Students and faculty gathered in Talley Student Union Wednesday to view their much-admired professors in a new light. NC State’s first-ever Last Lecture Series gave prominent lecturers the chance to pass on their wisdom to the crowd, featuring the lovable Susan Katz, Edward Funkhouser and Larry Nielsen. The nationwide “last lecture” phenomenon offers especially influential professors the chance to present a lecture on any desired topic. The nominated speakers reflected on everything from a historical look at the fight for the freedom of the press, to a speech inspiring hope among anxious undergraduates, to the valuable life lessons Dr. Seuss has to offer.
The evening kicked off with communication professor Funkhouser, whose 40 years of teaching at NC State makes him a pivotal character in the Department of Communication. His chosen topic, the history of the freedom of the press, is one that is still relevant today.
“I thought right away that this would be a relevant topic,” Funkhouser said. “I do teach this material and find that teachers enjoy it, and that my students are paying attention. It’s something they haven’t really thought about deeply, or didn’t know too much history about.”
Funkhouser took the audience through time, noting presidents such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln who did not fully support the press. His placement of a Time Magazine ad featuring President Donald Trump’s anti-press statement “nothing to see here,” proved that the ancient struggle of the press is not over.
Funkhouser has watched the communication department grow to be one of NC State’s largest departments over the past two and a half decades, as he helped shape students into stellar future communicators.
“I particularly enjoy teaching freshmen in Communication Theory,” Funkhouser said. “I’m the first professor they have in their major, since it’s one of the first courses they take. It’s interesting and challenging.”
The next speaker, Susan Katz, captivated the audience with a heartwarming, reflective lecture describing her journey off the beaten path, which began at a small TV station in Albany, New York. Katz, who, in addition to being an associate professor, coordinates the English department’s internship program, said that her desired destination was found as a result of a long-winded journey.
“I can’t remember what the childhood me wanted to be when she grew up,” Katz said. “I know she never thought she’d be a college professor because no one in my family had ever gone to college, and college was just outside the realm of my experience.”
Though her go-getter attitude and perseverance is impossible to ignore, Katz attributed her success to a series of key “synchronistic moments” in which her life fell into place.
Katz noted her satisfaction with the way her lecture panned out, as the idea of lecturing itself was something she was, surprisingly, unfamiliar with.
“Because I don’t typically lecture, it was an interesting experience thinking about what I could talk about for 20 minutes straight,” Katz said. “At first I thought giving a last lecture would make me sad, but I wasn’t. Everyone was so positive and friendly, which just made me really happy and honored to have this opportunity.”
Finishing out the premier event was the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources’ beloved Nielsen, whose speech reminded the audience that the best life advice is often simple.
“Everything you need to know, you can learn from Dr. Seuss,” Nielsen said.
The outdoorsy, conservation enthusiast described seven life lessons that can be taken from the childhood author, one of which was valuing differences among those around us.
“People who are different from you, in all kinds of ways, have things to teach you,” Nielsen said. “Things you need to know in order to succeed in today’s world, and especially in tomorrow’s world. So, next time someone offers you green eggs and ham, learn the lesson that Sam I am learned: Try to maybe like ‘em.”
Nielsen referenced many Dr. Seuss books, such as “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish,” since Nielsen noted that, after all, the best books are about fish. The professor finished out his lecture with a handwritten poem, which brought the night to a close.
“All your life you’ll be trying on different hats you will wear, keep trying on new ones, you must persevere,” Nielsen said. “So now I’ll retire my professorial cap because now, it’s getting late, and I need a nap.”
Professor of natural resources Larry Nielsen delivers his final lecture Wednesday in the Piedmont Ballroom in Talley Student Union. Nielsen used the story of Dr. Seuss and the books Seuss wrote to deliver a number of the lessons included in the talk — one of which was perseverance. Nielsen said, "He [Seuss] persevered, and he ended up changing the world for all of us ... and you should persevere too. Maybe you can change the world, a little or a lot."
