The University of Illinois Springfield will host five Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series events during the spring 2026 semester. The series presents events that promote and adhere to the value of engaged citizenship, cultural awareness and respect for diversity.

ECCE Speaker Series events, which are free and open to the public, include:

• “Understanding Dehumanization to Resist Dehumanization”
  6 p.m. Jan. 28 in Brookens Auditorium
  David Livingstone Smith, a professor of philosophy at the University of New England, will explore dehumanization, including sociohistorical factors, powerful propaganda that spreads the fear of evil and human psychological vulnerabilities to manipulation.
  
• “What is the Poesis of Dis-Possession?”
  6 p.m. Feb. 11 in Brookens Auditorium
  Sherwin Ovid, a Trinidad-born, Chicago-based artist, will share insights into how his materials and methods embody fluidity and hybridity, and how abstraction can hold lived experience. Marissa Baker, a visiting assistant professor of art history at UIS and curator of Ovid’s exhibition at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, and Ovid will discuss his process, influences and the personal and historical narratives that shape his practice. Together, their dialogue will offer a greater understanding of how art can visualize migration, identity and reconstruction within the diasporic experience.
  
• “Asian American Youth Literature: Immigration, Imagination, & the Library”
  6 p.m. Feb. 25 in Brookens Auditorium
  Sarah Park Dahlen, an associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will provide a historical overview of Asian American youth literature in the context of immigration patterns, social movements and other larger issues and will relate books for children and young adults with library services and programs for youth.
  
• “Discover Your Superpower: Identity, Agency, and Purpose in the Age of AI”
  6 p.m. March 18 in Brookens Auditorium
  UIS professor Pam Hoff and founder and CEO of CoreKind LLC, Gina Grant, will discuss how, in an increasingly technology-shaped world, emerging technology and artificial intelligence are not just tools but are social systems that shape opportunity, equity and power. This session will blend personal storytelling, reflective activities and accessible technology concepts to help participants explore their role as engaged citizens in the AI era.
  
• “Balancing Innovation and Impact: Confronting the Environment and Health Consequences of Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Development”
  6 p.m. on April 15 in Brookens Auditorium
  Mary D. Willis, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, will describe the impacts of data centers built in the United States and propose policy solutions to help protect local communities.

For further details on the event, visit the ECCE Speaker Series website.