John C. DePrez Jr. , former publisher of The Shelbyville News, and now editor of The Indiana Economic Digest, talks about the history and prospects for potentially successful modern journalism.  

Morton Marcus discusses the recently-released Indiana Univerisity Strategic Plan.  He considers priorities he would reduce or eliminate, such as collaborating with others towards economic development, and goals he would include or emphasize, such as teaching teachers.  John then questions the value, in general, of strategic plans, which, he believes, do not produce tangible results.  

According to Gene Tempel, who is Founding Dean Emeritus, Professor Of Philanthropic Studies, IU Lilly Family School of Philantropy, more than $400 billion per year supports projects and causes, and, he believes, this is democracy in action, because individuals who find themselves unable to modify public policy and national budgets can express their views by giving personal money to favored ideas.  Other topics here are the relationships between giving and receiving, naming rights, and tax policy.  

Jody Peacock is Chief Executive Officer of Ports of Indiana.  He is responsible for three major ports:  one, Burns Harbor, in Northwest Indiana, and two on the Ohio River, Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon.  In this discussion, Jody describes the immense influence of these locations.  They are among the best ways to ship anything in to and out of The Midwest.  

Andy Kirby and Shawn Fulton tell us about The ARC of Indiana which was established in 1956 by parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to build a better and more accepting world for their children.  Among its purposes is to promote "supported decision making," a powerful modification in the concept of guardianship.  

While serving as an Indiana legislator in the 1960s, Ned Lamkin was part of a group that created unified government in central Indiana.  This was the consolidation of numerous units of government into a larger organization.  At the time, Ned also advocated for mini government under the hypothesis that small units should have powers such as implementing parking regulations.  The topic is relevant today when county government appears inadequate to the general needs of the region.  

What do   primogeniture, seats in churches and classrooms, the alphabet, gender, chance, merit, personal height, and first-come/first-served     have in common?  The answer, according to Morton Marcus in this unique lecture, is each is used to allocate authority, position, and scarce resources.  

Every state, and many territories and tribal governments, have publicly-funded entities to protect our residents from sexual violence.  Ours is headed by Beth White, who works to increase sensitivity to these problems.  Among her many points is "we never, repeat never, blame the victim," and even the word "victim" is being replaced with the word "survivor."

Shawn Curtis teaches a fascinating and appropriate combination of subjects at an Indiana high school, and each of his subjects is being debated in legislatures and governors' offices.  Those subjects are history, economics, and home economics such as personal finance.   By mentioning personal challenges with some of his teachers, he demonstrates how to keep students interested.

What is the relationship between the study of cullinary science and history?  John Cooney, teacher of history at IVY Tech Community College, answers that question and others.