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Distinguished Voices Lecture Series

成人AV视频 is proud to partner with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville to bring distinguished speakers to our campus. If you have any questions about the lecture series, please contact 成人AV视频 Events.

For information about other campus events, please search in the  of events.

Registration for WAC lectures goes live about 2 weeks prior to each lecture. See below for exact dates.

2025-2026 Lecture Series Schedule

David Brooks headshot

Tues. Feb. 17, 2026

7 p.m. | 成人AV视频 Arena

David Brooks:
"Society in Focus"

Registration Goes Live: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

David Brooks is a bestselling author, op-ed columnist at the New York Times, and recurring commentator on PBS NewsHour. He has a gift for bringing readers and audiences alike face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight, and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a savvy analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs whose columns are among the most read in the nation.

The author of six books with many bestsellers among them, Brooks seeks to further explore and explain humanity and the way we live with every addition to his critically acclaimed body of work. With intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom, he underscores the value of community and the importance of nourishing both the inner self and the social self in our journeys to live fulfilling lives.

His latest release, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, debuted on the New York Times and Amazon bestseller lists and has maintained spots on both for many weeks. It was deemed both “a hands-on guide to making meaningful human connections” and “yet another inspirational roadmap to building strong moral character and achieving authentic self-actualization” by Kirkus. Brooks makes the case that at the center of any healthy and thriving business, organization, community, or nation is the crucial skill of being able to see and value other people. Written to speak to audiences of all kinds, How to Know a Person is his attempt to repair America’s torn social fabric by giving us the tools we need to move beyond division and polarization and connect with others on an innately human level.

Brooks’s earlier books cemented his style of “comic sociology,” offering observations on how we live and “the water we swim in” that are as witty and entertaining as they are revealing and insightful. Bobos in Paradise, his first bestseller, is a comedic yet sincere reflection on the budding class of “bobos”—a generation of elites at the intersection of bourgeois capitalism and bohemian counterculture. On Paradise Drive explores what Brooks sees as a uniquely American “future-mindedness” that drives our frenzied work ethic and inability to relax.

In an effort to practice what he preaches in his writing, Brooks founded and currently chairs Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. Weave explores what it means to build connection and weave a rich social fabric in our schools, workplaces, and every other part of life. Weave’s mission is to invite everyone to start living like a weaver and shift our culture from one that values achievement and individual success to one that finds value in deep relationships and community success.

Beyond the New York Times, Brooks has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and NBC’s Meet the Press, as well as in the New Yorker, Washington Post, and Forbes, to name a few. Prior to joining the Times in 2003, he held positions at Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and The Weekly Standard. He has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees from American colleges and universities, was a Jackson Senior Fellow at Yale, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Amb. William Burns headshot

Tues. March 31, 2026

7 p.m. | Adam W. Herbert University Center

Amb. William. J. Burns:
“America in a Changing World”

Registration Goes Live: Monday, March 16, 2026

William J. Burns is one of the most experienced and respected foreign policy minds of the modern era, with a career spanning nearly four decades in diplomacy, intelligence, and global security strategy. Having served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2021 to 2025, Deputy Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014, and a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service for 33 years, Burns has been at the forefront of U.S. national security, geopolitical strategy, and high-stakes international negotiations.

His tenure as CIA Director coincided with some of the most consequential geopolitical challenges of the 21st century, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, escalating tensions with China, cyber warfare threats, and the evolving landscape of Middle Eastern security. His deep understanding of foreign intelligence, diplomatic statecraft, and global power dynamics positioned him as a key architect of U.S. security strategy during an era of unprecedented global instability.

Burns’ has also served as President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2015–2021), where he shaped global policy discourse on great power competition, nuclear security, and diplomatic conflict resolution. His bestselling 2019 book, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal, provides an insider’s perspective on some of the most critical foreign policy decisions of the last 30 years.

Having spent decades in direct negotiations with world leaders—including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese officials, and Middle Eastern heads of state—Burns offers an unmatched perspective on how global power players think and operate. His ability to assess political motivations, anticipate strategic moves, and navigate diplomatic crises has made him one of the most sought-after voices on international security, intelligence strategy, and geopolitical risk assessment.

His leadership in intelligence and diplomacy has earned him three Presidential Distinguished Service Awards and the highest civilian honors from the Pentagon and the U.S. Intelligence Community.
If you have a disability or require an accommodation for a lecture, please contact
University Development and Alumni Engagement at unfevents@unf.edu five business days before the event to enable us to provide you with the appropriate accommodation.