Mission:
The Vanderbilt University Speakers Committee has the responsibility of enhancing the quality of student life and the Vanderbilt educational experience by attracting and presenting distinguished speakers to the University. The programs of the Speakers Committee seek to encourage thoughtful reflection and dialogue on contemporary issues in order to promote and strengthen the intellectual environment at Vanderbilt. We achieve this by inviting speakers throughout the year who are entertaining, diverse, and accomplished in their fields. One of our most important events is the IMPACT Symposium, which has been a tradition at Vanderbilt since 1964. This is an annual multi-day symposium in which speakers are invited to discuss current events and topics of a controversial nature.
Vanderbilt University’s IMPACT Symposium, one of the oldest lecture series of its caliber in the nation, this year features Common and Hunter Schafer.
Tickets for this event are FREE for Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff, and are $10 for the general public. All events take place at 7pm in Langford Auditorium. Tickets are available on TicketWeb. Note: each night requires a separate ticket.
This symposium is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Programming Board Speakers Committee, an organization of undergraduate students dedicated to enhancing the quality of student life and the Vanderbilt educational experience through attracting and presenting distinguished speakers to the university.
COMMON
Hip hop artist and actor Common is one Tony Award away from becoming an EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony—winner. And that’s not counting his Golden Globe or any of the other numerous awards he’s won. Throughout his career he has used his art as a platform to change people’s perspectives, promote more diverse narratives, and encourage people to move. At the podium, Common motivates audiences to nurture the dreams of the young, overcome adversity, and address the persistent hope that lives within us all. Compassionate, mindful, and driven to inspire, Common reminds audiences that we all have a voice—and we must speak out.
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer is an actress and artist best known for playing ‘Jules Vaughn’ in HBO’s Emmy-Award Winning series EUPHORIA. Hunter most recently starred in a special episode of the hit series which she co-wrote and co-executive produced with series creator Sam Levinson during quarantine. Before landing the role of Jules, Schafer worked as a fashion model for popular brands such as ‘Calvin Klein,’ ‘Dior,’ ‘Helmut Lang,’ ‘Maison Margiela,’ ‘Marc Jacobs,’ ‘Miu Miu,’ ‘Vera Wang,’ ‘Versace,’ and ‘Rick Owens.’ Schafer has appeared on the cover page of many popular magazines, including ‘Porter’ ‘V’ ‘Allure’ and ‘Dazed.’ Teen Vogue Nominated Hunter for its 2017 ‘21 Under 21’ list.
PAST SPEAKER EVENTS
| Year | IMPACT Theme | Speakers |
| 1964 | The South in Transition | Ralph McGill
James J. Kirkpatrick |
| 1965 | Democratic Responsibility | Winthrop Rockefeller
George Wallace |
| 1966 | America’s New Global Challenge | Barry Goldwater
Alexander Kerenski John Seigenthaler |
| 1967 | Individual in American Society | Martin Luther King Jr.
Allen Ginsberg Strom Thurmond Stokley Carmichael |
| 1968 | The Resting of Dissent | Julian Bond
Robert F. Kennedy William F. Buckley Jr. |
| 1969 | The Emerging Generation | McGeorge Bundy
Nathan Hare Allan Lowenstein Edmund Muskie |
| 1970 | The Struggle to Communicate | James J. Kilpatrick
William Kuntsler |
| 1971 | Technology and Social Change | George McGovern
Sam Ervin Bella Abzug |
| 1977 | America’s role in its Third Century | Omar Bradley
Thomas Eagleton Frank Church Phillip Crane Donald Rumsfeld |
| 1978 | The Destiny of the South | Thomas B. “Bert” Lance
Barbara Jordan Robin Beard |
| 1979 | Towards Global Unity | George HW Bush
Ivor Richard Betty Williams |
| 1980 | The Election: America’s Leadership Decision | Tom Brokaw
George McGovern Jack Kemp Malcolm Toon |
| 1981 | American Foreign Policy: New Directions For the 80s | William H. Sullivan
Edmund Muskie Robin Beard |
| 1982 | Conservatism: A Mandate from the People | Gary Hart
Richard Allen |
| 1983 | Technology and Society: Contemporary Perspectives on Progress | Al Gore
Leon Martel |
| 1984 | The Private Sector: Is it Governmental Business | Jerry Brown
John LeBoutillier Eugene McCarthy |
| 1985 | Media Under Fire: The Rights and Responsibilities of the Media | Sam Donaldson
Jody Powell John Dancy Nina Totenberg |
| 1986 | The Next Move: Conflict or Compromise in East/West Relations | Jimmy Carter
Gerald Ford Robert McNamara Andrew Young |
| 1987 | The Regan Era and Beyond: Looking Back to Look Ahead | William Proxmire
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Michael Deaver Hodding Carter III |
| 1988 | Global Leadership: Does America Have the Edge | Jean Kirkpatrick
Zbigniew Brzezinski John Daney |
| 1989 | Battle on the Homefront: Preserving the American Dream | Jesse Jackson
Bettina Gregory Edwin Newman Joe Clark James Neal William Rusher |
| 1990 | Freedom: The Popular Mandate in Eastern Europe | James Schlesinger |
| 1991 | Democracy in Distress: America Ideals on Trial | William Bennett
Tip O’Neill Robert Novak |
| 1992 | Campaign ’92: Will Rhetoric Become Reality | Oliver North
P.J. O’Rourke Helen Thomas Ronald Brown |
| 1993 | America: Challenged to Change | Jack Kemp
James Carville Mary Matalin |
| 1994 | The New World Order: Will America Find its Role? | Oscar Arias
Lawrence Eagleburger William Webster |
| 1995 | The First Hundred Days: A New Direction | Mario Cuomo
Dan Quayle |
| 1996 | From Bosnia to Beyond: The International Response | Margaret Thatcher
Edward L. Warner III |
| 1997 | Education: Leading the United States into the 21st Century | Lamar Alexander
Bill Bradley Cal Thomas John Siegenthaler |
| 1998 | Campaigning in America: Renewing Democracy for the 21st Century | Bob Dole
Dick Morris |
| 1999 | Challenges of a Changing World | Colin Powell
Robert Gates |
| 2000 | Violence America’s Response | John Walsh
Chuck D. John Lott Frank Zimring |
| 2001 | Will the White House Ever be the Same | James Carville
David Gergen Sam Feist Joel Kaplan |
| 2002 | The Steel of American Resolve | Norman Schwarzkopf
Thomas Von Essen Sam Feist Joel Kaplan |
| 2003 | The Political Divide | General Barry McCaffrey
James Carville Mary Matalin |
| 2004 | The Media’s Election: The Influence of the Media on the 2004 Presidential Election | J.C. Watts
Paul Begala Tucker Carlson |
| 2005 | Visions of America | Al Sharpton
Ann Coulter Howard Dean |
| 2006 | Disappearing Borders | Peter Brimelow
John Edwards |
| 2007 | The Political Landscape | Lou Dobbs
Newt Gingrich Harold Ford Jr. |
| 2008 | Middle East Meets West | Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Reza Aslan Gideon Yago John Abizaid |
| 2009 | Diplomacy in the New Millennium | Madeleine Albright
Natan Sharansky |
| 2010 | The Future of Capitalism | Ralph Nadar
John Stossel Mitt Romney |
| 2011 | Bridging the Gap: America’s Middle Class | Arianna Huffington
William Kristol Tim Pawlenty Christina Romer |
| 2012 | The Rise of the Rest: What is the Future of American Foreign Policy | Lamar Alexander
Wesley Clark Vincente Fox John Huntsman Bill Richardson |
| 2013 | Dimensions of Peace and Conflict | Ehud Barak
George Mitchell Leymah Gbowee |
| 2014 | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Defining Civil Rights and Responsibilities | Gen. Colin Powell
Olympia Snowe Barney Frank |
| 2015 | How You See It: Perceptions of (In)Equality | Anna Deavere Smith
Eugene Robinson Stephen A. Smith Rudy Giuliani |
| 2016 | The Struggle for Success: Is America Dreaming? | Azar Nafisi
Brittany Packnett Sike Lee John Boehner |
| 2017 | The Time is Now: What Message Will We Send? | Van Jones
Shaun King Ezra Klein Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2018 | Chris Matthews
Hasan Minhaj Jessica Carbino |
|
| 2019 | Who Are Our Heroes? | Ava DuVernay
Abby Wambach Ta-Nehisi Coates |
| 2020 | Cancelled – COVID | Steve Wozniak
|
| 2021 | Aubrey Plaza
Laverne Cox Bill Nye |
