The Eckerd College St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact sponsors public lectures, events and special programs that advance work in the four areas of impact of our mission. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise stated.
Sexism in Science: Stories in Perseverance
A Conversation with Rita Colwell, Ph.D., Former Head of the National Science Foundation
April 10, 2023, 7 p.m.
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Even science has a glass ceiling—and the #MeToo movement impacts women in labs, science departments, research foundations, and engineering and biotech firms worldwide. Here to help our next generation of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers navigate (and push through!) the challenges is one of the top scientists in America: Rita Colwell, Ph.D.
She was told “We don’t waste fellowships on women.” But this groundbreaking microbiologist went on to become the first female director of the National Science Foundation and recently published A Lab of One’s Own, a memoir-manifesto about the entrenched sexism in science, the elaborate detours women have taken to bypass the problem, and how to fix the system.
Eckerd’s Women in STEM Club is partnering with the St. Pete Center to bring Dr. Colwell virtually to Eckerd College to discuss her book and share her experience as a woman navigating the twists and turns of a successful career in STEM. The talk will be followed by a brief Q&A.
Career Creatives—Women Excelling in the Arts
March 9, 2023, 6-8 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
In honor of International Women’s Day, we’ll talk with several accomplished women who have forged successful careers in the arts as they share how their passions led them along various pathways to the top of their fields. You’ll hear from visual and performing artists, curators, gallerists and arts professionals about building their own businesses, leading their communities and forging cash-positive careers here in Tampa Bay.
The panel discussion will be led by Terry Marks, CEO of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, and will be followed by a Q&A and networking.
Panelists include:
- Howayda Affan—CEO of the Morean Arts Center, the Morean Center for Clay, the Glass Studio and the Chihuly Collection
- Katie Deits—Executive Director at Florida CraftArt, a Gallerist and Certified Fundraising Executive
- Amy Harriet Miller—President at Duke Energy Center for the Arts–Mahaffey Theater and President of the Bill Edwards Foundation for The Arts
- Erica Sutherlin—Director of Ragtime at American Stage, a performing artist who started with acting, then added theatrical directing to her resume, and now is a writer/director in television and film
This event is free and open to the public.
My Cousin’s Dress by Betsy Lester ’93
Capitalism Survival Strategies
Build the Life of Your Dreams Without Losing Your Soul or Destroying the Planet
March 2, 2023, 6-7 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
Making your way in the world today can leave you feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, conflicted, isolated and depressed. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Join Laura Oldanie, a money and lifestyle coach for reluctant capitalists, as she shows you how to apply unique tools like lifestyle design, regenerative investing and out-of-the-box thinking to build a better life and a better world.
Gaining Ground: Food Systems Conversations and Collaborations
February 11, 2023, 3:00-6:30 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
Come join thought leaders from all sectors of our area’s local food system for guided conversation and collaboration focused on developing just and sustainable ways of feeding Tampa Bay.
- 3–5 p.m. Program and Guided Discussion
- 5:00–6:30 p.m. Connection and Celebration: Good Eats and Drinks. Live Music. Networking. Farm Tours.
This event is free.
Brought to you by: The Eckerd College St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact, the Eckerd College Community Farm, the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC), The Florida Food Policy Council, USF Urban Food Sovereignty Working Group, and the Hillsborough County UF/IFAS Extension.
The Skyway Marina Art Exhibition – Opening Reception
November 20, 2022, 7 p.m.
Location: Cobb Gallery
You are invited to an indoor block party with great art! Designed as a great way to meet our neighbors and build community, Eckerd is hosting a gallery exhibition to showcase artists who live and work in the Skyway Marina District. So come meet, greet, eat, and critique with us as we enjoy beer & wine, light refreshments, some mood music and a great collegial atmosphere – all for FREE!
4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Wine & Beer Reception (over 21)
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Indoor Block Party
Read a review of the exhibition
The Div by Javier Dones; mixed media, metals and enamel
Center for Spiritual Life Fall 2022 Burchenal Lecture: Life After Perfect
November 7, 2022, 7 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
New York Times bestselling author, Duke University professor, and incurable optimist Kate Bowler, Ph.D., will illustrate her take on Eckerd’s 2022–2023 College Program Series theme of Courage and Belonging in her talk as a cancer survivor. Her latest memoir, No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear), grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition and her faith as she tries to come to terms with limitations in a culture that promises anything is possible. She focuses her studies on the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering and whether (or not) we’re capable of change.
Saving St. Pete – One Tree at a Time
Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 6:30 pm – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
Trees are vital. They are the lungs of our planet and one of the best tools for fighting global warming. Yet they are increasingly absent in our modern cities and neighborhoods. Hear from some of our region’s reforestation warriors as they explain why we need trees (and lots more of them), and how our campus, city, region and world is creating green infrastructure programs, new policies, and developer incentives designed to help us survive, and truly thrive, in a rapidly changing world. Read a review of the One Tree at a Time event
Charles Dew: “The Making – and Unmaking – of a Racist.”
Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
One of America’s most respected historians of the South, Charles Dew is an award-winning author whose books have helped shape the conversation on the history of race in this country. Born & raised here in St. Pete, his most recent book, The Making of a Racist: A Southerner Reflects on Family, History, and the Slave Trade, shares his story of life in the1950’s South when Jim Crow laws and segregation were at their peak. Read a review of Dew’s talk
The Florida Timeline: Learning from our policy past to shape our future
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 1 – 3 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall
Florida’s long history of discriminatory laws and policies has robbed us of the full potential our communities – especially when it comes to taxation and criminal justice. The Florida Timeline is a research project spearheaded by The Florida Policy Institute to build community awareness of this true history as a necessary step toward social healing and building better, more equitable public policies. This presentation and panel discussion will connect historically inequitable policies to present-day harm and demonstrate how new policies created for racial justice can have a broadly shared, positive impact for all Floridians.
This is the state wide launch of the Florida Timeline project, and we are thrilled to be hosting it here at Eckerd College.
ECSPC Day of Service
Friday, September 23, 2022, 7:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Participating Organizations: Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Daystar Life Services, Edible Peace Patch Project, Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Florida, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, St. Pete Youth Farm, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Westminster Communities
From gardens to senior centers, Eckerd College students, faculty, staff and alumni will fan out across St. Petersburg to give back to the city that makes our campus special. More than 500 volunteers will spend half day shifts at local organizations offering people power to accomplish big projects to beautify and fortify our community’s resources. The first Day of Service is designed to enrich student learning by bridging campus and community to address real-time problems facing the greater Tampa Bay area. In between the morning and afternoon shifts, volunteers will lunch on the College’s Hough Quad to celebrate the launch of the Eckerd College St. Petersburg Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact. Read a review of the Day of Service
