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Georgia College & State University sold out their inaugural TEDxGeorgiaCollege event on March 24.
TEDxGeorgiaCollege is an independent event organized in the spirit of TED’s mission to research, discover and share “ideas worth spreading.” TEDx events are operated under a license from the TED Foundation.
This inaugural event was planned by TEDxGeorgiaCollege’s Board of Curators that is chaired by the director of Georgia College’s Leadership Programs, Harold Mock. Mock received the TED license in 2021 to be able to host the TEDx event and expressed that the process to obtain the license was strenuous.
“We had to demonstrate that we are capable of showcasing and curating a broad range of what TED defines as ‘ideas worth spreading,’” said Mock.
“Ideas worth spreading are any ideas that an individual believes others should hear. It is taking the idea of a speaker and placing it into the minds of their audience.”
The inaugural topic was Power in the Public Square. According to Mock, the Public Square is built on the idea that every group of people and every community needs places where the public can exchange ideas. However, the public square has changed with time and TEDxGeorgiaCollege wanted to not only reintroduce the public square but demonstrate how to come together and exchange ideas.
“I love the idea of the public square for Milledgeville because we already have a version of it. We have downtown and GCSU’s front campus where hundreds of people have exchanged ideas over the years. Therefore, we had the perfect place to host a TEDx about the public square,” said Mock.
Speakers included Thoughtful Speaker Chris Clark, the president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce; Voice Amplifier Lisa Calvert, a GCSU alumna; Serendipitous Songster Melanie DeVore, a professor of biology at Georgia College; Corporate Optimist Jehan El-Jourbagy, an associate professor of business law and ethics at Georgia College; Motivation Multiplier Jacob Carter, a Bachelor of Science candidate at Georgia College; Chaos Controller Hasitha Mahabaduge, an associate professor of physics at Georgia College; Courage Commissioner Candace Doby, founder and CEO of the Can-Do Company; Pride Purveyor Joanna Schwartz, professor of marketing at Georgia College; and Mindset Messenger Nadya Gutierrez, a marine ecology intern at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island, AL.
“We host TEDx in front of a live audience but also record it because TED will publish each TEDxGeorgiaCollege talk to its 37 million subscribers,” said Mock.
“The goal of TEDx is that communities all around the world can host TEDx talks and no matter where someone tunes in, they can feel as if they have spent the day with those speakers and the host community. So, we want to showcase to the international TED community the unique voices, stories and ideas that make Georgia College special.”
There was a live audience of 100 guests in attendance (the maximum under licensing restrictions), with additional staff and volunteers, at the historic Campus Theatre in downtown Milledgeville. Alongside the live audience, other supporters worked behind the scenes to make the event a success. Dr. Genie Snyder, who serves as Georgia College’s Alex Gregory Distinguished Fellow and Leader in Residence, served as executive producer. Georgia College Leadership Programs team, staff and volunteers, guided by Maggie Malcolm and Chloe Sproles, assisted guests during the event night. And, many generous partners, including GC Journeys, supported the Board of Curator’s mission.
“I am so proud of our TEDx speakers, our team, and our volunteers,” said Mock. “And my thanks go to the nine brilliant speakers who gave us their wisdom, creativity, and insights and brought their ideas to the TEDxGeorgiaCollege stage.”
TEDxGeorgiaCollege accepts idea proposals from anyone on their website https://www. tedxgeorgiacollege.com/.
When picking a theme for a TEDx, the board must decide on something diverse enough to offer a range of ideas and bring people together but also specific enough to keep people intrigued and interested in learning.
“TED believes the best way to have a transformative idea is to take it from another person,” said Mock. “Anyone can submit their ideas no matter their background, which is what makes TEDx so unique and special.”
Licenses from the TED Foundation must be reapplied annually. According to Mock, GCSU plans to continue reapplying and already has some ideas that could be potentially the theme for the next TEDxGeorgiaCollege.
Overall, Mock expressed excitement about TEDxGeorgiaCollege’s future and the success of the inaugural event.
“The inaugural TEDxGeorgiaCollege was a great success.
We brought together a range of guests from the university and across the state for an inspiring afternoon of learning and discussion,” said Mock. “I hope our guests at TEDxGeorgiaCollege experienced firsthand the power of the public square; I hope they feel empowered to ask and answer big questions, in the spirit of TED’s commitment to ideas worth spreading.”