Public Affairs Conference at MSU features Brooke Shields, NPR co-host, others

The showing of a documentary about America's civil unraveling — and a discussion with the directors — will serve as the kickoff to Missouri State's 21st annual Public Affairs Conference.

The film "Join or Die" will be shown at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Plaster Student Union Theater. It examines Robert Putnam's research into American community decline.

An Evening with Brooke Shields at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts will serve as the keynote for the conference.

The keynote is free and open to the public. No tickets are needed.

Shields, an actress and author, has been an advocate for women's issues and keeping the arts alive in schools. She is also a philanthropist.

The theme of the conference is “Between the One and the Many: Considering Community and Individualism."

“We’re not taking a position on the tension between the community and the individual, but we want to explore that relationship,” said John Schmalzbauer, MSU professor, public affairs fellow and conference chair, in a news release.

“We want to look at the relationship between me and we and I and the larger community. How can we as Americans come together around issues but also tell our own stories?”

The conference includes a mix of in-person and streamed events. There are 18 virtual panel sessions covering topics ranging from echo chamber bubbles to AI in health care and classroom neutrality.

“Through these sessions, we hope to help our students and the wider community have better conversations and become better citizens,” Schmalzbauer said.

More: Actress Brooke Shields will visit Springfield this fall for MSU conference

There are four other key speakers at the event:

• Ray Suarez, broadcaster and author, will address the new secular America at 12:15 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Plaster Student Union (PSU) Theater;

• Tucker Bryant, entrepreneur, innovation strategist and poet, will discuss the self and the connected community at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in the PSU Theater;

• Scott Tong, co-host of NPR and WBUR’s Here and Now, will speak at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in the PSU Theater;

• Wesley Watkins, founder of The Jazz and Democracy Project, will explore jazz as a metaphor for balancing the I with the we at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 via Zoom.

Guests may park in BearPark North without a permit for in-person events. The free Bear Line shuttle will run to and from the Plaster Student Union.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State Public Affairs Conference features Brooke Shields