Goldfarb Center Launches In the News Weekly Q&A Series
It features politicians, journalists, and policymakers
With the start of a new academic year and a looming national election, the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs has introduced In the News, a new weekly conversation and Q&A series focusing on policy, politics, and the press.
Guests will include politicians, journalists, and leading public affairs experts, who will represent a range of viewpoints and perspectives. The conversations are designed to offer expertise and insight around current issues and events, said Alison Beyea, executive director of the Goldfarb Center.
“We are very committed to bringing together our students and our community to have conversations about what is happening in the world, particularly as we embark on a very intense election cycle,” she said.
Supported by the Cotter Discourse and Deliberation Series, In the News will be held weekly at 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Dec. 4 in the Page Commons Room. While the series is open to the public in person and remotely via a livestream, In the News is geared toward current Colby students. A student will co-host each conversation, and only students will be allowed to ask questions.
“At Goldfarb, we believe that issues of politics, policy, and the press impact all of our students across all of our majors, and we want to create an environment where students from the arts and sciences can join these conversations, as well as students from the social sciences,” Beyea said. “Our hope is that students from across campus will find this of interest.”
The series began Sept. 4 with a conversation with Dexter Thomas, a journalist and documentary filmmaker, who spoke about navigating social media during the election. Beyea and Koto Yamada ’25 co-hosted the discussion, during which Thomas, who specializes in cultural analysis and has worked as a correspondent for VICE News Tonight, predicted, “Things are going to get real weird real quick. … Social media has changed us and changed us in ways we don’t know.”
He challenged students to delete social media apps from their phones, even if only for a few hours at a time, so they can break free from their constricting influences. “Algorithms can sometimes be a leash,” he said, encouraging students to expand their viewpoints and news sources.
On Sept. 11, Marc Short, chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, will discuss the transformation of the political landscape. His talk is titled “Crisis and Consequence: Reflections on January 6th and the Future of the Republican Party.”
On Sept. 18, Mike Federle ’81, CEO of Forbes, and Dan Kleban, cofounder and co-owner of Maine Beer Co., will discuss “Who says Business and Politics Don’t Mix?” On Sept. 25, Masha Gessen of the New York Times will talk about “Politics of the Past and Politics of the Future: Threats of Autocracy at Home and Abroad.”
The October lineup includes Caitlin Dickerson, a 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who on Oct. 9 will talk about “Immigration: How the Border Became the Flashpoint of U.S. Politics.” Tim Alberta, a journalist and author, will discuss politics and religion Oct. 30 in a talk titled “Church and State: Understanding Religion in the Trump Era.”
Justin J. Pearson, District 86 state representative, Tennessee General Assembly, will join the discussion Nov. 13. He made national news when, following a mass shooting in Nashville, he was expelled from office for protesting gun violence on the assembly floor as a member of “the Tennessee Three.” A Bowdoin College graduate, Pearson was later reappointed.
On Nov. 20, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, cofounder of Urban Ocean Lab, will talk about “Climate Action Reimagined: What if We Get it Right?” And on Dec. 4, the final event in the series, Dan Harris ’93, a former TV news anchor and reporter and current host of the 10% Happier podcast and related best-selling book, will talk about “Staying Grounded While the World is on Fire.”
Founded in 2003 with a gift from Trustee Emeritus William Goldfarb ’68, the center is Colby’s hub for politics, policy, and the press. It brings leaders, policymakers, activists, journalists, and innovative thinkers to connect the Colby community to public affairs through an integrated approach of dialogue, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Goldfarb said the In the News series embodies that mission. “The center is a forum to discuss policy and current events in a non-partisan manner,” he said. “All viewpoints are encouraged. We want to discuss, not decide, the issues. It is important that people feel free to attend and feel free to express what’s on their mind.”
He praised Colby students for their engagement and urged members of the community to participate in the discussions. “It’s important that the center be student-focused because the center is only as good as the energy and enthusiasm of student leadership, which I think is at a very high level. The center is also a resource to the local community. It should be a place non-students can benefit from, as well,” he said.
Goldfarb also praised the work of Beyea and her staff for arranging the speakers. Beyea joined Colby in 2023.
“Alison spent a lot of time listening after she arrived at Colby. She learned about the students. She learned about the faculty, and she learned about Colby as a community,” Goldfarb said. “It’s important for the center to be involved in partnerships with other parts of the community. The center wants to be agile, the center wants to be relevant, and the center wants to be timely. That’s easy to say, harder to do—and Alison is doing it.”
“In the News is one of the many new investments the College is making to support students who have an interest in public policy and the press.”
Alison Beyea, Executive Director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs
In addition to In the News, the Goldfarb Center is participating in several other high-profile talks this fall related to current events.
On Sept. 20, it will host the Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism, which this year will be given to Jacqueline Charles, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award-winning Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald. Charles has reported extensively on Haiti, covering the nation’s natural disasters, political turmoil, and healthcare crises, often from the front lines. The awards ceremony and talk begins at 4 p.m. in the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts.
At 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Gordon Center, the Goldfarb Center will host the inaugural Peter Hart Lecture on Politics and Policy featuring Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont (Ret.) Leahy is the inaugural lecturer in the annual series, which Hart established to bring renowned speakers to campus. A trustee emeriti, Hart ’64, LL.D. ’85 founded the public opinion research firm Peter D. Hart Associations in 1971 and worked as a pollster for NBC News and the Wall Street Journal. In addition, he represented more than 40 U.S. senators and 30 governors and conducted public policy and cultural issues analysis for clients such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center.
Beyea thanked Hart for supporting the ongoing series. “It’s because of donors and supporters that we are able to do the work we do,” she said.
Beyea hopes the conversations that are part of the In the News series and the other high-profile guests this fall will resonate with students, many of whom will be participating in their first national election as voters.
“In the News is one of the many new investments the College is making to support students who have an interest in public policy and the press. We are offering our students valuable, meaningful experiences before they graduate. Our hope is that each of these conversations will spark curiosity,” she said.
Those who want to attend should RSVP through the Goldfarb Center website.
