Current Events
Disclaimer: Please note, when you choose to attend an event be sure you are able to stay for the entire event if leaving early would be considered disruptive by event organizers. Additionally, the PEP Team is not responsible for canceled events. It is up to you to check with the original organizers of an event if an unexpected cancellation would inconvenience you. Attending an event where the presenter does not show up will not count towards PEP event attendance.
| Event Name | Date/Time | Location | Description | Capacity | Category | Subcategory | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Abroad 101 | September 8, 2026 12:00pm | 138 Kirby Plaza | At this session, you’ll get the undivided attention of a returned UMD study abroad student. They’ll fill you in about their experience and go over the nuts & bolts of study abroad. The session lasts about 45 minutes, including Q&A. Topics: When and where you can go; Academic Planning; Scholarships & Financial Planning; How to apply. Contact studyabroad@d.umn.edu with questions. REGISTER via the link. [NOTE: Attending a Study Abroad Info Session cannot be repeated for additional PEP points.] | 10 | A-2017 | 19 | |
| University of Deusto Virtual Info Session | September 8, 2026 12:00pm | Zoom | (Please only attend this event if you are truly interested in this particular program.) Learn about studying abroad at the University of Deusto in Spain! Itziar Muñoz Aldama, a representative from Deusto, will present virtually on studying abroad in Spain and answer questions about life, culture, academics, and more. REGISTER via the link (the Zoom link will be sent to every participant who RSVPs the day before the event). Contact edabroad@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a Study Abroad Info Session cannot be repeated for additional PEP points.] | 10 | A-2017 | 19 | |
| Sales Club Open House | September 8, 2026 5:00pm | LSBE 125 | (5-6pm) The open house will include learning more about Sales Club. It will showcase all the networking and competition opportunities that are tied to the club, and attendees will participate in an interactive activity. There will also be free food! Contact dietz337@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 13 | |
| Multicultural Center Open House | September 9, 2026 11:00am | UMD Multicultural Center (2nd floor of Kirby) | (11am-2pm) Check out the Multicultural Center and learn about the MC Student Organizations and other resources available in the space. All are welcome! Contact odi@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 13 | |
| UMD Volunteer and Engagement Fair | September 10, 2026 10:00am | Kirby Ballroom and Kirby Commons | (10am-2pm) The Fall Volunteer and Engagement Fair is an event for students, faculty and staff to connect with diverse service opportunities in the Twin Ports community. Representatives from 60 local organizations will be at the event to provide information about their work in our community and answer questions about their volunteer opportunities. Contact umdengage@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a fair or expo can only be repeated once for additional PEP points.] | 500 | A-2017 | 7 | |
| UMD Health Services Open House | September 10, 2026 2:15pm | 615 Niagara Court | (2:15-4:15pm) Meet the staff, play some yard games, and enjoy free popcorn and goodies! Rain or Shine! Contact Lori Chesser at 218-726-8617 with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 24 | |
| Dr. Sabine Meyer: The “Indian Lid” Controversy: Liquor, Law, and Anishinaabe Lives in Allotment-Era Minnesota. | September 14, 2026 11:00am | Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda | Dr. Meyer will discuss the controversy about the “Indian lid,” which referred to all efforts to enforce the anti-liquor provisions contained in the land cession treaties between the federal government and the Anishinaabe from the 1850s and 1860s. Meyer will demonstrate that the “Indian lid” controversy was about alcohol at the surface level only and had ramifications far beyond Minnesota. She will highlight the pivotal role of the “Indian lid” controversy for local and national debates about how to incorporate Native lands and lives into settler colonial legal and political frameworks and modes of territoriality. Contact umdais@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 35 | B-2017 | 1 | |
| STEM-Fest Career Fair | September 17, 2026 10:00am | Kirby Student Center Ballroom & Rafters; Civil Engineering High Bay Lab | (10am-2pm) Meet with employers in STEM industries to learn more about career pathways, internship & co-op opportunities, and full-time positions for after graduation. See full event information on Handshake and research employers. Contact hirebulldogs@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a fair or expo can only be repeated once for additional PEP points.] | 500 | A-2017 | 7 | |
| University of Stirling, Scotland Info Session | September 17, 2026 12:00pm | Lakeview Room (Kirby 268) | (Please only attend this event if you are truly interested in this particular program.) Come learn about studying abroad at the University of Stirling in Scotland! Morgan, a representative from Stirling, will be on campus all the way from the UK to present on studying abroad in Scotland and answer student questions about life, culture, academics, and more. REGISTER via the link. Contact liffr008@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a Study Abroad Info Session cannot be repeated for additional PEP points.] | 10 | A-2017 | 19 | |
| Constitution Day Freedom of Information Forum | September 17, 2026 5:00pm | Kathryn A. Martin Library Rotunda (KAML 460) | (5-6:30pm) Join local journalists for a Constitution Day event exploring how public information empowers civic understanding. Co-sponsored by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) and the UMD journalism program in the Department of Communication. The Constitution protects free speech, but to responsibly exercise that right, citizens need accurate information about their federal, state and local governments. This forum will feature public information advocate Don Gemberling and a panel of northern Minnesota journalists who will discuss Minnesota’s Data Practices Act, the federal Freedom of Information Act, and ways that public data can better inform journalists and private citizens. Attendees will learn basic tools they can use to access public data, including their own. Contact mooreje@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 35 | A-2017 | 12 | |
| Speed Friending: People & Art | September 17, 2026 6:00pm | Tweed Museum of Art, 1201 Ordean Ct, Duluth, MN 55812 | Speed Friending: People & Art is a chance for incoming students to meet new people and explore the museum! The Tweed Museum of Art has been a part of UMD since 1958 and has over 11,000 artworks in its collection. Exhibitions typically rotate every semester. This is the perfect event for people looking to meet people, discuss art, and connect. Discussion prompts will be provided at each station. Contact the Tweed Student Advisory Collective with questions. REGISTER for this event on BulldogConnect. | 35 | A-2017 | 9 | |
| (St. Scholastica) "Democracy is a Party: The Lost Art of Getting Together" | September 17, 2026 7:30pm | St. Scholastica Mitchell Auditorium (1200 Kenwood Ave); free and open to the public | (7:30-9pm) Summary: In the last decade, Americans have increasingly expressed a sense of dismay at the erosion of democracy. Bethany Henning considers the possibilities of celebration as an effective (and increasingly rare!) mode of political action. Program Details: We fight our disillusionment by holding vigils, declaring our positions on social media, or announcing our allegiances in yard signs; but we also feel like these are ineffective and joyless. What if the way to restore our faith in democratic life was more joyful, more social, and far more fun? A century ago, the philosopher John Dewey theorized that democracy can never characterize our institutions if it is not realized and enjoyed as a way of life. Contact tlorek@css.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 12 | |
| Handshake Workshop | September 22, 2026 2:00pm | LSBE 125 | (2-3:15pm) The LSBE internship program is hosting the Career Center for a Handshake workshop! Attend this event to learn about Handshake and how to use it to search for jobs and prepare for career fairs. Any student who is interested in learning about Handshake is welcome to attend. Bring a Chromebook or laptop. Contact mkitson@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 20 | |
| University of Waikato Info Session | September 23, 2026 1:00pm | Gooseberry Falls (RDC 335) | (Please only attend this event if you are truly interested in this particular program.) Want to learn more about studying & living in New Zealand? Join visitors from the University of Waikato who've travelled to UMD to share details about the University of Waikato. This is the only time they will be on campus during the academic year. REGISTER via the link. [NOTE: Attending a Study Abroad Info Session cannot be repeated for additional PEP points.] | 35 | A-2017 | 19 | |
| Education Abroad Fair | September 24, 2026 10:00am | Kirby Commons (across from lower level bookstore) | (10am-2pm) Want to embark on an adventure of a lifetime? Stop by the education abroad fair to learn about opportunities to take advantage of during your college career! Contact edabroad@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a Study Abroad Info Session cannot be repeated for additional PEP points.] | 500 | A-2017 | 19 | |
| Business Career Fair | September 24, 2026 10:00am | Kirby Student Center Ballroom & Rafters | (10am-2pm) Meet with employers from a variety of industries to learn more about career pathways, internship opportunities, and full-time positions for after graduation. See full event information on Handshake and research employers. Contact hirebulldogs@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. [NOTE: Attending a fair or expo can only be repeated once for additional PEP points.] | 500 | A-2017 | 7 | |
| Visual Culture Lecture Series: Gina Cholick (Potography) | September 29, 2026 6:00pm | Montague Hall | Gina Cholick is a Pasadena-based photographer. Working in self-portraiture, she draws from her personal life to explore liminal spaces, fleeting emotions, and who we are beneath the surface of daily life. She currently works as a commercial and fine art photographer. Her work has been exhibited in spaces such as the Los Angeles Center of Photography, the Robert Berman Gallery, the Center for Fine Art Photography, SE Center for Photography, Fabrik Projects Gallery, Tilt Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, and the San Diego Art Institute. Contact jebersvi@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 15 | |
| David Vose Economics Lecture Series: Dr. Claudia Sahm, "Why the economy is so tough to read ... and getting tougher" | October 1, 2026 10:30am | Kirby Ballroom | (10:30 am social; 11:00 am lecture) Three forces are making the U.S. economy harder to read and the right policy response harder to determine. First, an unusual string of supply shocks—the pandemic, tariffs, swings in immigration, energy disruptions, and now artificial intelligence—has broken rules of thumb built for a demand-driven economy. Second, heightened policy uncertainty has changed how businesses and families behave. Third, despite an explosion of private-sector data, government statistics are under growing strain, putting even basic facts about the economy in dispute. As a result, the policy conversation is often stuck on the standard question, "Is a recession coming?" instead of the more important one, "Is the economy being rewired?" This lecture is about how to tell the difference: what the old signals can and can't tell us, and how the Federal Reserve, businesses, and families can navigate an economy that keeps getting harder to read. | 300 | A-2017 | 5 | |
| “The Librarians” Documentary Screening | October 6, 2026 6:00pm | Bohannon Hall (BohH) 90 | (6pm-8:30pm) Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities. In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQIA+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. Please join the Kathryn A. Martin Library for a screening of the documentary, The Librarians, as well as a banned books discussion panel. Contact crmiller@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | B-2017 | 5 | |
| (St. Scholastica) "Local Panel: Immigration in Duluth" | October 8, 2026 7:30pm | St. Scholastica Mitchell Auditorium (1200 Kenwood Ave); free and open to the public | (7:30-9pm) Summary: This year's Tom Morgan Honorary Local Panel examines immigration in the Duluth community. After the tense politics and activism of immigration enforcement in Minnesota in the winter of 2026, we take stock of the current situation in the Twin Ports. Program Details: A panel of engaged citizens will share perspectives on the legal, historical, and social circumstances of immigration politics locally. This event is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Duluth. Contact tlorek@css.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | B-2017 | 5 | |
| Kirby Student Center's 70th Anniversary | October 10, 2026 4:00pm | Kirby Lounge (1120 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN 55812) | (4pm-6pm) For 70 years, the Kirby Student Center has stood at the heart of campus life—a place where ideas are exchanged, friendships are formed, and memories are made. Since its opening, Kirby has evolved alongside generations of students, serving as a vibrant hub for learning, connection, and community engagement. Contact kirby@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. REGISTER via the link. | 100 | A-2017 | 9 | |
| UMD AI Summit | October 12, 2026 1:00pm | Kirby Ballroom | (1-4pm) Hosted in partnership with the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature a keynote address, four TED-style presentations, and a panel discussion. 12:30pm check-in; 1-4pm program; 4-5pm social & reception. REGISTER via the link. | 200 | A-2017 | 5 | |
| Visual Culture Lecture Series: Sandra Maxa & Mark Sanders Graphic Design) | October 13, 2026 6:00pm | Montague Hall | Sandra Maxa and Mark Sanders are co-founders, partners, and creative directors of Q Collective, a multi-disciplinary design studio that includes concept and design of identity systems, publications, websites and exhibitions for businesses, publishing clients, non-profit institutions, and arts organizations. Both have also taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt Institute, Parsons The New School for Design, and Rutgers University. Contact jebersvi@d.umn.edu with questions or for more info. | 50 | A-2017 | 15 |