{"id":72048,"date":"2023-06-27T16:11:42","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T20:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/?page_id=72048"},"modified":"2026-01-21T11:25:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T16:25:44","slug":"gitner-family-lecture","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/community\/lectures\/gitner-family-lecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Gitner Family Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden Years?
\nGrowing old in the 21st Century<\/em><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Speaker<\/strong>: Deborah Carr<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Boston University Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Sociology<\/p>\n

Friday, September 26, 2025
\nCDS 1750, 3:00 \u2013 4:30PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Register<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0 Watch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The global population is older than ever before, and old age can mean the \u201cbest of times\u201d or the “worst of times\u201d \u2014 with some enjoying health, wealth and happiness, and others suffering from sickness, poverty, and loneliness. So how can societies ensure that all people have an opportunity to age well?<\/p>\n

This talk will show how social, economic, and even environmental factors shape the physical, emotional, social, and financial health of older adults. It will highlight how individuals and their families, as well as policy makers and practitioners, can uphold the dignity and security of adults in their 70s, 80s, and beyond.<\/p>\n

This lecture is one of many events happening during Alumni Weekend (September 25-28, 2025).<\/p>\n

About the Gitner Family Lecture<\/h4>

\nThe annual Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family College of Arts & Sciences Lecture is designed to highlight thought leaders in any field, whose teaching, research, or service address topics of major importance for the broad interest and benefit of the BU community. The lecture is held annually in the fall, usually in conjunction with Alumni Weekend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gerald Gitner (CAS ’66) graduated with a B.A. in History, <\/em>cum laude, and was elected to Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society. Additionally, he has an MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, where he is a member of the Simon Advisory Board. He is a Trustee Emeritus of Boston University (serving as Trustee 1984-1996) and a current member of the CAS Dean\u2019s Advisory Board and the Pardee School for Global Studies Dean\u2019s Advisory Board. Gitner is a principal of Cross Continent Capital LLC, an investment company he co-founded. He serves as Chairman of Global Aero Holdings Ltd. and D. G. Associates, Inc., and has a long and varied career as an executive, including serving as Chairman and CEO Of Trans World Airlines, Inc. and Vice Chairman of Pan American World Airways. This lecture series was established by Gitner and his wife, Deanne. Gitner and his family have long been generous and engaged members of the Boston University community.<\/em>
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Past Lectures:<\/h4>\n
2024<\/h6>
\n

Reflections on immigration in the 21st century. Where do we go from here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Featuring Elizabeth Cohen<\/a>, Maxwell Professor of United States Citizenship<\/em><\/p>\n

The US is in the grip of a moral panic in response to the arrival of asylum seekers at our southern border. How did we transform from a country that encouraged immigration to one arming its borders for an imaginary war against asylum seekers? What can be done to end this state of panic? We will turn to our history and a sober analysis of our present to help answer these questions.<\/p>\n