More than chitchat

'Great Conversations' intrigue and inform

From M, spring 2006

Since 2002, nearly 15,000 Minnesotans have attended the College of Continuing Education's Great Conversation series. The living room-like tête-à-tête mesmerizes as a University faculty expert and his or her visionary or inspiring guest shed light on a timely issue. Topics this spring:

The Future of Affordable Housing

March 28: Ann Forsyth, director of the University's Metropolitan Design Center, contemplates the future of affordable housing with Nicolas Retsinas, director of Harvard's Center for Housing Studies and former Federal Housing Commissioner for the Clinton administration.

Rethinking our Urban Environments

May 1: Judith Martin, director of the University's urban studies program, deliberates the unprecedented opportunities of rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast with U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, founder of the House Livable Communities Task Force.

Social Forces Reshaping Retirement

May 16: Phyllis Moen, the University's McKnight Presidential Chair in Sociology, challenges the traditional notion of retirement with Marc Freedman, author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America.

Each conversation takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Ted Mann Concert Hall on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. Season tickets are $95 ($80 for University faculty, staff, students, and Alumni Association members). Single event tickets are $28.50 ($23.50). To order, call 612-624-2345. For more information, see www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.