Thursday Evening Speaker Series
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Tariffs and International Relations
Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm
Kevin Cotter, Associate Professor, Department of Economics - Wayne State University
Tariffs, trade wars, foreign policy, cost of living, price increases: how does a consumer in the United States make sense of it all?? Come to Next and hear from Kevin Cotter, Wayne State University Economics Department Chair, who will explain the function and consequences of tariffs. Professor Cotter will discuss the logistics of tariffs, and the foreign policy objectives and international relations consequences that come into play. He will also look at the changing economic landscape and how tariffs and pricing present a continually moving target in today’s economy.
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Protecting Nature in the Heart of Birmingham
Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm
Birmingham Residents Debra Horner and David Williams, Nick Dupuis, Birmingham Planning Director
Join Debra Horner of the University of Michigan Ford Public Policy School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and a member of the City of Birmingham’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, her husband David Williams, and Nick Dupuis, Birmingham’s Planning Director, for a talk on sustainability and eco-friendly native plantings. Debra and David are Birmingham residents who have created an oasis of native plants on their property. Come and hear about their yard and their journey, the City of Birmingham’s commitment to green preservation, and what you can do to promote spaces with native plants and pollinators on a local level!
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The Goods Road Movement (1888-1926)
Thursday, December 18, 2025 | 6:00-7:30pm
Jim Craft, Historian
In 1890 the United States had, perhaps, worst road system of any developed country in the world. Impassable three or four months a year due to muddy conditions, the balance of the year roads in America were dusty, rutted and disjointed, serving only very local functions. By the mid 1920’s the United States had developed a well-funded system that integrated local, state and Federal governments to create the massive road network we take for granted today. Come to Next and learn about this enormous infrastructure endeavor and how it has shaped the United States