Thursday Forum
Coe College invites you to participate in the Thursday Forum, a program for older adults who want to expand their knowledge in an academic setting. Throughout the academic year, forums explore a variety of topics through a blend of lecture, media and discussion.
Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.
Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and each session of two- and three-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/why-coe/events/thursday-forum.
In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.
Thursday Forum welcomes gifts to support the long-term vibrancy of the program. Gifts may be made at any time and in any amount online (for credit card payments) or by mail to Coe College Advancement Services, 1220 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 (please make checks to “Coe College” and indicate “Thursday Forum” in the memo line).
For more information about Thursday Forum, click the relevant links on this page, call 319.399.8523, or email thursdayforum@coe.edu.
2025-2026 Thursday Forum Season
Earth’s Living Treasures: Going, Going, … Gone?
Floyd Sandford, Professor Emeritus of Biology
September 4
Dinosaurs: What We Think We Know and Why
Jon Mitchell, Assistant Professor of Biology
September 11, 18, 25, and October 2
From the Plains of Abraham to President Washington: The Half Century of Revolution that led to the United States
Steve Feller, Steven A. Feller Professor of Physics
October 9, 16, 23, 30
History of the Concert Band
Steve Shanley, Pearl M. Taylor Professor of Music
November 6
Buddha’s Teachings of Soft Skills
Vinh Q. Nguyen, Louie J. and Ella Pochobradsky Professor of Business Administration and Economics
November 13 & 20
Songs for a Tenor
Luke Lovegood, Velma J. MacMillan Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education
January 29
From Perceptron to AI: The Rise of Large Language Models and Their Implications for Us All
Michael Stobb, Associate Professor of Data Science
February 5, 12, 19, 26
Poetry for All
Margaret LeMay, William R. and Winifred Shuttleworth Assistant Professor of English, Creative Writing, and Communication Studies
March 5 & 12
Cultivating Joy: Reaching and Teaching Readers
Stacy Haynes-Moore, Assistant Professor of Education
March 26
Great COEments in History: Exploring Coe College’s History from the Civil War to the World Wars to the Civil Rights Movement
Bethany Keenan, Henrietta Arnold Associate Professor of History
Brie Swenson Arnold, William P. and Gayle S. Whipple Professor of History
April 2, 9, 16, 23