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Though the United States faces daunting challenges, from a massive national debt to misunderstandings between people of different faiths to partisan gridlock, five distinguished panelists who visited ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ on April 7 for the annual Convocation for Honors program said today’s students have the potential to restore their nation’s global reputation for innovation, education and religious freedoms.

What does it take to be a good reporter? NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has several thoughts, including: “Know your audience. Know your subject.” One of America’s most acclaimed journalists on Friday shared with ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ students his views on the media, technology, and on balancing work and family in a Whitley Auditorium question-and-answer discussion sprinkled with wit and wisdom.

What would Satan say about nuclear weapons? Or politicians and their mistresses? Or Disney World? And would he say it in a … blog? Such is the premise of Devil's Ink: Blog from the Basement Office by ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ professor Jeffrey C. Pugh, who uses Lucifer’s point of view in a new book critiquing cultural institutions that readers may assume are necessary without considering the evil they can create.

The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Opera Workshop gives two performances this week of Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, one of the most beloved comic operas in history. Tickets to the April 7 & 9 shows are available to the public at the door for $7 or are free with an ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ ID.

Two ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ students were among a group of US university students who were selected to travel to South Korea as part of the Korea-US Youth Network during Spring Break.

ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ School of Law is holding the inaugural Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition March 31 through April 2. Seventeen law schools and more than 30 teams of law students are participating in the competition, which will take place annually. More than 100 have volunteered to serve as judges for the competition, including The Honorable Steven M. Colloton, Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and five justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Writer and filmmaker Molly Secours will provide a critical perspective of racism and privilege as it affects all aspects of life in the keynote speech Saturday in Whitley Auditorium during the 2nd annual Diversity Leadership Conference.

Author and illustrator Mike Berenstain, whose parents, Stan and Jan, created the iconic children's literature series The Berenstain Bears, visits ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ this week for a public lecture that will explore the importance of early literacy and the art of writing and editing for children.

A national expert on the politics of health and social policy visits ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ on Thursday evening for the James P. Elder Lecture in Whitley Auditorium. Jacob S. Hacker of Yale University delivers remarks at 6:30 p.m. in his address, "Reform 2.0: The Battle over the Future of American Health Care," where he will examine what's ahead in the ongoing debate over national health care reform.

ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is hosting a March 29-30 conference on media and politics in which the public is invited to attend workshops with influential public policy makers, journalists and academic researchers. Media and Politics: Openness, Accuracy, and Honesty in the 21st Century Media Landscape is made possible by ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s Turnage Family Faculty Innovation and Creativity Fund for the Study of Political Communication.