The world would be a lot simpler if complex issues could be boiled down and explained in a minute. An annual lecture series at Creighton aims to do that.

The 60-Second Lecture series is a session of lectures presented by the Honors Program that tackles controversial and relevant issues.

“The purpose is to introduce the students and faculty audience to a particular theme that the students deem important and to have several experts from very different fields really present it in one minute,” said Dr. Isabelle Cherney, director of the Honors Program. “It gives a very short but deep understanding of the theme.”

The Honors Program Student Advisory Board picks a theme and then invites Creighton faculty who have insight on the issue, as well as inviting experts from the greater Omaha community to speak. After speaking, the experts sit at a table and answer questions from the audience.

This year, the series began on Sept. 25 with the topic of race in Omaha. Sarah Fredrick, Honors Program Student Advisory Board president and Arts & Sciences senior, was pleased with the turnout.

“We had an awesome turnout for our first one of the semester,” she said.

Cherney said the lectures are usually held wherever there is available space. The Student Center has been used frequently in the past, but the Harper Center may be its new home.

Fredrick said the next lecture topic hasn’t been decided, but a possible topic is intellecual property rights. The Board hopes the next lecture will take place in early November.

Cherney said the series is a benefit to Creighton for a number of reasons. “It’s also a nice way for the faculty to interact with the students – to interact with the students one-on-one in a more casual way.

“I think for the students, it’s kind of nice in this fast-paced type of century that we’re living in — they can hold their attention for a minute.”