Eye of the Hawk Lecture Series
The University of North Dakota's Eye of the Hawk Lecture Series sparks conversations that connect disciplines, challenge perspectives, and explore the ideas shaping our world.
Through an annual four-part series, the School of Law, College of Engineering and Mines, Nistler College of Business and Public Administration, and College of Arts and Sciences each invite a distinguished expert, scholar, artist, or thought leader from beyond UND to join the university community in exploring ideas and perspectives that complement and expand the conversations already taking place across campus. Together, these lectures create opportunities to look beyond individual disciplines, discover new connections, and engage in meaningful conversation.
About Lecture Series
Four lectures. Four distinctive perspectives. One university-wide conversation.
The series is designed for everyone, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, and anyone curious to learn. Whether the topic is familiar or entirely new, Eye of the Hawk provides an opportunity to engage with new ideas, gain perspective, and be part of a shared learning experience.
Upcoming 2026-27 Eye of the Hawk Speakers
Ralph R. Erickson, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Senior Status
Drowning in Information: How our Arrogance, Superficiality, and Partisanship Undermine the Constitution
Thursday, September 17, 2026 - 3 p.m. | Henry Ballroom, UND Memorial Union
We live in the fastest moving times in history. The 24-hour news cycle consumes us and there are no longer any media sources of record that help form the broad opinions of the public. We are less connected to our neighbors than ever before and with families getting smaller and social organizations being less prominent in our daily lives we are left more to our own thoughts or the echo chambers of friends who think like us.
Some surveys show that the average American sleeps less than eight hours a day and spends more than 5 hours a day on their phone. This means that we are spending 60% of our non-working, non-sleeping hours on the phone. By doing this, many of us have formed the belief that we are the best-informed generation in history—because we have the world’s largest library at our fingertips for hours every day, right? But are we really? Or are we more likely to have a knowledge base a million miles wide and a quarter inch deep? Does this firm belief that we know and understand impact how we vote, how we govern, and how we judge? And if so, what are the implications for our Constitutional Order? Judge Erickson will discuss these questions and more in what promises to be a thought-provoking self-examination.
About Ralph Erickson
Ralph Erickson is a senior judge on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a graduate of the University of Jamestown and the University of North Dakota School of Law.
Following his graduation from Law School, Judge Erickson spent nine years in the private practice of law in West Fargo with a broad general trial practice.
Judge Erickson has served in a full or part-time judicial capacity for over 30 years. Prior to becoming a Circuit Judge Erickson served as a US District Judge, a state district judge, a judge of the county court, and a county court magistrate.
Judge Erickson and his wife Michele reside in Fargo, ND and have two grown daughters.
John Doe
John Doe, singer, songwriter and author
An Evening with John Doe
Wednesday, April 21, 2027 - 6 p.m. | Social Stairs, UND Memorial Union
Join the "Evening with John Doe" as President Andrew Armacost sits with musician and author John Doe. Known as a co-founder of the LA punk band X, Doe's conversation is to be followed by a short musical performance.
About John Doe
John Doe is a founding member of the legendary punk rock band X, which will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2027. He has written and curated two books on L.A. punk rock Under the Big Black Sun and More Fun in the New World. He has appeared in over 60 film and television productions and released 10 full length solo records. The latest, titled Fables in a Foreign Land, was released in 2022.
He currently lives with his wife, artist, Krissy Teegerstrom, in Austin Texas.
Past Lectures
UND has been honored to have heard from many of the nation and world’s most preeminent experts in their fields on various topics that have been of interest to the UND and greater community. Below is information on many of our past Eye of the Hawk lectures.
2024: Edward O'Keefe Eye of the Hawk Lecture
A Grand Forks native, Edward F. O’Keefe spent two decades in broadcast and digital media at ABC News, CNN, and NowThis, during which time he received a Primetime Emmy Award for his work with Anthony Bourdain, two Webby Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award for ABC’s coverage of 9/11. Focusing again on North Dakota, O’Keefe is now the CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, and his newly published book, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President, reveals how TR was profoundly shaped by the women in his life.
2023: Tawakkol Karman Eye of the Hawk Lecture
UND College of Arts & Sciences welcomed Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Tawakkol Karman, to campus in Fall 2023. Her speech was titled “Tyranny and the Future of Democracy.”
Additional Past Speakers
- “Access, collaboration and retention,” featuring Nathan Grawe, economist at Carleton College. Held in October 2021 at the North Dakota Museum of Art.
- “How colleges can keep the American Dream alive” featuring author and professor Tressie McMillan Cottom. Hosted by the College of Arts & Sciences. Held in March, 2021 as an online event. A video of the speech can be found at: https://vimeo.com/522909103.
- "Knowing the dangers" featuring William N. Bryan, acting under secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s research and development directorate. Held in March, 2019 at the Gorecki Alumni Center.
- “Global Affairs and the ‘Red Dragon’ of Asia” featuring Hal Brands, Johns Hopkins global affairs expert, former Defense Secretary staffer. Held in November, 2018 at the Gorecki Alumni Center. Hosted by the College of Business & Public Administration and sponsored by BankNorth.
- “China’s role in innovation, North Dakota trade and higher education” featuring Scott Kennedy, deputy director of the Freeman Chair in China Studies and director of the Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Held in April, 2018 at the Gorecki Alumni Center. Hosted by the College of Engineering & Mines and sponsored by Great River Energy.
- “How China Impacts North Dakota and Your Future” featuring James McGregor, chairman of the greater China region for APCO Worldwide, a leading global public affairs consultancy. Held in January, 2017 at the Gorecki Alumni Center.