Studium Generale (Only) - Last Lecture- 31-5-22

Standardization and Originality in the Quest for Excellence at the University

Date: Time: 17:00 Location: Black Box, Esplanade building

What would you share with your audience if it were your last lecture ever? That's the question we posed to lecturer Mark Vitullo. He will talk about his view on the Quest for Excellence at the University. (English / SG-Certificate*)

Time: 17:00 - 18:00 hrs.  
Admission is free, no registration required (limited number of seats, full is full)


Truck Numbers and Different Drummers:
Standardization and Originality in the Quest for Excellence at the University.

Universities at present face a paradoxical challenge - budget and market constrictions demand ever-greater standardization while the competition between universities puts a premium on uniqueness. Can a balance be struck?

Mark Vitullo sheds his light on the matter in this Last Lecture.

Mark Vitullo (Chicago, 1965) is a lecturer in English and a member of the university council at Tilburg University. He has also taught at Radboud University, where he earned a Ph.D. in American Studies. As a teacher, he has developed and taught courses in the various schools at TiU, including the courses “Rhetoric in Theory and Practice I and II” for the Liberal Arts and Sciences Program, and “English Linguistic and Argumentation Skills I and II” for the Global Law Program. He is a contributing editor, with Cedric Stalpers, of Tales Out of School: Short Fiction from Tilburg University (2000) and is the co-author, with Marianne Sanders and Hans Verhulst, of Oral Presentations in English: A Guide for Dutch Speakers (2003). Mark Vitullo has been a regular contributor to Univers, VITE Bulletin, and FIRST Quarterly. He is currently working, with a number of colleagues, on book projects on both rhetoric and legal English.

Mark Vitullo

Last Lecture

A 'last lecture' is a lecture in which a professor lectures to a group of students as if it was their last lecture. The professor answers questions like 'What would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance? or 'If this were your last time to address a group of students, what would you say?

The event is inspired by the last lecture given by Professor Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University upon his diagnosis with terminal cancer. In his wonderful speech ‘Achieving Your Childhood Dreams’ Pausch alternated between insights on his academic field, valuable encounters he made in life, personal choices and experiences, inspirational life lessons, and important events that guided him on his path of life.


More information

This lecture is organized by Studium Generale in cooperation with study association Extra Muros.

Contact: Annelieke Koster (Studium Generale).

* For students, this lecture may count towards the SG-Certificate. Check the SG-Certificate website for all the terms and conditions.

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