EIU Humanities Center

Final Fridays!

Final Fridays provides an informal opportunity to hear a few Quality Speakers™ from EIU tell us something about their exciting innovations and creative accomplishments in a quick and accessible way: 10 minutes maximum for each speaker!

How strict is the time limit?

We have a countdown clock. If it gets to zero, our Quality Speaker™ risks being pummeled with rotten fruits and vegetables, or other forms of polite public shaming. 

Why? Starting in the Fall of 2018, we initiated a fun alternative for whatever else you were thinking of doing on the last Friday of the month.

Why else? So you can learn something while having a beverage of your choice.

What can I do? Come. Bring a friend. Buy our Quality Speaker™ a drink. Share the link on social media. Facebook, if you must.

 Important Information:

Presenters and Faculty:

Faculty and staff are invited to submit applications to present their work, and receive very modest compensation (though many refuse!). We are looking for presentations pitched to a general audience. We emphasize that the talks should be entertaining, innovative, and also brief (10 minutes). There will be ample opportunity for the audience to question and comment, and for conversations to continue and grow.

Locations:

The events will be held at various locations off campus in hopes of enticing 

local businesses to host gatherings. We have had gatherings at the Top of the Roc and The Brick House Grill, and now we've been sent to The Penalty Box, just off 4th Street, behind Bamca. 

Parking for The Penalty Box:

The Penalty Box reopened earlier this year under the ownership of the Zendeli family, who have been running the Lincoln Garden since coming to Charleston in 2003. It is located just off 4th Street, beside Bamca (the original Jimmy Johns building), and just across Lincoln Avenue from campus, behind Ike's and the Siam Thai restaurant. Ample parking is available on the north side of the building, accessible from both 4th Street (turn right just past Bamca) or from 7th Street (turn right before you get to the corner of Lincoln Ave.). Come for Final Fridays, stay for the Gyros!

Overall Goal:

We want Final Fridays to bring together the EIU and the larger community in a setting that fosters dialogue and exchange. All are welcome! The research and teaching of university professors can sometimes be rather mysterious not only to folks outside, but also to professors in other departments and colleges. Our goal is to surprise you with the fascinating work being done at EIU, and to inspire you with new and creative ideas.

Third  Thursday at 4:30pm: Feb. 20 at The Penalty Box !!!

Registering for the event will help us plan. Who knows -- we may buy some food and serve it to you free of charge! (Don't get your hopes up.) Please register here -- we will be eternally grateful, and send you a letter to that effect!

Would you like to apply to be a Quality Speaker™? Apply here!

Brought to you by the Center for the Humanities in conjunction with EIU’s Faculty Development and Innovation Center (FDIC).