Reservations for America 250 Speaker Series featuring Cornel West and Robert George now open to the public

As part of Auburn University’s America 250 commemoration, the university will continue its Signature Speaker Series on Sep. 30 at 5 p.m. CT, with a moderated conversation between distinguished political scholars Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George at the Gogue Performing Arts Center. Tickets to the free event are now open to the general public.

The conversation, moderated by Auburn University’s own Susan Fillipeli and Jeff LaMondia, will explore ideals of American democracy. West and George will discuss civil discourse, the value of public dialogue and issues that are relevant in the country today. Together, they showcase the power of civil engagement from different philosophical and political perspectives.

“Cornell West and Robert George model the civil ideal that we can disagree with each other profoundly in truth-seeking while also building on the beliefs and values that unite us as humans,” said Fillipeli. “Just like Tip O’Neil and Ronald Reagan, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia, Drs. West and George are individuals that disagree with one another on important issues but maintain a warm friendship. 

"In a political environment where it has become acceptable to not only stop talking and listening to those we disagree with, but to cut them out of our lives completely, Cornell West and Robert P. George not only show us how to keep talking, but why it is critical that we do so. I am looking forward to moderating this event and helping showcase the value of public dialogue in our nation.” 

West and George will return to the Plains nine years after appearing on campus for an event for the first time in 2017. 

The event marks the second in Auburn University’s Democracy in Dialogue Signature Speaker Series. In March, 66^th U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and political commentator Margaret Hoover kicked off the series at the Gogue Performing Arts Center by challenging the audience to consider their role in sustaining American democracy.

Introduced earlier this year, the series is designed to create opportunities for reflection and conversation across campus as the nation celebrates 250 years of independence.

Ticket reservations for the general public are open and available for free through the Gogue Performing Arts Center website. Refreshments will be provided to attendees while supplies last.

Click here for Reservations

About political scholars Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George

Dr. Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary and a prominent public philosopher whose scholarship spans philosophy, politics, religion and culture. He previously served as Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and is Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. West earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and received his master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Princeton, where in 1980 he became the first Black scholar to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy.

A prominent author and scholar, West has written more than 20 books, including Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and is widely known for advancing conversations about justice, truth and democratic responsibility. In 2024, West was an Independent Presidential Candidate, and in the same year he delivered the Gifford Lecture 2023/2024, titled A Jazz-soaked Philosophy for Our Catastrophic Times: From Socrates to Coltrane, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Dr. Robert George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. A leading scholar of philosophy of law, moral and political philosophy, constitutional law, and civil liberties, George has also served in numerous public roles, including as chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. President’s Council on Bioethics.

He is the author of several influential works on law and political philosophy, including Making Men Moral, In Defense of Natural Law and The Clash of Orthodoxies. His writing has appeared in leading academic journals as well as national publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Despite often approaching issues from different philosophical and political perspectives, West and George have demonstrated the power of civil engagement through their collaborative work, including their book Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division.

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Auburn University to host scholars Cornel West and Robert P. George

As part of Auburn University’s Democracy in Dialogue Signature Speaker Series commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial, the institution will welcome distinguished scholars and thought leaders Cornel West and Robert George to campus on September 30, 2026, at 5 p.m. CST in the Gogue Performing Arts Center for a moderated conversation on civic engagement and the ideals of American democracy.

About moderators Dr. Susan Fillippeli and Dr. Jeffrey LaMondia

Dr. Susan Fillippeli is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication and Journalism and has held faculty positions at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and University of Puget Sound.

In addition to her career in academia, Dr. Fillippeli has been active in local and state politics for over 20 years. Fillippeli was appointed by Governor Bob Riley to serve two terms on the Alabama Women’s Commission, and by Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan to serve on the Lee County Board of Registrars.

In 2001, Fillippeli left Auburn University to pursue a career in the private sector where she served as a communication consultant to political candidates and businesses, and for a software development firm where she worked as a communication and training professional and project manager specializing in corporate communication strategies, crisis communication management, proposal development, campaign management, corporate communication, and training and development.

Dr. Jeffrey LaMondia is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Dr. LaMondia is an expert in travel demand, travel safety and travel choice with an emphasis on cycling. He has received numerous awards for his research including the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board Fred Burggraf Best Paper Award. He was also presented with the President’s Award for Distinguished Faculty Leadership in 2025.

Since joining the Auburn faculty in 2010, LaMondia has built his career around connecting people, disciplines and ideas to make both engineering and education more human-centered. As director of Auburn University’s Common Book Program, LaMondia helps guide campus-wide conversations that bring students, faculty and staff together around shared stories and social themes.

His efforts extend through Live Well Alabama: Thriving Communities, a partnership with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System that applies transportation and infrastructure research to improve quality of life and economic opportunity in rural areas.