CAMPUS AT THE CULTURAL CENTER

2025/2026 SEASON
THE FINAL LINE UP IS STILL IN THE WORKS, SO CHECK BACK SOON!

Thank you to our Sponsors, Producers and all those who attended for a memorable 2024/2025 Season!

The goal of The Campus at the Cultural Center is to support and sustain the life-long love of learning, by sponsoring programs and presentations on topics that engage our members. The Dining with the Presidents experience provides members a complimentary lecture with reserved seating, followed by an optional dinner featuring a Q&A session. Dinner is $65++ per person, reservations are required for both the lecture and the dinner. The Speaker Series presents a variety of complimentary thought-provoking subjects delivered by engaging speakers who aim to both educate and entertain. Back by popular demand, The Richmond Forum Virtual Series presents five of the biggest and most influential names in the world. This series is streamed virtually in the theater and is complimentary. 

CANDICE MILLARD "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" Thursday, January 16 5:00pm *THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT WITH RESERVED SEATING Reservations are required for BOTH the complimentary lecture and optional dinner. Dinner following lecture $65++ per person. Cocktails begin at 6:00pm, then be seated at a table to enjoy a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others. Candice Millard is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The River of Doubt, Destiny of the Republic, Hero of the Empire, and River of the Gods. Her book Hero of the Empire was named Amazon’s number one history book of 2016. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and three children. The River of Doubt At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon, embarking on an expedition that would not only force him and his men to face disease, drowning, and a murder within their ranks, but would bring Roosevelt to the brink of suicide.

SOLD OUT MARK UPDEGROVE "Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency" Thursday, February 6 5:00pm *THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT WITH RESERVED SEATING Reservations are required for BOTH the complimentary lecture and optional dinner. Dinner following lecture $65++ per person. Cocktails begin at 6:00pm, then be seated at a table to enjoy a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others. Over six decades after assassination, John F. Kennedy holds an outsize place in the American imagination. His graceful image, soaring rhetoric, and beguiling wit—and his glamorous wife, Jackie—continue to compel us even generations later. Moreover, his presidency is an inspiring story of an untested political leader forced to meet existential challenges and rise above initial missteps to lead a our nation into a new and hopeful era. ABC News Presidential Historian and LBJ Foundation CEO, Mark Updegrove, author of Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency, discusses JFK’s enduring appeal and consequential presidential legacy.

SOLD OUT DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN  "Leadership Lessons From The 1960s: A Front-Row Seat To History" Thursday, February 20 5:00pm *THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT WITH RESERVED SEATING Reservations are required for BOTH the complimentary lecture and optional dinner. Dinner following lecture $65++ per person. Cocktails begin at 6:00pm, then be seated at a table to enjoy a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and best-selling author known for her work on presidential leadership, including Team of Rivals, which inspired the film Lincoln. Her latest book, An Unfinished Love Story, blends memoir and history, reflecting on the 1960s through personal archives. Goodwin frequently appears on television and has received numerous accolades for her contributions to historical scholarship.

LEE POLLOCK "Churchill and the Presidents" Thursday, March 13 5:00pm *THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT WITH RESERVED SEATING Reservations are required for BOTH the complimentary lecture and optional dinner. Dinner following lecture $65++ per person. Cocktails begin at 6:00pm, then be seated at a table to enjoy a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others. Lee Pollock is an award-winning historian, writer and public speaker on the life of Winston Churchill. His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New Criterion, American Purpose and the Daily Beast and he has appeared on CBS, the BBC and other media outlets in the U.S. and Britain. Lee has spoken about Churchill’s legacy and leadership at venues ranging from the U.S. Congress, the Pentagon and the Supreme Court to leading universities, museums, non-profit institutions and clubs across the country. He is a Director and Senior Advisor to the Board of The International Churchill Society and previously served as its Executive Director. Lee is a Fellow of the National Churchill Museum and a recipient of the Churchill Society’s prestigious Chartwell Award. He is editor of "Winston S. Churchill on Public Speaking" and the author of "Action This Day: Adventures with Winston Churchill."

DAN HUDAK "Box Office Champs: The Real Top Ten Movies of All Time" Tuesday, January 7 5:00pm Complimentary Lecture You may know that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the all-time domestic box office champ at $936 million. But when you adjust for inflation, it’s actually #11. What’s in the top ten? This hour-long lecture looks at the real top ten highest-grossing movies of all time after you adjust for inflation. Clips and images from Snow White, E.T. and The Sound Of Music highlight this fun and engaging lecture. You may be surprised at what's on the list!

NOAH FELDMAN "The Middle East and the Global Order: A Changing Reality" Thursday, January 9 5:00pm Complimentary Lecture The events of the last year have driven reconsideration of the realities of the Middle East and the interests of the United States in the region. Feldman will analyze where we are, how we got here, and what will happen next, and why. Harvard law professor, public intellectual, prolific writer and a leading AI ethicist & tech advisor, Noah Feldman is considered one of the great minds and speakers of our time. Described as "one of the country’s most sought-after authorities," and “a public intellectual for our time,” Feldman was named to Esquire’s list of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century and has been called a “legal rock star” by the Wall Street Journal and "one of the stars of his generation" by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

RICHARD REEVES "Solving the Crisis of our Boys and Men " Thursday, February 13 5:00pm Complimentary Lecture What is happening with so many of our boys and men? Economists lament inexplicable drops in male labor force participation. Public health officials point to disproportionately male "deaths of despair" from suicide or overdose. Parents see their sons struggling and worry what it means for their future. In a compelling presentation, Richard provides a groundbreaking, personal and engaging diagnosis of the contemporary male malaise that is pro-equality as well as pro-male. As he says: "We can hold two thoughts in our head at once. We can be passionate about women's rights and compassionate toward vulnerable boys and men." Drawing on years of deep research as well as his personal experience as a father of three sons, Reeves offers a compelling diagnosis of the problems of boys and men-and a bold set of solutions.

DAN HUDAK "Best Picture Oscar Talk" Sunday, March 2 1:00pm Complimentary Lecture Join film critic Professor Dan Hudak as he explores this year's Best Picture Oscar nominees in an engaging discussion about why each film earned a nomination and which one is favored to win. Through clips and background insights, you'll get a closer look at all the nominated films, while also learning about the Academy's voting process and patterns that influence the final decision. Oscar history, trivia, and highlights from other major categories will also be featured. This lively and informative hour-long lecture is a must for film enthusiasts! Attendees are encouraged to watch as many nominated films as possible beforehand to fully engage in the fun and interactive event.

LISA MADDOX "My Life in the CIA" Thursday, March 20   5:00pm Complimentary Lecture Lisa Maddox worked in the intelligence community for 15 years at agencies that included NCIS and the CIA. This hour-long lecture will chronicle her time in the intelligence community, including working in counterterrorism, deploying to war zones and developing the unique research skills that led to the founding of her company Family History Intelligence. Lisa will provide insights into the daily work and rigors of an intelligence officer, such as handling arduous tasks from military leaders and conducting sophisticated analysis to guide global leaders through complex situations.

NICK TIMIRAOS "The Federal Reserve" Thursday, March 27 5:00pm Complimentary Lecture What is the Federal Reserve and how did it come to occupy such prominence in the nation's economy and financial markets? Nick Timiraos, who has covered the Fed for The Wall Street Journal for the last eight years, has chronicled Chair Jerome Powell's unprecedented fight to battle two menaces: a pandemic that brought commerce to a brief standstill and the inflationary inferno that followed. The central bank's past successes and failures play a big role in shaping how this unique institution operates today.

BARATUNDE THURSTON "Artificial Intelligence: What is Real?" Wednesday, January 8 5:00pm Complimentary Streamed Virtual Lecture The future is coming fast. New technologies like artificial intelligence offer inspiration and the promise of removing burdensome tasks from our daily lives. However, their rapid and seemingly unchecked development prompts concerns about consent, control, and compensation, and industrialized creativity threatens to flood the zone with nonsensical content. As we barrel toward a more digitally integrated future, what will it mean to be human? Writer, producer, and comedian Baratunde Thurston will explore whether our obsession with these technologies has us wandering too far from our essential human nature and challenge us to shape a future where we balance commercial and humanitarian interests. .

DR. AMBER STRAUGHN "NASA's Search for Cosmic History" Wednesday, January 15 5:00pm Complimentary Streamed Virtual Lecture The launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2021 was one of the most remarkable engineering feats in human history. Three years in and a million miles away, the telescope is revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos, which may leave humankind with more insight into our origins and our place in the universe. Astrophysicist Dr. Amber Straughn is no stranger to the expanse, having worked on the JWST project science team at Goddard Space Flight Center since long before its launch. Accompanied by stunning JWST-captured images, she will take us on a journey back into the cosmic dark ages, revealing the nature of exoplanets and galaxy formation of the early universe.

COACH K "Playing to Win" Wednesday, February 19 5:00pm Complimentary Streamed Virtual Lecture Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K,” is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. He led the Duke University Blue Devils to 13 Final Fours – the most of any coach in the game – and five national titles, and he brought home three Olympic gold medals with the United States national team. From his childhood in Chicago to his legendary 42-year career as Duke’s head coach, Krzyzewski will reflect on all he has learned about leadership. His tactics to identify excellent talent, turn weakness into strength, and lead with passion, will reveal the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court.

RICHARD REEVES "Are Boys Falling Behind" Wednesday, March 26 5:00pm Complimentary Streamed Virtual Lecture Over the past 50 years, we have made tremendous strides, socially and politically, to level the playing field for women and girls, but data indicates that the gender imbalance we fought hard to overcome may now be skewed in a different direction. Through critical investigation, author and researcher Richard Reeves has discovered that many boys and men are losing ground in the classroom, the workplace, and the family. With rigorous analysis and profound empathy, Reeves will explore the economic and social factors contributing to this systemic struggle, unveil the challenges and paradoxes inherent to navigating masculinity in the modern age, and offer a vision for a future where all can flourish.

MARTHA STEWART WITH SOLEDAD O'BRIEN "The Life Behind Living" Wednesday, April 30 5:00pm Complimentary Streamed Virtual Lecture For more than four decades, Martha Stewart has helped make everyday living a little easier, more beautiful, and more inspiring. From crafting the recipe for your favorite frittata to pioneering an eponymous lifestyle empire, her influence has touched millions of homes across America. Whether running a multi-million-dollar company or gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 81, Stewart stands as a testament to the power of reinvention. In conversation with award-winning broadcast journalist and producer Soledad O’Brien, Stewart will share stories and lessons learned from every era of her life, from her early ambitions to her triumphs over adversity. No chapter will be left unexplored.