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Great Conversation 2002
Alan Craven (left), UTSA professor of English,
leads a table at the 2002 "Great Conversation!"

Fund-raiser for UTSA Honors College is Feb. 24

(Feb. 9, 2004)--Some questions to ponder: Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places? Is peace possible in the Middle East? How do you communicate with your adolescent? What is journalism's role in today's society? Do women hate their bodies? How can city and county governments work together?

The University of Texas at San Antonio invites you to an evening of good food and great fun at "Great Conversation!" The event benefiting the UTSA Honors College is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 at La Villita Assembly Hall. The evening will feature more than 50 conversation tables with topics ranging from relationships to the elections, to making wine, to maintaining relationships.

Distinguished UTSA faculty members and local community leaders will host each table and discussion. Participants include award-winning architect Ted Flato, San Antonio Express-News publisher Larry Walker, Texas Supreme Court Justice Wallace Jefferson, psychotherapist Susan Mengden-Ellis and UTSA president Ricardo Romo.

A complete list of table topics and conversation leaders is shown below.

The casual evening begins at 6 p.m. with a wine and soup buffet. Conversations follow from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m., along with dessert and coffee. Complimentary parking is available in the City Public Service garage.

Individual tickets are $65 and scholar tables for nine are $800.

For reservations, call 210-458-4129.

The Honors College is an interdisciplinary, four-year curriculum of special classes, supervised research and ongoing faculty advisement designed to challenge qualified students to question, think and excel.

--David Gabler

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Great Conversation! 2004 Table Topics and Conversation Leaders (listed by category)

SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING

"Is Global Warming Unique to Our Time?"
Stuart Birnbaum, UTSA professor of geology

"What If They Cloned You? Should We Be Worried?"
J. Aaron Cassill, UTSA associate professor of biology

"High Tech Start-Ups and San Antonio: Who Benefits?"
Fred Hudson, UTSA associate professor of computer engineering

EDUCATION

"Closing the Gap: How Do We Get More Texans Into College?"
Rosalie Ambrosino, UTSA vice president for student affairs

"Does Education Really Matter?"
A. Baker Duncan, Baker-Duncan Investments

"Is High-Stakes Testing Good for Our Kids?"
Mary McNaughton-Cassill, associate dean, UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts

"Early Childhood: What Should We Do With Our Children and Grandchildren?"
Harriett Romo, UTSA associate professor of sociology

"How Does UTSA Become a Premier Institution?"
Ricardo Romo, UTSA president

"What's Wrong With the Mathematical Preparation of Our Children?"
Betty Travis, chair, UTSA Department of Mathematics and Science Education

POLITICS

"So Far From God, So Close to the U.S.: The Relationship Between the U.S. and Mexico in the 19th Century"
Mary Margaret Amberson, author of "I'd Rather Sleep in Texas"

"The Nomination Process: Is This Any Way to Choose a President?"
Jonathan Bernstein, UTSA assistant professor of political science

"The Separation of Church and State: What the Constitution Really Means"
Steven Boyd, UTSA professor of history
(Table sold out)

"Conflict and Instability in the Middle East"
Mansour El-Kikhia, UTSA associate professor of political science
(Table sold out)

"Israel and Palestine: Is Peace Ever Possible?"
Michael B. Fanning, president, MBF Enterprises, Inc.

"And They're Off: The Presidential Elections of 2004"
Richard Gambitta, chair, UTSA Department of Political Science and Geography

"What's New With the Supreme Court?"
Texas Supreme CourtJustice Wallace Jefferson

"Can City-County Partnerships Improve Our Future?"
Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

"Phantom Recall: The Significance of Remembering What Never Happened"
Raymond Baird, UTSA professor of psychology

"How Do We Achieve Emotional Wellness?"
James Clark, UTSA professor of health

"Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places: Men's and Women's Views of Love and Romance"
Juanita Firestone, UTSA professor of sociology

"From Pacemakers to Insulin Pumps: Modern Medical Technology and Managing Chronic Illness"
Kirsten Gardner, UTSA assistant professor of history

"Why Women Hate Their Bodies"
Susan Mengden-Ellis, psychotherapist

"Longing for Meaning: At Home, At Work, In Life"
Donde Plowman, associate dean for graduate studies, UTSA College of Business

"HIV/AIDS in Africa: What Can Be Done?"
Thankam Sunil, UTSA assistant professor of sociology

HISTORY

"Those Venerable Old Ruins: A Humanities Perspective on the San Antonio Missions"
Felix D. Almaraz Jr., UTSA professor of history

"The Alamo: Fact and Fiction"
Stephen Harrigan, author of "Gates of the Alamo"
(Table sold out)

"The Civil War in Texas and Mexico"
Patrick Kelly, UTSA associate professor of history

"From Grits to Sweet Potato Pie: America's Love Affair with Southern Food"
Gregg Michel, UTSA assistant professor of history

"From Memory to History: Looking at the Greatest Generation and World War II"
James C. Schneider, UTSA associate professor of history

ARTS AND CULTURE

"Why Asian Art in San Antonio?"
Martha Blackwelder, curator, San Antonio Museum of Art

"Is Painting Irrelevant in Contemporary Culture?"
Frances Colpitt, chair, UTSA Department of Art and Art History

"Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays?"
Alan Craven, UTSA professor of English, classics and philosophy

"Public Art: Can We Afford Not to Fund It?"
Louis Mendoza, associate dean, UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts

"Finding Ways to Enhance Art and Cultural Life in San Antonio"
Lew Moorman, vice president of marketing and development, Rackspace

"Latino Culture in the United States"
Henry Munoz III, president and CEO, Kell Munoz

"Here and There: Contemporary Art in San Antonio and Beyond"
Linda Pace, founder and trustee, ArtPace

"Science and Art: Are They Really Two Separate Cultures?"
Christopher Wickham, UTSA associate professor of German

"Questioning the Solidity of Solidarity: Are There Limits to Preferential Treatment?"
Mark Bernstein, UTSA professor of hhilosophy

"Moving Forward Based on Past Success: How Do We Build on San Antonio's Diversity?"
Aaronetta Pierce, president, Premier Artworks, Inc.

"San Antonio: How is it Growing and How Can We Make It Better?"
Ted Flato, Lake/Flato Architects
(Table sold out)

"The Influence of Precedents and Memories: The Value of Historic Preservation"
Julius Gribou, dean, UTSA School of Architecture

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

"Are Movies Better Than Ever?"
Steven Kellman, UTSA professor of comparative studies in the humanities

"Getting Your Adolescent to Talk to You"
H. Paul LeBlanc, UTSA assistant professor of communication

"How Films Portray Women's Development"
Bonnie Lyons, UTSA professor of English

"Video Communication: The Jetson's Technology is Here!"
Sonny Melendrez, radio/TV personality

"The Role of Journalism in Today's Society"
Larry Walker, publisher and chairman, San Antonio Express-News
(Table sold out)

"The Truth About Jessica Lynch: Narratives from the War on Terrorism"
Ben Olguin, UTSA associate professor of English

NATIONAL SECURITY

"Homeland Security: How Do We Cooperate and Graduate?"
Colonel James C. Massaro, assistant vice commander, Air Intelligence Agency

"After 9-11: Terrorism and Civil Liberties"
Al Philippus, corporate security director, Valero Energy Corporation

"Protecting Information Infrastructures: The Roles of Government, Industry and the Military"
Gregory White, director, Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security

BUSINESS

"Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Arthur Andersen: Corporate Crime in America"
Michael Gilbert, UTSA associate professor of criminal justice

"What's So Bad About a Global Economy?"
Kenneth Weiher, chair, UTSA Department of Economics

LEISURE

"What Makes a Good Wine: Establishing a Vineyard and Winery in the Texas Hill Country"
Richard Becker and Bunny Becker, Becker Vineyards
(Table sold out)

"Why Do We Hunt?: Tales of Doves, Deer and Ducks"
Robert Bruni, South Texas rancher

"How Food Defines Us"
James McDonald, chair, UTSA Department of Anthropology

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