Election is focus of “New Topics” discussion

With November only weeks away, a panel discussion for the “New Topics New College” series is zeroing in on the political climate.
Entitled “Understanding the 2020 Presidential Election: What’s Going to Happen? What Does it Mean?” will be a virtual conversation with Eric Schickler and Alexis Simendinger at 5 p.m. Thurs. Oct. 15 via Zoom.
The event “will provide an overview of what political science can tell us about the 2020 election—what to expect, what to watch for on election night, and how to think about the results,” organizers said.
New College alumna Susan Burns (’76-80’), editor-in-chief of Sarasota Magazine (one of the event sponsors), will be moderating the panel.
Schickler (’87-’91) is the Jeffrey & Ashley McDermott Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of six books, including Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power (with Douglas Kriner, 2016); and Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American Liberalism, 1932-1965, winner of the Woodrow Wilson Award for the best book on government, politics or international affairs (2016). Schickler was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017.
Simendinger (’75-’81) is an award-winning journalist who has covered the White House, Congress, national affairs and presidential politics for respected, nonpartisan news outlets in Washington, D.C. since 1986. She has reported on five presidents, including Donald Trump. In 2017, Simendinger was inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame and saluted for more than two decades of excellence in reporting about the nation’s capital. Simendinger has also served on the board of the New College Alumni Association and was a member of the New College Board of Trustees.
New Topics New College 2020-2021 is a collaboration of New College and the New College Foundation. To mark New College’s 60^th anniversary, this year’s series features noteworthy alumni whose New College experience prepared them for careers of exceptional impact.
The series runs from October through March, and tickets are $10. Reservations can be made here or by calling the New College events hotline at 941-487-4888. Tickets are free for New College students, faculty, staff and alumni. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.
For more information on this and other New Topics New College events, visit ncf.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-foundation/ntnc-tickets/