The 2025 Frank A. Nix Memorial Lecture will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2025 in The University of Alabama Student Center Theater. The full UA campus community is invited. Students can RSVP via MySource. Keynote Speaker Our keynote speaker for this year’s symposium is Robert Putnam, political scientist and prolific author,…
Blackburn members can register to attend through Thursday, August 14. See list of registered attendees below the schedule. Schedule Please read each event carefully to ensure that you are included in the invited audience(s). Friday, August 22 Saturday, August 23 Attendees The following have registered to attend as of July 29. Blackburn Advisory Board and…
Frank Nix graduated from Carbon Hill High School in Walker County. He earned a bachelor of science degree in Finance from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business. During his college career, Mr. Nix was a member of Jasons, ODK, Circle K, ROTC, and was president of a resident hall and served as an SGA…
The purpose of the Gloria and John L. Blackburn Academic Symposium (“Blackburn Academic Symposium”) is to present current knowledge, theory, and practice concerning a variety of issues related to economic, political, and quality-of life issues facing Alabama and the nation and to encourage open discussion of the symposium topics. Presenters will be individuals whose expertise…
The Blackburn Institute’s 2024 Annual Symposium will take place on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, 2024 at the Bryant Conference Center. Please see the schedule below for event times, dates, and audiences. Please read each event carefully to ensure that you are included in the invited audience(s). Friday Advisory Board/Fellows Meet and Greet 11…
The theme of the Blackburn Institute’s 2024 Annual Symposium, “30 years of Fellowship: Building the Bonds of Ethical Leadership,” will highlight the work of Dr. John L. Blackburn against the backdrop of desegregation at The University of Alabama, the creation of the Blackburn Institute, and our efforts to change the state in the present and…
The Blackburn Institute’s 2023 Annual Symposium will take place on Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26, 2023 at the Bryant Conference Center. Please see the schedule below for event times, dates, and audiences. Please read each event carefully to ensure that you are included in the invited audience(s). Friday Check-In/Advisory Board Meet and Greet 11…
The theme of the Blackburn Institute’s 2023 Annual Symposium, “Civic Engagement in the Age of AI,” will highlight ethical implications of artificial intelligence, while promoting efforts to improve communities and influence society for the common good. Attendees will hear from speakers and panelists working to affect positive change throughout the state of Alabama and beyond,…
The theme of the Blackburn Institute’s 2022 Annual Symposium, “Innovative Leadership: Beyond the Familiar Path,” will highlight efforts to improve communities and influence systems through advances in STEM, entrepreneurship, and other civic enterprises. Attendees will hear from speakers and panelists working to affect positive change throughout the state of Alabama and beyond. The hybrid event held…
The theme of the Blackburn Institute’s 2021 Annual Symposium, “The Next Normal: Dynamic Leadership in Changing Times” will highlight the work of the Institute and feature speakers and panelists sharing the challenges of the past and working to affect positive change in the state of Alabama and around the world. The event, held over a…
