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Ed Renwick Lecture Series

2026 ED RENWICK LECTURE - THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH 7:00PM

NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM - MONROE HALL ON LOYOLA'S MAIN CAMPUS

Guest Speaker - Walter Isaacson 

SELF-EVIDENT - THE SENTENCE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Join New York Times bestselling author Walter Isaacson for a discussion of his new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, as he marks America’s 250th anniversary with a compelling exploration of the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences. Moderated by Clancy DuBos.

Mission of Renwick Lecture Series

In pursuit of its mission of preparing men and women for ethical and effective participation in public life, the Institute of Politics at Loyola University New Orleans hosts an annual Lecture Series each Spring that attracts a nationally prominent figure to speak to the current Institute of Politics (IOP) class, all past fellows, Loyola faculty, staff, students, and members of the public.

Since Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures, neighborhood activism, grassroots energy, and highly effective political reform movements have reinvigorated politics in metropolitan New Orleans. Many citizens, not just past IOP fellows, are hungry for a thoughtful lecture series featuring skillful orators addressing contemporary issues from broad and well-informed perspectives. The combination of a university setting and an audience of eager political practitioners places the Institute of Politics at Loyola as the obvious host for the Renwick Lecture Series.

Goals

The Ed Renwick Lecture Series will attempt to:

  • Reward the hard work and commitment of current IOP fellows and alumni by giving them the opportunity to engage in discussion with a world class thinker or practitioner in the political or policy arena
  • Promote thought and debate about an important issue in contemporary politics or policy by presenting a lecture and associated events led by a nationally known individual – a public office holder, historian, top strategist, award-winning journalist, or political activist
  • Bring IOP fellows together with a broad and diverse array of members of the general public in the context of a public lecture and discussion
  • Enhance the IOP’s role as a major public force and intellectual fixture in the political culture of metropolitan New Orleans

Past Guests

  • Betsy Fischer
  • Senator John Breaux, Congressman Billy Tauzin & Congressman Bob Livingston
  • Charlie Cook
  • Governor Buddy Roemer, Governor Kathleen Blanco & Governor Edwin Edwards
  • Donna Brazile
  • Dean Baquet
  • James Carville & Mary Matalin
  • Frank Luntz
  • Mayor Moon Landrieu, Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Mayor LaToya Cantrell
  • Susan Page
  • Steven V. Roberts
  • Senator John Alario, Senator Edwin Murray, Senator Marty Chabert & Senator Willie Mount
  • Jonathan Martin & Tim Miller
  • Kenneth Polite & Harry Rosenberg

Five Perspectives, One New Orleans

Video from one of our previous lecture series.