Our New Normal:
The American Experience Reinvented

Change.

The wheels of change are fully in motion. Revolutions have toppled long-standing regimes. Weather is weirder and stronger. We communicate by tweeting and texting. Information from books, media, and other sources are condensed into electronic devices. In the midst of the complexity of modern society, we begin to nurture and value simplicity. We begin to wonder, “Is this the way it’s going to be from now on?”

The answer just may be yes. We are in the midst of reinventing our new normal.

Sometimes this transition to the new normal feels as if life as we have always known it is spinning out of control. However, it is inevitable that this journey will take us full circle to a new normal that we will adapt, refine and make uniquely our own. After all, that is the American way.

The 2012 Frances Willson Thompson Critical Issues Forum will examine the evolution of the American experience. This season’s distinguished experts will shine a light on conventional wisdom, and challenge it.

Join us this spring for a roundtable of issues that has become a deeply treasured community tradition. The discussion of our collective new normal welcomes your voice.

New & Noteworthy at the 2012 Critical Issues Forum

• Six speakers is a historically high number participating in the Critical Issues Forum. As a result of the number of speakers, the luncheon series reservation has increased to $150.
• Join the speakers for in-depth conversations at the Morning Dialogues prior to each luncheon.
• Sponsor a UM-Flint student to attend the luncheon presentations by adding $75 to your reservation cost.
• The luncheons will once again be catered by Fandangles’, offering an adventuresome food experience featuring organic and locally sourced ingredients. Recipes from the luncheons will be featured on this website throughout the series.
• Save 20% off the cost of all speaker book selections at the Barnes and Noble bookstore located in University Pavilion on the UM-Flint campus. All speakers will participate in booksignings at all Critical Issues Forum events.