The second Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar of the semester, Energy: Issues & Controversies, begins on Sunday.
As America has increased its energy production, fracking, green energy, and global warming have become more pertinent, according to Associate Vice President for External Affairs Timothy Caspar.
“Being Hillsdale, we like our topics to have a timeless aspect, but we also like them to have a timely aspect. We believe energy has both,” Caspar said.
Director of Programs for External Affairs Matthew Bell fully agreed.
“We choose a timely topic that fits with the mission of the college,” Bell said.
Speakers this year include: Peter Grossman, Ann McElhinney, Kenneth Green, Steven Hayward, Robert Bryce, and Mark Mills.
The faculty roundtable, which will conclude the lecture series, will include professors from the chemistry, physics, politics, and economics departments.
Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele commented that, while he is excited about all of the lectures, he will not decide what he is speaking on in the faculty roundtable until after he has heard them all.
“I’ll comment on things from an economic standpoint,” he said.
While all of the lectures speak to controversial issues, Caspar believes McElhinney’s Sunday night lecture “To Frack or Not To Frack” may attract the most outsiders.
“One of the most controversial topics of today is the fracking topic,” Caspar said. “Fracking touches a chord for many people, whether they are pro or against it.”
This series is co-sponsored by the Ludwig von Mises Lecture Series, an endowed program which supports free market economics. Once a year, this institution co-sponsors a Hillsdale CCA, and Hillsdale agreed to relate the topics to free market economics.
“We’re always kind of kicking around ideas for CCAs all the time,” Caspar said. “We thought about energy for years. It’s perennially interesting, and more relevant with recent developments such as fracking, the search for oil, and the big energy boom in North Dakota.”
After choosing a topic, the next move is finding speakers.
“Once we think of the main theme, the usual process is to break it into lecture topics,” Caspar said. After that, they search for speakers who have written books or performed studies on these topics. According to Bell, they watch videos to make sure the lecturers are good at public speaking.
Bell took this position this past year, a week after he finished his thesis at Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship. He had some obstacles thrown at him right away, but he’s excited to be able to learn so much from attending the series and helping students out.
“I really want the students to be able to come talk to me,” Bell said. “We love to hear from them. Moss Hall is not a castle that can’t be breached. My motto is ‘my door is open.’”
One of his goals is simplifying the attendance process. Students who suffered from the complex waiver process before will love the automatic system.
“We’re looking to make sure the mission of the college is reflected in the CCA,” Bell said. “We want students not only to learn, but to enjoy CCAs and to consider them part of their experience here.”
