Speakers: Various experts
Think again about challenging contemporary issues from local experts, who are well informed and hold opinions on each week’s specific topic:
-Separation of church and state
-Elections and voting rights related to the Fourteenth Amendment
-Gender perspective on the Middle East, views on capital punishment
-issues in our changing public schools and their impact on Academy members
-Hate crimes five years after the passage of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
All classes will include presentation and discussion. These compelling issues will make for good conversation and are sure to generate new information, ideas and perhaps new realities.
February 26, 2015
SHOULD THE WALL OF SEPARATION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE BE STRENGTHENED OR WEAKENED?
A DVD presentation of a debate with the following panelists:
- Rev. Barry Lynn–Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, D.C.
- Denise Maes–Public Policy Director for the ACLU of Colorado; former White House Office of Administration General Counsel
- Michael J. Norton–Senior Counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom Regional Service Center in Colorado
- Scott Dunn–partner in Longmont law firm; former Catholic radio host
Discussion to follow facilitated by Dan Lynch, retired constitutional attorney, and Sally Kneser, retired Director, Academy for Lifelong Learning
March 5, 2015
ELECTIONS AND VOTING RIGHTS: IS THE 14TH AMENDMENT STILL RELEVANT?
Suzanne Staiert–Colorado Deputy Secretary of State; attorney; public sector legal positions
Andrea Shpall–ACLU Speaker’s Bureau; attorney; community civic and business positions
March 12, 2015
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST? A GENDER PERSPECTIVE
Elayne Gallagher, PhD, Senior Advisor, Consultant on Governance and Gender, UN and bi-lateral agencies and international development banks
MARCH 19, 2015
SENTENCED TO DEATH? CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: TWO VIEWS
Robert Grant–retired after serving three terms as Adams County District Attorney representing the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses; death penalty case experience
David Lane– Denver attorney, Killmer, Lane and Newman, LLP; practices criminal defense and civil rights litigation; certified as “learned counsel” for federal death penalty cases
MARCH 26, 2015
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS? HOW ARE WE AND OUR FAMILIES AFFECTED?
Michael Mazenko–high school administrator and AP English teacher in suburban Colorado; former teacher in Taiwan and Illinois has written commentary for The Denver Post for the past five years; served as a Colorado Voices columnist in 2009
Jim Kneser– retired economist; since retiring Jim has led courses at the Academy in economics and public policy. For the past five years, he has focused on how P-12 schools can better prepare our children for productive and happy lives in the modern information- based economy
April 2, 2015
UNDERSTANDING HATE CRIMES: THE SHEPARD-BYRD HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT–FIVE YEARS LATER
Jeremy Shaver– Assistant Mountain States Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League
Discussion and Q&A to follow all speakers