Consistent with the Blackburn value of “networking through the generations,” the Institute hosts several programs each year for the full community to come together to discuss ideas, reconnect with civic-minded individuals, and plan for collective and individual action. Blackburn members can RSVP for events using the links in their emailed newsletter.
To learn more about events solely for students, please visit Student Events and Activities. For programming focused on Fellows, please see Fellows Programming and Opportunities.
Prospective students and members with a ua.edu email address may also visit the mySource Calendar to stay connected with public on-campus events we have planned.
Upcoming Events
Huntsville Networking
May 20
Time 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location Huntsville, AL
Montgomery Networking
Jun 09
Time 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location Montgomery, AL
DC Networking
Jun 24
Time 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location Washington, DC
Mobile Networking
Jun 30
Time 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location Spanish Fort, AL
Birmingham Networking
Jul 14
Time 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location Birmingham, AL
Annual Symposium
Aug 28 – Aug 29
Time 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location Tuscaloosa, AL
Urban Travel Experience
Sep 11 – Sep 12
Time 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Location Mobile, AL
Burt Jones Rural Community Experience
Oct 28 – Oct 31
Time 12:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Location Off-Campus
Daniel Community Scholars Poster Presentations and Reception
Nov 18
Time 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location UA Student Center
Annual Symposium
Considered the heart of the Blackburn experience, this annual, two-day symposium brings students, fellows, advisory board members, as well as respected community and state leaders together to hear speakers, participate in round-table discussions, and determine plans of action. Learn more about the Gloria and John L. Blackburn Academic Symposium and the Frank A. Nix Endowed Memorial Lectureship.
2026 Keynote Speaker Stewart D. McLaurin
Open to full UA Community
Spring Networking Dinner
The Spring Networking Dinner is one of two premiere events each year open to the entire Blackburn community, including students, Fellows, and Advisory Board members. Built on the institute’s value of intergenerational networking, this dinner is an opportunity to come together to break bread and celebrate the collective work of the community. Each year, the new student class is welcomed and graduating students receive their Blackburn pins, symbolizing their transition from students to Fellows.
This event will continue as a cornerstone of our intergenerational networking for Blackburn Advisory Board members, Fellows, and Students. Join us as we congratulate our graduating students, welcome 50 new students, and come together to renew our relationships and commitment to improving the state of Alabama. Attire is business professional.
Summer Networking Events
As a community, we are called to network through the generations. One way in which this is accomplished is through regional gatherings each summer. These Summer Networking Events provide an opportunity for our students, Fellows, and Advisory Board members to come together in a less formal setting than the Annual Symposium and Spring Networking Dinner.
In early spring of each year, a list of potential locations is compiled and includes our regular sites – Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery, AL and Washington, DC – as well as additional Alabama and regional sites that change year to year. These additional sites have included Mobile, AL; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; and New York, NY. While traditionally a dinner gathering hosted at a restaurant or home, events may include a discussion of a topic by a local expert, panel, sporting event, or day of action.
Fellows interested in organizing an activity around one of the Summer Networking Events, please contact us.