2025-2026 SLCC Speaker Series
SLCC is committed to remaining a place where all are welcome and all viewpoints can be shared and considered through civil discourse. We believe that college is a place where students encounter new ideas, listen to different perspectives, and develop their own views through dialogue, research, and critical thinking. SLCC conducted a thorough review of its safety protocols and emergency response procedures for campus events. While no system can eliminate every risk, we are confident our facilities and procedures are designed to prioritize the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Theme: Defense Industry, Geopolitical Tensions
Date: November 6, 2025
Time: 12- 1 p.m. (Faculty, staff, and students…buffet lunch provided)
Location: Taylorsville Campus Student Center, Oak Room
Description: Drawing on his distinguished career — including service as a Task Force Commander in the Middle East, Director of Operations and Intelligence for NATO, and ultimately Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels — retired Lt. Gen. Scott Kindsvater offers a candid assessment of today’s rapidly evolving security landscape. With insights from ten combat deployments and years of senior NATO leadership, he provides clear perspective on current conflicts, the shifting dynamics of global competition, and the critical role of NATO in safeguarding the Western way of life. He will also examine the complex relationship between China and Russia, the roots of the war in Ukraine, and conclude with practical strategies for building resiliency and leading through this new world order.
Theme: The President Who Said 'No': The Five Economic Lessons of Coolidge and the Solutions for Today's Economic Problems
Date: November 19, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m. (time for Q&A)
Location: Taylorsville Campus Student Center, Oak Room
Description: With four New York Times bestsellers, a term on The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, and regular bylines in the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, and the National Review, Amity Shlaes knows the business of dollars and sense. As part of the SLCC Speaker Series, she applies her deep expertise on the Great Depression, former President Calvin Coolidge, and global economic policy to propose solutions to the 21st century's defining economic issues.
Date: March 24, 2025
Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
Location: Taylorsville Campus Student Center, Oak Room
Description: This panel-style lecture features Olympic athletes from US Speedskating alongside the SLCC faculty who provide the athletes with high-performance biometric testing, nutrition planning, and more. The panelists share insights about the student-athlete experience, discussing how SLCC supports their athletic dreams, academic opportunity, and — with the new Beyond the Podium program — professional success as they transition to life after competition.
Theme: “Is There a Story Big Enough for All of Us?”
Date: March 26, 2026
More information coming soon.
Description: Internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, speaker, and actor Alok Vaid-Menon (or, simply, ALOK) will address the School of Humanities and Social Science's annual Big Questions Forum to ask: “Is There a Story Big Enough for All of Us?” ALOK’s message of belonging, visibility, and self-realization has earned them too many accolades and honors to list here, but descriptions of their previous work as “provocative and powerful” (Chortle) and a “jaw-dropping celestial event” (To Do List – London & Beyond) give a sense of what attendees will experience. The event is free, but registration is required.
Speech: “The Walk of the Immigrants: A Journey of Grit, Purpose, and Social Impact”
Date: April 8, 2026
More information coming soon.
Description: Philanthropist, photojournalist, and storyteller Saul Flores shares "The Walk of the Immigrants," an account of his 5,328-mile journey on foot from Ecuador to North Carolina. Saul invites audiences to reflect on themes of empathy, cultural understanding, the resiliency of the human spirit, and the power of purpose-driven action. The event is free with no registration required and will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session.