Voices of experience

Guest speakers

When Charles Sawyer introduced the "king of the blues" to his MUSI E-139 A History of Urban Blues in America class in the winter of 2004, some 100 attendees packed the lecture hall.

A visit by B. B. King is indeed unique--in fact, it may be the only time a guest lecturer inspired attendance to exceed actual course enrollment--but the musician is only one of many guests invited by Extension School instructors each semester to provide real-world perspectives to students. In the fall 2004 semester alone, some 150 speakers visited 45 Extension School classes in subjects such as computer science, dramatic arts, environmental studies, music, writing, and management.

"It's immensely useful to have guest speakers come to our classes," says Patricia Bellanca, director of the Extension School's Writing Program. "It gives students the opportunity to talk to people who are actually doing the kind of work they want to do."

The rationale for selecting guest speakers is by no means uniform. For example, Christina Thompson, editor of the Harvard Review and instructor of EXPO E-510 Principles of Editing, regularly invites a designer, a publicist, and an agent because they work in areas unfamiliar to her. "It's a show-and-tell," she says. "I ask them to describe their jobs and how they got them, and then to tell some interesting stories--especially horror stories about authors."

June Erlich, publications director for Harvard's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and instructor of CREA E-137 Feature Writing, tries to find speakers who are just a few years older than her students. One of her favorites is Grace Rubenstein, who took Erlich's course in 2001, then transitioned into journalism. "Students are inspired by Grace as someone who shifted careers, became a member of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune team, and won a piece of the Pulitzer Prize," she says. (Rubenstein and her colleagues received the prize for their coverage of the Merrimack River tragedy involving five boys who fell through ice and drowned while trying to save a sixth.)

Judging from the quality of guest speakers in most classes, it is easy to see why students are so eager to interact with them. The roster in Frank White's class, CSS E-142 Principles and Practices of Fundraising, includes many of his senior development colleagues in Harvard's Alumni Affairs and Development Office. Robert Brown, instructor of CSS E-535 Writing for Public Relations and Marketing, counts among his regular speakers district managers from the Starbuck's Corporation who, according to him, "serve up an enlightening cup of social responsibility, along with a latte and biscotti."

Most instructors who appreciate the value of guest speakers invite one or two a semester. MUSE E-100 Introduction to Museum Studies, however, hosts two per class, or about 30 per semester. According to co-instructor Shelley Monaghan, who happens to be a graduate of the Extension School's Certificate in Museum Studies Program, the line-up reads like a Who's Who of the Boston museum community, including directors and senior staff of some of Harvard's museums as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Museum of Afro American History. "I really enjoyed hearing from current professionals in the field," wrote one student on the course evaluation, echoing the sentiment of others.

This is no news to Brown. "I've discovered a splendid secret: students can be wonderfully responsive to voices other than their own professor's." Luckily for Extension School students, other instructors are in on the same secret.

-- Raymond Comeau

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