September 24, 2008
St. John’s University’s Staten Island campus hosted the first
event in the Three College Lecture Series, a collaborative effort
between the College of Staten Island, Wagner College and St.
John’s, at the school’s Staten Island campus last night before a
crowd of 400 faculty, administrators and students. Featured speaker
for the inaugural event was Lee Brenner, Executive Producer of
Political Programming & Director of Impact for MySpace.com.
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Gallery
The Three College Lecture Series is supported by a grant from
the Staten Island Foundation, and was established for students as a
way of addressing issues pertaining to the 2008 Presidential
Election.
Rev. Patrick J. Griffin, C.M., Executive Vice President for
Mission and Branch Campuses at St. John’s, Sharon Lynch Norton,
Esq., Vice Provost, Staten Island campus, and Gerard A. McEnerney,
Assistant Vice President and Executive Director, Staten Island
Campus, held a welcome dinner in the Kiernan Suite at the
University’s Kelleher Center for all collaborative partners,
contributing sponsors, faculty and student representatives prior to
the event.
Brenner’s appearance began at 7:15 p.m. to accommodate the large
crowd assembled in the University’s Campus Center and was captured
live via video streaming over the St. John’s University web site at
http://www.stjohns.edu/. His discussion centered on
internet campaigning strategies and the impact it has on the
election process.
“You can reach a larger audience using social networking sites
today at a minimal cost than traditional methods that were used in
the past,” said Brenner. “Senators Barack Obama and John McCain
used MySpace.com as a vehicle to engage audiences nationwide
online. In my opinion, it’s no surprise that both have emerged as
the final two candidates running for President of the United States
because of these efforts.”
The lecture was also a part of St. John’s “Participate in ‘08”
initiative, a collaborative effort between student organizations
made up of College Democrats, College Republicans and Student
Government, Inc. supported by the University’s administration. The
initiative promotes non-partisan voter registration and increases
civic education and engagement as it relates to the 2008 local and
Presidential elections.
“Our goal (at MySpace.com) is to democratize democracy,” added
Brenner. “Candidates have also recognized the need for the American
Public to participate in this election as evidenced by the
interactive involvement of audiences in recent debates. It’s an
exciting time and MySpace.com encourages people to vote and we hope
everyone uses their power to do so.”
The second event in the three –part lecture series will be
hosted by the College of Staten Island who have secured Michael
Waldman, Executive Director of the Brennan Center for Justice at
NYU School of Law and former Speechwriter for President Bill
Clinton; and William Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard and
political analyst and commentator for the FOX News Channel, in a
debate about the leadership differences between the Presidential
candidates.
This event titled: “The 2008 Presidential Election and the
Future of the Nation” will be held at the Center for the Arts,
Concert Hall on Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m.
The final lecture: “The Meaning of the 2008 Presidential
Election” will take place at Wagner College’s Spiro Center on
Monday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. Political Scientists from Wagner,
St. John’s and the College of Staten Island will analyze the
results of the Presidential Election and discuss the agenda of the
President-Elect.
For more information about this event or the Three College
Lecture Series contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice President
for Media Relations at St. John’s University by calling (718)
990-6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.
The live video streaming of the event will also be archived for
future reference by visiting the St. John’s University web site at
http://www.stjohns.edu/.