CAMPUS AT THE CULTURAL CENTER
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 Speaker Series covers a variety of mind-expanding topics, presented by dynamic speakers who will inform and entertain.
Dining with the Presidents and Dining with the Authors offer a relaxed and delicious way to learn from outstanding historians and writers.
Great Decisions is a series of virtual lectures focusing on the most thorny problems facing the world today.
$62++ per person includes dinner and speaker. Reservations required. Email: tickets@oceanreef.com
Meet and greet our guest speaker during cocktails starting at 6:00pm. Be seated at a table to listen to our speaker's presentation, followed by a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others.
 CANDICE MILLARD James Garfield Thursday, January 12 6:00pm On July 2, 1881, President James Garfield was shot by a madman in a train station in Washington, DC, setting off a cascade of events that would leave his country forever transformed. In her critically acclaimed, New York Times best-selling book, Destiny of the Republic: Madness, Medicine and Murder of a President, Candace Millard reveals extraordinary life and tragic death of a man who, had he lived, might have been one of our greatest presidents. Millard is best-selling author and former editor and contributing writer at National Geographic magazine. She has the rare talent of making history assessable. In her animated lectures, she draws on meticulous research and a passion for giving forgotten history new life. |
 MARK UPDEGROVE The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Thursday, February 2 6:00pm Based on his book of the same name, author and presidential historian, Mark K. Updegrove, tells the intimate, untold story of the relationship between the forty-first and forty-third Presidents, the most consequential father-son relationship in American history — and only the second father-son pair to achieve the presidency. Using material garnered through exclusive access to and extensive interviews with both Bush Presidents, Updegrove dispels misconceptions about their relationship while exploring their influences and perspectives on each other’s presidencies and their views on family, public service, and America’s role in the world. |
$62++ per person includes dinner and speaker. Reservations required. Email: tickets@oceanreef.com
Meet and greet our guest speaker during cocktails starting at 6:00pm. Be seated at a table to listen to our speaker's presentation, followed by a specially prepared dinner. During dessert, you will hear answers to written questions submitted by your tables and others.
 Mo RoccaThursday, February 23 6:00pm Humorist, journalist, and actor Mo Rocca is best known for his off-beat news reports and satirical commentary. Currently a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, Rocca is also the host of the CBS series The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation. The show pays tribute to some of the world’s greatest inventions— past and present— educating and inspiring audiences with stories of creativity, hard work, and passion. |
 Ann Patchett Thursday, March 2 6:00pm Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder, and Commonwealth. She was the editor of Best American Short Stories, 2006, and has written three books of nonfiction–Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with the writer Lucy Grealy, What Now? an expansion of her graduation address at Sarah Lawrence College, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays examining the theme of commitment, and These Precious Days, essays on home, family, friendship, and writing. In 2019, she published her first children’s book, Lambslide, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. |
These four complimentary lectures are open to all members. Reservations are not required.
 RACHEL WILSONCybersecurity Thursday, January 19 5:00pm In her riveting keynote, Rachel will describe for BICSI members the many current cybersecurity threats facing companies and institutions from nation states like North Korea and Iran, from cyber organized crime syndicates, and from individual hackers looking to make money or create mayhem. With advanced hacking tools now widely available, Rachel will show how cyber actors target companies, institutions and individuals in an opportunistic way and then work to monetize their access. Drawing from her experience at the NSA and in the financial sector, she will discuss what everyone can do to be prepared for and respond to the risks in the current cyber risk environment. |
 DAN HUDAKThe 2022 Oscars: Best Picture Sunday, March 12 1:00pm Dan Hudak, film critic in print, radio, and television will discuss each Best Picture Oscar nominee in respect to why each film was nominated with accompanying clips and critique. Dan’s lively lecture will review the Academy’s voting habits along with background trivia about Oscar history, and conclude with predictions that may be surprisingly accurate. |
 JESSICA PAYNE, PHDThe Science of Sleep and Stress Thursday, March 16 5:00pm What’s going on in your head while you sleep? The research of Notre Dame Professor Jessica Payne shows that the non-waking hours are incredibly valuable for your day-to-day life, especially for helping to commit information to memory and for problem solving. Many regions of the brain – especially those involved in learning, processing information, and emotion – are actually more active during sleep than when you’re awake. Professor Payne’s research has focused on what types of information are submitted to memory, and has been instrumental in better understanding how the brain stores the information. |
 JEFFREY MORTON, PHDGreat Decisions in Person Thursday, March 23 5:00pm Jeffrey S. Morton, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University, where he founded and developed three major programs: the Diplomacy Program, which trains undergraduate students in the art of diplomacy and conflict resolution. In 1997 he co-established the FAU Peace Studies Program, which he directed from 2001 until 2005. Peace Studies was transformed in 2016 into the Peace, Justice & Human Rights Initiative. He has been honored with numerous university awards, and has contributed to articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. |
Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion group on world affairs. The ORC format will be Dr. Morton remotely delivering the eight lecture series. He will be building a factual basis for informed discussions and deeper understanding of critical issues.
Jeffrey Morton specializes in International Law with a principal focus on the laws of armed conflict. He is considered a pragmatist in his conceptualization of world affairs and U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Morton lectures widely on matters of international law, U.S. foreign policy, conflict and terrorism. He will be at Ocean Reef in person on March 23 as part of the Cultural Center Campus Speakers series.
These complimentary lectures are open to all members. Reservations are not required
Wednesday, February 1 • 5:00PM
ENERGY GEOPOLITICS
How will changes in the energy industries impact relations between countries?
Wednesday , February 22 • 5:00PM
WAR CRIMES
What is a war crime? How does this definition apply to recent events in Ukraine?
Wednesday, March 1 • 5:00PM
CHINA AND THE U.S.
How will the United States respond to China's growing global presence?
Wednesday , March 8 • 5:00PM
ECONOMIC WARFARE
What comprises economic warfare? How have these measures been used recently against Russia?
Wednesday , March 15 • 5:00PM
POLITICS IN LATIN AMERICA
What does the emergence of various left-wing governments mean for countries in Latin America?
Wednesday , March 22 • 5:00PM
GLOBAL FAMINE
What causes famine? How can it be prevented in the future?
Wednesday , March 29 • 5:00PM
IRAN AT A CROSSROADS
How should the U.S. deal with the many Iranians who have lost hope of a better future in Iran?
Wednesday , April 5 • 5:00PM
CLIMATE MIGRATION
How is climate change impacting human migration?
Wednesday , April 12 • 5:00PM
THAT'S A WRAP!