Presenting Organizations

The Lowell Institute supports the Boston College Lowell Humanities Lecture Series. Among the distinguished writers, artists, performers, and scholars the series has brought to Boston College have been Robert Frost, Margaret Mead, T.S. Eliot, Maya Angelou, Robert Penn Warren, Joyce Carol Oates, Susan Sontag, and Seamus Heaney.

For additional information about any of the upcoming Lowell Institute sponsored lectures, please visit www.bc.edu/lowell or contact the series director, Professor James Smith at smithbt@bc.edu. Visit the Lowell Humanities Series on Facebook. and Twitter (@bclowellhs).

The Lowell Institute supports the Boston Public Library's Lowell Lecture Series. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people at its Central Library and 24 branch locations throughout Boston. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

A complete listing of lectures can be found at www.bpl.org/lowell.

The Lowell Institute supports Boston University's School of Theology Lowell Lecture Series. The School of Theology was founded in 1839 and was the first Methodist seminary in the country. It was also the founding school of what is now Boston University. It's roots are in United Methodism, but it's branches reach into the international ecumenical, interfaith movement. It combines a heritage of academic distinction with the flexibility to lead the reshaping of global religious life. The School’s history of marrying academic rigor with social justice is still vital and effective nearly two centuries later. Today, it continues to attract students who seek the best theological training to take action in their local, national, or global context.

For more information on this year's series please visit www.bu.edu/sth or contact Jaclyn Jones, the Alumni Relations Officer, at (617) 353-8972 or jkjones@bu.edu.

Cambridge Forum’s purpose is to inform, explore, entertain and challenge preconceptions on a wide range of current and timeless subjects. Forums are recorded live with audience participation, and freely distributed to the world through NPR, GBH Forum Network, and CF podcasts. The outcome is a community better informed to understand and appreciate what affects life and the planet.

The Lowell Institute supports the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation's Mill Talks lecture series. — A museum of the American Industrial Revolution, the Charles River Museum is located in the last boiler house of the former Boston Manufacturing Company — the first integrated textile mill or factory in the world. Commencing operations in 1815, the BMC mill design, organizational structure and management became known as the "Waltham-Lowell" system and was replicated throughout New England during the 18th century, leading the transformation of the United States into an industrial power. Now known as the "Francis Cabot Lowell Mill" in honor of its founder, the Museum's home is on the National Historic Register, a portion of which has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

A complete listing of Mill Talks can be found at https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/mill-talks-lectures-and-panel-discussions/

The Lowell Institute provides support for the College Connections English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) pathway, which serves more than 100 students annually. The ESOL pathway offers four levels of instruction, ranging from beginner conversational English to advanced writing. Instruction focuses on two key components: written and oral competency skills and financial literacy/employment skills with the specific objective of increasing students’ ambition for college graduation.

Equipping students with the attitude, skills, and experience to graduate college is our mission, and ESOL pathway students are encouraged to transition into College Connections Foundations or Bridge to College pathways upon completion of the Level 4 ESOL course. The Foundations pathway helps students prepare for and pass the GED/HiSET; and the Bridge to College pathway is designed as an intensive program that provides the career, academic, and social-emotional readiness skills that students need in order to enroll in and graduate college.

For more information about the College Connections model and ESOL program, please contact the Director of College Connections, Kedan Harris at kharris@collegebounddorchester.org or 617.506.5970.

The Lowell Institute supports lectures at Ford Hall Forum, the nation’s oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. The Forum's mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates and discussions. The Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers, including some of the most controversial opinion leaders of our times. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings that facilitate frank and open debate.

In 1910, A. Lawrence Lowell, as Trustee of the Lowell Institute and President of Harvard University, established the academic program of University Extension at Harvard as an experiment in "popular education." The Harvard Extension School has broadened its reach beyond the local community to a national and global audience while retaining a commitment to educational quality and affordability.

Since its inception, it is estimated that more than one-half million women and men have enrolled in Harvard Extension School courses and more than 15,000 have been awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees and graduate certificates. Every year, nearly 14,000 students of all ages, from all over the world, register for classes on campus and online. The range of resources is both broad and deep: 600 courses, of which 200 are offered online, spanning the liberal arts and professional studies; educational options include individual courses, professional certificates, and formal degrees: Associate in Arts, Bachelor of Liberal Arts, and Master of Liberal Arts in 19 fields, and Master of Liberal Arts in professional studies (biotechnology, sustainability and environmental management, information technology, journalism, management, mathematics for teaching, and museum studies).

The faculty are another exceptional resource: 60 percent are Harvard affiliates, others are from area universities and the business community. Many have taught at the Harvard Extension School for decades, while some teach the same course at the School as in Harvard College.

Each year, the Harvard Extension School, with the Lowell Institute, co-sponsors the Lowell Lecture at Harvard. Past speakers have included Carl Sagan on nuclear winter, Gore Vidal on American politics, Ken Burns on the documentary as history, and Sissela Bok on the pursuit of happiness. Timothy Johnson, MD, MPH, one of the nation's leading communicators of medical healthcare information delivered the 2011 lecture entitled "The Truth About Getting Sick in America: The Real Problems with Healthcare and What We Can Do."

For more information about the Harvard Extension School, visit www.extension.harvard.edu.

The Lowell Institute supports the Kennedy Library Forums, a series of public affairs programs offered by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to foster public discussion on a diverse range of historical, political and cultural topics reflecting the legacy of President and Mrs. Kennedy's White House years. They are conducted as conversations rather than lectures.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. The Kennedy Presidential Library and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.

The Lowell Institute School is the first school of its kind in the country – delivering science, technology and engineering bachelor’s degree completion programs for students with two years of college credit or an associate degree. When A. Lawrence Lowell created the Lowell Institute School for Industrial Foremen in 1903, the idea was daring, but practical. It was bringing essential knowledge and opportunity to the people doing the hands-on work of the new century. Now, a century later, a new chapter begins in that same daring and practical spirit. With a focus on upper-level classes, the school offers students with some college credits an opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree in Science or Science in Engineering Technology.

The school's curriculum is closely aligned with the needs of local employers. Faculty members are industry professionals, scholar-practitioners, and mentors that represent numerous industries. Built into the teaching is the core Northeastern value – that there is a powerful relationship between learning and work, and that the two strengthen each other.

For more information on the Lowell Institute School at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, please visit our website at www.cps.neu.edu/discover/schools-institutes/lowell-institute-school.php.

The Lowell Institute enables the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) to provide its visitors with a diverse range of accessible educational programs and activities, including artist talks, art-making activities, community events, and lectures.

Many programs are offered on Wednesday evenings, when admission is by voluntary contribution after 4pm.

For the most current information, please visit www.mfa.org to view the MFA’s calendar of events, or contact the Education Department at 617-369-3300.

Lowell Lectures The Lowell Institute sponsors lectures at the Museum of Science thorughout the year on a variety of topics including everything from astronauts to artists and robots to raptors. Please see the Event Schedule for a full listing of this year's lecture lineup.

Lowell Observatory Program

The Gilliland Astronomical Observatory, located atop the Museum’s parking garage, is operated by the Museum’s Planetarium staff. The Observatory houses three high-quality telescopes and, thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute, is available to the public for free viewing of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects each Friday evening, 8:30-10:00 p.m., weather permitting. The Lowell Institute’s support of the Observatory programs enables members of the public to see with their own eyes, free-of-charge, some of the most awe-inspiring sights in our universe.

Lowell Library Pass Program

Free passes, allowing Exhibit Halls admission for up to four people per day are available for patrons of Boston, Cambridge, Lynn, Somerville, Chelsea, Revere, Melrose, Rockland, and Bunker Hill Community College libraries. Inquire directly with your library branch to determine pass availability for the date you would like to visit the Museum and for pass reservation and pick-up instructions.

Free Admission Passes

Free admission to the Museum of Science is available for non-profit community-based organizations working with youth, adults and families in under-represented communities. For more information, please call (617) 723 2500, (617) 589 0417 TTY or communityrelations@mos.org.

Opened on the Boston Waterfront in 1969, the New England Aquarium is one of the world’s first modern aquariums. Visitors can explore the ocean and visit thousands of marine animals in three levels of world-class exhibits. Combining education, entertainment and action to address the most challenging problems facing the ocean, the New England Aquarium aims to create a new generation of ocean stewards.

Since 1972, the Aquarium has been providing free lectures and films by scientists, environmental writers, photographers and many more. Through the generosity of the Lowell Institute, the Aquarium Lecture Series is free and open to the public. Registration is requested and all programs start at 6:30 p.m. in the Aquarium's Simons Theatre, unless otherwise noted. Programs last approximately one hour.

For more information or to join our mailing list, visit: www.neaq.org/aquariumlectures.

The Paul Revere Memorial Association owns and operates the Paul Revere House and the Pierce-Hichborn House, located on the Freedom Trail in Boston’s North End. Both homes are open to the general public. For hours and admission, please call (617) 523-2338 or visit www.paulreverehouse.org. This year's Lowell funded lecture series, “A War of Divisions: The Impact and Aftermath of the American Civil War,” examines the effect of the Civil War on families, institutions and individuals in New England.

All lectures in the 2013 Paul Revere Memorial Association lecture series will take place at Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street (at the corner of Milk Street), Boston, MA. Sign language interpretation is available upon request (with advance notice). Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices are available. Accessible by MBTA. Use State or Downtown Crossing stops. For directions to Old South Meeting House please call (617) 482-6439 or visit www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org. For more information about the Paul Revere Memorial Association Lecture Series contact Patrick M. Leehey, Paul Revere House at (617) 523-2338.

The Lowell Institute enables the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) to offer to the public a wide range of programs on art and ideas for adults, including artist presentations, lectures, panel discussions, art-making, performances, immersive events and gallery-based programs. For the most up-to-date information, please visit www.pem.org to view the museum calendar, or call 978-745-9500.

All Lowell Institute-sponsored events are included with museum admission and are open to the public. Admission is free for Salem residents and for all youth 16 and under.

Revolutionary Spaces brings people together to explore the American struggle to create and sustain a free society, singularly evoked by Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House. We steward these buildings as gathering spaces for the open exchange of ideas and the continuing practice of democracy, inspiring all who believe in the power of people to govern themselves.

Follow Revolutionary Spaces on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram: @RevSpaces, or visit www.revolutionaryspaces.org.

The Lowell Institute supports the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston, which holds the license for 11 public television services (WGBH 2/HD, WGBH 44, WGBH World, WGBH Create, ’GBH Kids, and WGBH On Demand; for Boston cable subscribers, Boston Kids & Family TV; and, serving Western New England, Springfield’s WGBY 57/HD along with WGBY World, WGBY Create, and WGBY Kids), three public radio services (WGBH 89.7, All-Classical WGBH 89.7 HD2, and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station at 90.1, 91.1, and 94.3), and the website wgbh.org. WGBH is PBS’s leading producer for television and the Web, a major supplier of programs for public radio stations nationwide, a pioneer in media access for Americans with hearing or vision loss, and a leading force in educational multimedia, from the Web to hand-held devices.

The Lowell Institute supports the operating costs of producing and distributing programming services to the local region through television, radio, and the Internet. For further information about WGBH, contact Cynthia Broner, director of Constituent Communications at cynthia_broner@wgbh.org or (617) 300-5310.

The Lowell Institute supports WorldBoston’s Great Decisions series, the Chat & Chowder series, and the annual State of the State Department program.

WorldBoston's Great Decisions series delivers informed discussion on eight critical topics in U.S. foreign policy chosen annually by the Foreign Policy Association. Each year, the eight programs feature leading experts at Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library (as well as on Zoom live-stream), audience Q&A, and networking over light refreshments.

WorldBoston's monthly Chat & Chowder book talk series features prominent authors on international affairs and speakers on critical current events. Programs are hosted in-person at the downtown offices of Foley & Lardner LLP, and are also live-streamed to Zoom. Each event includes an author presentation, audience Q&A, and ample time for networking and discussion among community members. True to their name, Chat & Chowder events feature a selection of fine soups and chowders (of course!), as well as a variety of refreshing beverages.

WorldBoston's State of the State Department is a high-level annual speaking event, designed as an occasion to consider within a policy context this key instrument in the pursuit of U.S. national and international interests. Each year, the program is hosted in-person in Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library, and is also live-streamed to Zoom.

Thanks to the generous support of the Lowell Institute, these programs are all free and open to the public. For more information, please contact WorldBoston at (617) 542-8995 or visit http://www.worldboston.org.