APEX Events - SUU's Premier Event Series

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APEX Events - SUU's Premier Event Series

A.P.E.X. Events welcomes speakers from all over the country to Southern Utah University to tell their story and inspire our students, faculty & community.

Welcome to the APEX Event Series! We have been working this past year on the new brand and fresh direction for this treasured part of the SUU campus community! In its previous iteration as the SUU Convocations Series, this program has been bringing exciting experts across all disciplines to campus for 30 years! It began as a weekly speakers’ series funded by the president’s office and curated by a

staff member with input from a faculty committee chaired by a faculty member. Currently, the lecture series is housed in the School of Integrative and Experiential Learning and directed by faculty member on a ½ time teaching load with a support staff. Attendees to our events are students, faculty, staff and community members, and speakers have been invited from all areas of the US and abroad. While on campus, guests are invited to interact with students and faculty in multiple ways, with opportunities to connect and network in vast areas of scholarship! All APEX events are free and open to the public! What’s with the [X]? The new tagline for our series is “Ask. Ponder. Educate. [X]” and the [X] represents the variety of topics we explore in the series – it's the variable element from week to week. Dr. Vartan and her team are passionate about the broad spectrum of thoughts, ideas, disciplines, backgrounds and cultural themes that can be showcased and shared, all within the context and with the consistency and organization that our team provides. There is sure to be something for everyone at some point in the season, and all events will certainly open your mind and creativity!

03/03/2026

✨ Imagineering Your Life: Creativity Is Not Enough
🎤 Jennifer D. Roberts (Lighting Designer, Fine Artist, Educator, Former Disney Imagineer)

📅 March 5 | ⏰ 11:30 a.m. | 📍 Great Hall

Multidisciplinary lighting designer, fine artist, and educator Jennifer D. Roberts has spent over 30 years shaping environments across themed entertainment, architecture, and the performing arts throughout the American Southwest and California.
This lecture explores how creativity, technical craft, and artistic vision come together to shape meaningful human experiences—revealing how light, design, and imagination can transform spaces and tell powerful stories.

02/18/2026

OUR SPEAKER THIS WEEK —
🎤 Chris Hoke (Jail Chaplain, Author, Founder of Underground Ministries)
✨ Wilderness Unlocked: Prison, Healing, and Access to Outdoor Wonder

📅 Feb. 19 | ⏰ 11:30 a.m. | 📍 Great Hall

Jail chaplain, author, and founder of Underground Ministries, Chris Hoke has spent over 20 years walking alongside incarcerated men and women and those returning home.
This lecture explores how healing, restoration, and second chances can happen through community, meaningful work, and even connection to the outdoors—opening new pathways for hope and transformation.

📚 Author of WANTED: A Spiritual Pursuit Through Jail, Among Outlaws, and Across Borders
✍️ Book signing to follow the event

02/09/2026

🇺🇸 Grace A. Tanner Distinguished Faculty Lecture 2026

🎤 Dr. Michelle Orihel (Associate Professor of History)
✨ American Independence: Stories of Freedom, Struggle, and Resilience

📅 Feb. 12
⏰ 11:30 a.m.
📍 Great Hall

This lecture looks beyond the Founding Fathers to explore how everyday people shaped the fight for independence. From women and enslaved people to Loyalists and Indigenous communities, Dr. Orihel highlights the many voices and struggles that helped drive the events of 1776.

Dr. Orihel teaches at Southern Utah University and was named Outstanding Educator for Diversity & Inclusion. Her research focuses on early American politics, print culture, and social movements.

01/21/2026

🎤✨ The ’26 Eccles APEX Spring Season is here!
Join us in the Gilbert Great Hall every week at 11:30 AM for an incredible lineup of speakers

Swipe to see the full schedule and mark your calendars! 📅

🔗 More info: www.suu.edu/apex

Thunderbirds

01/20/2026

Our speaker this week is Kevin Koontz! ✨

Kevin Koontz presents Hetch Hetchy: Yosemite’s Lost Valley 🌲
Join us for this week’s Eccles A.P.E.X. event as SUU’s Outdoor Pathways Academic Coordinator and adjunct professor explores the history and impact of one of Yosemite’s most debated landscapes.
This talk is part of the SUU America 250 Lecture Series.

🗓 January 22, 2026
⏰ 11:30 AM
📍 Gilbert Great Hall

01/14/2026

We’re excited to welcome Donna Law as our speaker this week! ✨
Appointed by Governor Spencer Cox in January 2024, Donna serves as the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. With 26 years at Southern Utah University and leadership experience across the arts, she brings a deep passion for culture, community, and public service.

🗓 January 15, 2026
⏰ 11:30 AM
📍 Gilbert Great Hall

We hope to see you there!

04/17/2025

Hey SUU!
We've got another fantastic APEX Radio Hour this week with SUU's very own, Dean of College of Performing and Visual Arts, Michael Schmidt! You can tune in live at 3 p.m. on KSUU Thunder 91.1 and if you miss it you can find it after on our APEX webpage or wherever you get your podcasts.

For more info: https://www.suu.edu/apex/

The SUU Eccles APEX Team

04/01/2025

Hey T-Birds!

Join us Tuesday, April 1 at 11:30 a.m. in the Gilbert Great Hall for this year's Festival of Excellence keynote with Jean-Michel Molenaar. His presentation is titled, "Beyond Prototypes: Building a More Inclusive Future with Fab Labs". It's the last APEX event of the season as well, you won't want to miss it!

For more info: https://www.suu.edu/apex/

The SUU Eccles APEX Team

03/24/2025

Hey SUU!

Join us this TUESDAY for the Howard R. Driggs Memorial Lecture with Director of the Adams Presidential Center, Dr. Kurt Graham! His presentation is titled, "Presidential Legacies in Four Centuries". Join us TOMORROW, Tuesday March 25 at 11:30 a.m., and at 3 p.m. on KSUU Thunder 91.1 for the APEX Radio Hour. You won't want to miss this one!

For more info: https://www.suu.edu/apex/

The SUU Eccles APEX Team

03/18/2025

Hey T-Birds!

We're back to our regularly schedule programming this week, we've got a great one for you! Join us in the Gilbert Great Hall this Thursday, March 20 at 11:30 a.m. for Dr. Mark Applebaum's presentation, "The Contemporary Composer's Moral Panic". You won't want to miss it! After the presentation, join us on KSUU Thunder 91.1 at 3 p.m. for the APEX Radio Hour.

For more info: https://www.suu.edu/apex/

The SUU Eccles APEX Team

03/05/2025

Hey SUU!
We've got another fantastic APEX Radio Hour this week with Author Elaine Vickers! She has authored picture books, middle grade books, and young adult novels. You can tune in live at 3 p.m., and if you miss it you can find it after on our APEX webpage or wherever you get your podcasts!

For more info: https://www.suu.edu/apex/

The SUU Eccles APEX Team

Address

351 W Center St
Cedar City, UT
84720

Website

http://suu.edu/apex

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