What is Symposia?

While Main Program serves as the cornerstone of Wiley’s programming efforts, the MSC Wiley Lecture Series also has the privilege of hosting smaller-scale programs throughout the school year called Symposia.

Symposia offer audiences a wider range of topics and a more intimate setting than Main Program while still featuring a variety of noteworthy individuals, including U.S. congressmen, Ivy League professors, and foreign dignitaries. These programs are frequently formatted as panel discussions or fireside chats, and attendees often have the opportunity to ask questions.

Symposia also have the advantage of being more tailored to students, commonly engaging with challenging and topical subjects relevant to Aggies. Symposia are an integral component of Wiley’s mission to provide a meaningful venue for extracurricular education to the student body.

 

The Ongoing Impact of the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict

In its Howdy Week debut, Wiley presented a follow-up program to the popular Emergency in Eastern Europe on August 22, 2022. Speakers speculated on the dangers and future of the war from both a Ukrainian and American perspective.

  • Dr. Sergiy Kudelia, Associate Professor of Political Science at Baylor University and URIS Fellow at the University of Basel
  • Dr. John Schuessler, Associate Professor at the Department of International Affairs and Co-Director of the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service

Article One in the 21st Century

For Constitution Day 2021, Wiley welcomed speakers for a virtual discussion about the evolution, shortcomings, and future of the legislative branch of the U.S. government on September 22, 2021.

  • Dr. Philip Bobbitt, Herbert Wechsler Professor of Federal Jurisprudence at Columbia Law School
  • Hon. Bill Flores, U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2021), 17th Congressional District of Texas

Getting Big Things Done: Debugging Tech Policy

In a discussion that addressed national cybersecurity, foreign aid, and the threats posed by quantum computing, Congressman Will Hurd appeared at Texas A&M for a hybrid event on October 28, 2021.

  • Hon. Will Hurd, U.S. House of Representatives (2015–2021), 23rd Congressional District of Texas and author of American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done

Emergency in Eastern Europe

In a timely virtual program on March 9, 2022, a panel of Texas A&M professors discussed the recent outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, analyzing its origins, short-term effects, and potential for international catastrophe.

  • Dr. Dwight Roblyer, Senior Lecturer at the Texas A&M Department of Political Science
  • Dr. John Schuessler, Associate Professor at the Department of International Affairs and Co-Director of the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service
  • Dr. David Koepsell, Lecturer at the Texas A&M Department of Philosophy (Moderator)

Counting the Votes: The Electoral College

In celebration of Constitution Day, Wiley hosted its first virtual lecture on September 16, 2020, in a program that analyzed the significance and future of the American electoral college.

  • Dr. George C. Edward, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University
  • Dr. Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute

The Art of Espionage

On March 10, 2021, Wiley’s first hybrid program was presented simultaneously in Bethancourt Ballroom and over Zoom. The speaker’s light-hearted lecture discussed the danger, intrigue, and impact of a life in the Central Intelligence Agency.

  • Prof. James Olson, former CIA Chief of Counterintelligence and recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit