Fresno State Talks is now accepting nominations from students for the lecture series’ third year.
The Ted-Talks-style program is run by four students and one advisor who work together to ultimately choose three qualified professors to give lectures on their area of expertise.
Students are encouraged to nominate a professor who they think has left a big impact in their life. Nomination forms are available until the end of the month.
After the nomination period has closed, nominated professors are asked to submit a proposal for a lecture they would deliver. The Fresno State Talks committee will then go through each nomination and review what the students have said about the professors they have nominated, in addition to the professors’ abstracts. The committee ultimately selects three professors. Those professors are then contacted and asked if they accept the nominations.
Breanne Scogin, the coordinator for leadership programs, spoke about the organization of the program.
“The students are the ones that make the decision,” Scogin said. “They choose lectures that fit discovery, diversity and distinction.”
Scogin said that the lectures the professors deliver are filmed and then are put up on Fresno State’s website. So far, each of the six lectures from the past two years have been filmed and made available.
Kari Ball, a senior at Fresno State, nominated Honora Chapman, one of the winning nominees the first year the program was created, and is now one of the students on the committee for Fresno State Talks.
“It is 100 percent student run, and it brings together the student perspective and the professor perspective,” said Ball.
The four students who comprise the Fresno State Talks Committee are Ball, Levi Landon, Kristin Lacey and Megi Hakobjanyan. Their adviser is Scogin.
The program has been growing each year with more and more students nominating professors. In the first year, 28 professors were nominated. In the second, 32 nomination forms were submitted.
“There’s been a lot more nominations, so it’s growing,” Ball said. “We get a very cool variety.”
Fresno State Talks expects there to be more nominations this year and a bigger turnout for the lectures.
To nominate a professor or to view the past six lectures, visit www.fresnostate.edu/fstalks. Nominations are due Friday, Oct. 31.