UNC-TV, North Carolina's statewide public television network, will broadcast "We Can Be Better: Courageous Voices Confront Our Greatest Challenges," at 10 p.m., Thursday, June 23. The program is an edited version of Elon's April 7 Convocation for Honors moderated by NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams.
Five distinguished panelists explored tough choices that must be made to respond to threats to our democracy, economies, public education, the environment and civil stability around the world. The panelists included the following:
David Gergen, senior political analyst for CNN, adviser to four U.S. presidents, director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and chair of the Elon University School of Law Advisory Board.
David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO); and founder, president and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative, which encourages policymakers on a non-partisan basis to help achieve solutions to America’s federal, state and local fiscal imbalances.
Shirley Ann Jackson, a physicist and president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Eboo Patel, an American Muslim of Indian heritage who is an author, journalist, member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships, and founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes religious pluralism.
David Levin, co-founder of the “Knowledge is Power Program,” a network of high-achieving KIPP charter schools that serves 27,000 mostly low-income minority children in 20 states and Washington, D.C.
The convocation broadcast is a partnership between UNC-TV and Elon University and involved UNC production crew members along with numerous Elon employees and students, including the following:
Executive Director of Cultural & Special Programs
Jeff Clark
Assistant Director of Cultural & Special Programs
Patti Gibbons
Technical Director & Audio Producer
Rick Earl
Producers
Dan Anderson
Claudia Condrey
Linda Lashendock
Editor
Ryan Witt
Chief Engineer
Jeff James
Student engineer
Ben Donnelly
Camera operators
Ryan Witt
Dallas Smith
Josh Chagani
Brandon Marshall
Matt Smith
Audio Assistants
Jeff Lampson
Sean Walker
Backdrop design
Christopher Eyl
Graphic artists
Jean Paul Lavoie
Carolyn Nelson
Floor Director
Michael Soucy
Jackie Adams
Alex Trice
Crew
Justine Pine
Emily Philips
Andrew Hopun
Kristina Loeffke
Matt Artigues
Adam Scalicia