First TEDx at Broward College to Focus on Humanities in Society

Titled “Evolution,” series will focus on the progression of ideas within art, culture, technology and science.

Fort Lauderdale, FL (March 7, 2017) – Broward College has announced it will partner with TED TALKS, a nonpartisan non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short talks, to produce its first-ever TEDx event. Titled “Evolution,” TEDxBrowardCollege invites students, faculty, and community speakers to present compelling, interdisciplinary talks related to the progression of ideas within art, culture, technology, science and society. The inaugural series is scheduled for Thursday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

TEDxBrowardCollege will consist of three sessions at the Broward College Judson A. Samuel South Campus located in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Each session will highlight three speakers and close with an audience discussion. The talks are designed to be interdisciplinary, and serve as a means of uniting students, faculty, and staff from across the College in conversation.

The TEDxBrowardCollege event will be organized by Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Henry Mack, Associate Professor of Speech Communication Betty Eugene-King, and Adjunct Professors of Communication Stephen Muniz and Glen Beair.

“We wanted to provide students, in particular, with a forum that allows them to address what is evolving around them and how they understand themselves to evolve,” says Professor Eugene-King.

As TED Talks grew in popularity, leaders across the nation wanted to bring its revolutionary brand of keynote speaking engagements to their communities. Through a free license granted by TED, TEDx supports the creation of independent programs in the spirit of TED’s mission of “ideas worth spreading.” Broward College is the third higher education institution to secure a TEDx license in Broward County. Florida Atlantic University and Nova Southeastern University both hold licenses. 

“Broward College always is looking for new and innovative ways to bring platforms for learning and discussion to South Florida,” said Broward College President J. David Armstrong, Jr. “TED Talks are a cultural phenomenon which have brought interesting and groundbreaking ideas to light and we are excited to bring TEDx to our students.”

TEDxBrowardCollege is now accepting committee members and speaking topics from the Broward College community, and will host the first organizational meeting on Friday, March 17. Interested students, faculty, and staff should email Professor Eugene-King at beugene@broward.edu or call 954-201-8892. For more information on TEDxBrowardCollege, please visit https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/21772.

ABOUT TEDx:

TED created TEDx in the spirit of TED's mission, "ideas worth spreading." TED designed the TEDx program to help local communities and organizations, such as Broward College, spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences.  Each TEDx event is unique. The event will include a screening of actual TED Talks followed by live presenters and videos.  Planned and coordinated independently, TEDx events are presented under a free license granted by TED.  TEDx encourages “an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere—celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage.”