The Last Lecture

There were many things I loved about my undergrad uni (USU), but one of them was the Last Lecture. It happened every year near the end of the final term as a kind of symbolic cap to the academic year. I never actually figured out how lecturers were nominated or chosen, though I think it may have had something to do with the Honours Programme; regardless, the person chosen each year was invited to give a lecture on a topic of her/his choice to the broader university community. If I remember correctly, inductions into Phi Kappa Phi happened at the same event, and there may have been other academic honours handed out, but the focus of the night was on a powerful, often controversial lecture.

This concept has stuck with me, and last February I brought it up at the Vice-Chancellor's Retreat. The two other students who were there thought it was a great idea, as did Professor Oakes (the Pro Vice-Chancellor for University Community), whom we also ran it past, so we had several meetings in the weeks thereafter to try to nut out how we might pull off a similar event at ANU.

Like I said, I never really understood how it worked at USU, but, for ANU, we decided we would let all students nominate a favourite lecturer, with nominations taken during designated weeks in both semesters. We would then contact all the nominees to see if they were willing to participate. Those who were would be submitted to an online vote open to all students, with the results weighted based on each lecturer's teaching load for the year.

We really had no idea how this was going to go. We didn't know if students would take to the idea enough to actually nominate someone. We didn't know if the nominees would be willing to let themselves be voted on like this--especially since the 'prize' for winning would be to prepare and deliver a rather high-profile lecture. And we had no idea what size venue to hold the actual event in, wanting to be hopeful but recognising that new ideas can take some time to catch on, especially when they involve sticking around campus on the second-last night of the semester, not for a beer at the Uni Bar with one's mates, but to listen to an academic lecture.

I'm happy to report that our concerns all turned out to be unfounded. First of all, we received dozens of enthusiastic nominations. Then most of the nominees seemed flattered and agreed to participate. And the weighted voting (about which I'd harboured a number of concerns) came off without a hitch.

The actual event itself was better than I'd dared hope for. We'd decided to have it in the Great Hall of University House (think Harry Potter) because, with its soaring buttresses and stark murals, it exudes pomp and ceremony, and also because, when set up for a lecture, it can seat 270 people, and that seemed like an apropriately hopeful number to shoot for. Consequently, we started at 5:30 in the University House courtyard with wine and nibbles. I could see a decent number of people milling about with their wine glasses and spring rolls, so that made me happy.

It turned out to be considerably more than a decent number, though. As the 6:00 start time neared, we quickly filled up every straight-backed chair in the hall. People then piled into the spaces open behind the last row of chairs and spilled into the foyer. We'd manage to outgrow our venue in our very first year! Who would have guessed?

We had no academic honours to hand out, but Prof Oakes took the first few minutes to award the prizes in her office's first-annual ANU Calendar Photographic Competition. This was a perfect start to the formal part of the evening because, as each prize was awarded, the image was projected onto a screen at the front of the hall, showing ANU in its beauty throughout the changing seasons. Prof Oaks then turned the time over to me as the event's originator.

I gave a short (but hopefully very passionate) speech about the importance of universities and good teaching and then introduced this year's presenter of the Last Lecture, Prof Chris Reus-Smit (from my research school!). None of us knew until he started speaking what his topic would be, but I couldn't have asked for a better, more suitable lecture. He gave an energetic and inspiring presentation on the five factors affecting global security/strategy which we ignore at our peril. I wanted to jump up and shout amen on a number of occasions. I must not have been alone because, at the end of the lecture, the audience stood en masse, and the hall erupted with applause. I then escorted Prof Reus-Smit from the dais and out into the foyer, where people were able to greet him on their way out.

That night, Prof Oakes thanked me and told me she thought it had been the best thing to happen on campus all year. That was nice. Then, the next day, I got a note from the Chancellor, who had attended with his wife, in which he also thanked me and expressed his hope that the Last Lecture would 'become an enduring feature of the ANU,' and that was also very nice.