Southeast Missouri State University is hosting TEDxSoutheastMissouriStateUniversity, an event designed to spark deep discussion, on Thursday, March 1, in the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center. The theme, A Matter of Time, will focus on societys views of how we spend, manage and value time. This will be the second TEDx event held on the Southeast campus.

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TEDx events are independently organized and licensed by TED.

The event is a unique combination of students and instructors working together to host TEDx on the Southeast campus, led by co-organizers Collin Ritter, a senior corporate communication major from Marble Hill, Missouri, and Brooke Clubbs, instructor of communication studies.

TEDx is an opportunity for our students and our community to come together to discuss ideas worth spreading, Clubbs said. In 2016, it was amazing to see people of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations talking together around the tables. I am looking forward to witnessing that connection again.

At the event, two TED Talk videos will be showcased along with members of the Southeast community as speakers, followed by small group discussion. Clubbs said the speakers will present views and uses of time one of societys most precious commodities.

Speakers include:

• Dr. Linda Garner, associate professor of nursing
• Wesley Cox, a 2017 Southeast graduate with a major in political science
• Rane Belling, a graduate student pursuing their Master of Arts in higher education administration and a graduate assistant at Southeasts LGBTQ+ Resource Center
• Heather Williams, a substance abuse specialist at the Community Counseling Center and a 2017 Southeast graduate with a Master of Arts in mental health counseling

The event also serves as an experiential learning opportunity for Southeast students. Hospitality management faculty and students are providing the catering. Interior design faculty and students are designing the space. Communication studies faculty and students are engaged in event planning and discussion leading, and mass media faculty and students are providing video production.

The event is limited to just 100 attendees. Fifty tickets will be available to community members and 50 to students. Community tickets are $15 and student tickets are free. Tickets are required and now available online only on a first-come, first-served basis at semo.edu/TEDx.

Doors open for the event at 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served before the program begins at 7 p.m.

Southeasts Catapult Creative House at 612 Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau will host a livestreaming party during the event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will participate in discussions similar to those taking place at the main event. Light refreshments will be available. Tickets for the Catapult livestreaming party are required and are available online on a first-come, first-served basis at http://semo.edu/tedx/.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the worlds leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available free at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast event in nearby Whistler. The annual TEDGlobal conference will be held this October in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TEDs media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TED.