Author Lecture Series
Alumni
Affairs concluded the spring program of its Author Lecture Series, conducted
in conjunction with the Museum of American Financial History, a Smithsonian
affiliate.
The Series, which will continue in fall 2003, is part of ongoing efforts
to develop programmatic initiatives that provide lifelong learning opportunities
for Stern School alumni. Most recent guests to the Series have included
Niall Ferguson, Muriel Siebert and John Steele Gordon. Each lecture
was followed by a question and answer session. In addition, a reception
followed, at which time the featured authors remained for book signing
opportunities.
Muriel
Siebert: "Changing the Rules: Adventures of a
Wall Street Maverick"
Muriel Siebert, commonly known as the "First Woman of Finance"
and the only woman to head a publicly-traded national brokerage firm,
visited Stern on April 1. Ms. Siebert discussed her book, "Changing
the Rules," which reveals how she forged her success on Wall Street.
Writing with candor about the politics of finance and the finance of
politics, Ms. Siebert recalls her five years as Superintendent of Banking
for New York State and her experiences as a pro-choice Republican senatorial
candidate. Ms. Siebert is founder and president of the discount brokerage
that bears her name, established in 1967. In that same year, she became
the first woman to be elected to membership on the New York Stock Exchange.
Niall
Ferguson:"Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order
and the Lessons for Global Power"
Niall Ferguson, who holds the John E. Herzog Family Chair in Financial
History and is Professor of Economics at NYU Stern, presented his new
book "Empire" to the Stern community on April 10. Professor
Ferguson explained why it is so important for America in the 21st century
to learn the lessons of the British worldwide experience - that the
U.S. was itself a product of British imperial expansion, and that the
U.S. is now as dominant in the world as the British Empire. Therefore,
asserts "Empire," it is very likely that the British past
offers the key to the American future. Professor Ferguson is the best-selling
author of "The Pity of War" and "The Cash Nexus"
and a prolific commentator on contemporary politics. He writes and reviews
regularly for the British and American press. "Empire" accompanies
a six-part history of the British Empire for Channel 4, which was recently
broadcast in the U.K.
John
Steele Gordon: "The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as
a World Power" and "The Thread Across the Ocean"
John Steele Gordon, guest author on April 23, discussed his recent books,
"The Great Game" and "The Thread Across the Ocean."
Mr. Gordon examined the history of Wall Street from the time of its
original Dutch builders to its place as the nation's financial capital.
His books analyze the trends that spurred Wall Street and consolidated
its power, giving special significance to technology: the Erie Canal,
which sparked business for its brokers; the telegraph, which solidified
New York City's place as the nation's financial capital; and computers
which resulted in globalization and the integration of the world's financial
markets in the last few decades. Mr. Gordon writes a regular column,
"The Business of America," for American Heritage magazine
and can be heard frequently on Public Radio International's "Marketplace."
To
read complete details about the Series, click here>>
To visit the Museum
of American Financial History website, click here>>
