UTSA invites community to dinner and Great Conversation! Feb. 24

By Christi Fish
Director of Communications

(Dec. 9, 2014) -- Interested in a lively dialogue? The University of Texas at San Antonio's 15th annual "Great Conversation!" is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the Institute of Texan Cultures. The signature fundraising event will bring together prominent community leaders, scholars and donors for engaging dinner conversation on an array of stimulating topics.

Since its inception, Great Conversation! has raised more than $1.4 million for UTSA Honors College student scholarships, research stipends, and leadership and global learning opportunities. The event has also increased public awareness about the important cultural and intellectual role that UTSA has in San Antonio.

UTSA's Great Conversation! is hosted in a dinner party format. Each table features a host who is either a leading UTSA faculty member or a business/community leader specializing in a particular topic. Guests enjoy dinner and lively conversation at one of the event's tables.

This year's event will feature more than three dozen topics in arts, literature and culture; business and community; education; leisure and lifestyle; politics and history; and social science, science and technology.

A sampling of this year's conversation leaders includes:

The Challenge of Controlling Infectious Disease in a Global World
Bernard Arulanandam, Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor in Biology and Assistant Vice President for Research Support, UTSA

What Does the Shale Oil Revolution Mean for the United States?
Bradley Barron, President and CEO, NuStar

The Tobin Center and What it Means for San Antonio
J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., Chairman and Trustee, Tobin Endowment

The Making of Spielberg's "Lincoln"
Catherine Clinton, Gilbert M. Denman Endowed Professor in American History and consultant to Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," UTSA

Should College Athletes Be Paid?
Emmett Gill, Assistant Professor, UTSA

Does Place Affect the Taste of Wine and Cheese?
Kolleen Guy, Associate Professor, UTSA

What It's Like to Be a Chef at a World-Famous Restaurant
Robbie Nowlin, Executive Chef, Hotel Valencia's Citrus

Best Art Museums in the World
Ricardo Romo, President, UTSA

Mexico-U.S. Oil Relations: Implications for the Changes in PEMEX
Tony Treviño, Chief Legal Counsel, Lewis Energy Group

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Tickets for this year's fundraiser are $85 per person if by Jan. 16 at the UTSA Great Conversation! website. Afterward, tickets will be $100 per person.

Table sponsorships between $1,500 and $50,000 are available by contacting Shelly Horn at 210-458-5520. Or, sponsor the attendance of a UTSA honors student for $50.

This year's sponsors include San Antonio Livestock Exposition, AT&T Foundation, Anheuser-Busch Inc., Alpha Building Corp, H-E-B, University Health System, Coca Cola Bottling Co., Valero Energy Foundation and Accu-Print.

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Learn more at the UTSA Great Conversation! website or call 210-458-5520.

Connect online with UTSA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Events

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Resiliencia y Más Corazón: Las Tejanas, The Soul of Mexican American Music

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Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave.

Wednesday, April 17, 4:00 p.m.

Text Analysis Using Python

This workshop will introduce participants to the basics of text analysis using Python and Jupyter Notebook on the Constellate Lab platform. We will create datasets in Constellate to analyze patterns, trends, and relationships of contents and more.

John Peace Library (JPL 3.02.32), Main Campus

Wednesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m.

Phi Kappa Phi Hosts Last Lecture with esteemed professor Diane Abdo

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Multipurpose Room (BSE 2.102), Main Campus

Friday, April 19, 11:00 a.m.

Día en la Sombrilla

Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.

Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main Campus

April 20-21

Fiesta Arts Fair

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UTSA Southwest Campus

Wednesday, April 24, 5:00 p.m.

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Virtual Event

Friday, May 17, 10:00 a.m.

Commencement: Ceremony One

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Alamodome

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Spotlight

UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.