays to The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons, and his syndicated … Continue reading "Town Hall: Tom Toro – “The New Yorker as a Women’s Magazine”"