Presidential Speaker Series
A Community in Conversation
The Presidential Speaker Series is designed to foster conversation at Iona and in the wider community on the nature and value of education. These talks are a forum for discussion, inquiry, and experiment, and audience participation is a key factor in bringing out the insights that will move us forward. This year’s series uses the AI moment to concentrate our attention not just on the technology, but on the broader human values and interests it can and must serve.
All talks are open to members of Iona University and the local community.
Minds, Machines, Meaning
Teaching, Learning, and Thinking in the AI Age
Artificial intelligence forces us to consider profound questions about knowledge and thinking, teaching and learning, and the limits and potential of human attention. No matter how—or whether—we choose to integrate this technology into our educational models, AI is rapidly changing the ways in which people work, create and communicate.
To explore the ramifications of these changes, we have invited renowned thinkers on business innovation, technology, attention, and ethics to help us engage and ponder the opportunities and challenges of teaching, learning, and thinking in the AI age.
The 2024-25 Presidential Speaker Series is sponsored by the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning.
Jeffrey Saviano '89
Mr. Saviano is a partner with EY Consulting and a member of EY’s emerging technology strategy practice. He is also an associate with the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, is a founding member of The Prosperity Collaborative, holds a faculty position at Boston University School of Law and is host of the Better Innovation podcast. Jeff holds an LL.M degree (Taxation) from Boston University School of Law, JD degree from Syracuse University College of Law and a BBA degree (Accounting) from Iona University.
Winning the AI Race: Where Strategy Meets Governance and Ethical Intelligence
Wednesday, October 16, 6:30 p.m.
Henry Lecture Hall, LaPenta School of Business
Join Jeffrey Saviano, class of 1989, for a business leader’s insight into how AI is transforming boardroom conversations on strategy, governance, and ethics. In this discussion, we will cover topics including the importance of AI in business, where ethics and AI converge, and more.
Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended.
Tom Chatfield, Ph.D
Dr. Tom Chatfield is a British author, tech philosopher, and educator with a focus on digital technology and its implications for society. His work includes books, academic research, and online courses exploring topics like critical thinking, AI ethics, and future skills. He has collaborated with various organizations, including Google, the BBC, The Economist, and universities worldwide, and his expertise is sought after as a speaker and broadcaster. Chatfield holds a doctorate from St. John's College, Oxford, and continues to contribute to the field of technology and education. His most recent book is Wise Animals: How Technology ology Has Made Us What We Are.
Our Relationship with Technology
Tuesday, November 12, 6:30 p.m.
Location details to be announced.
It’s become common knowledge that the average person carries more computing power in their pocket than there existed in the greatest supercomputers from the 1980s. Additionally, and partly because of this, it’s easy for us to take technology for granted. In this talk, Tom Chatfield, Ph.D., will walk us through humanity's co-evolution with technology, how it has shaped us and will continue to do so, and more.
Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended.
D. Graham Burnett, Ph.D.
D. Graham Burnett holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge University and graduated salutatorian of his class from Princeton University. Throughout his career, he has held numerous fellowships from various institutions including the Guggenheim Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Columbia University, and more. Burnett is a member of the Friends of Attention, a network of creative collaborators, colleagues and friends who share an interest in Attention and the “…promises of the focused mind and the directed senses.”
Exploring Attention
Bronxville Campus
Wednesday, February 26
Time and location details to be announced.
New Rochelle Campus
Thursday, February 27, Noon
Romita Auditorium, Ryan Library
In a world full of notifications, updates and what seems like an endless stream of daily new content, there is always something vying for our attention. But what exactly is attention, and how does it influence, inform, and enrich our lives? Speaker D. Graham Burnett will lead an exploration of our historical and philosophical understanding of attention in its sometimes contradictory guises.
Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended.