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About the Series
IPFW welcomes you to the 2011–2012 Omnibus Lecture Series in The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center’s Auer Performance Hall. This season marks the 17th year and 100th lecture dedicated to presenting diverse ideas through educated, respected, and entertaining speakers to the university community and the residents of northeast Indiana.
This season features:
- Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana
- William Dunkelberg, economist
- Martha Raddatz, news correspondent
- Michele Norris, journalist and author
- Diane Ravitch, education historian
- The Capitol Steps, political satire comedy troupe
A committee comprising campus and community representatives is responsible for the selection of the Omnibus slate. Each season it strives to include lectures on topics related to social, business, political, literary, entertainment, and media issues. Choices are determined by budget and speaker availability.
Doors open one hour prior to each lecture. There is no charge for the lectures but free tickets are required and can be picked up in person at the Marilyn and Jim Larson Ticket Office at the Gates Athletics Center between 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Standby tickets can be picked up in person at the Schatzlein Box Office in the lobby of the Rhinehart Music Center, one hour before each event, if available.
Free parking is accessible, and the new IPFW parking garage 3, located in the Fine Arts Plaza, is now open. Plan to arrive early, allowing ample time for traffic and parking, as the series and other events on campus may draw large crowds.
Sign-language interpretation is available upon request.
Our special thanks go to the Omnibus founding sponsor, the English, Bonter, Mitchell Foundation, and to our media sponsors, WANE-TV NewsChannel 15 and Northeast Indiana Public Radio.
Community Opportunities
The Omnibus Lecture Series is one of the many occasions for members of the community to enjoy the IPFW campus. IPFW offers meeting spaces, personal development opportunities, Division I athletics, theatre and music performances, and art exhibitions. IPFW strives to make the campus a resource for all of Greater Fort Wayne. Events on campus such as children’s carnivals and summer camps, sporting events, workshops, and concerts, attract people of all ages. IPFW offers a variety of cultural, educational, social, and athletic events on its park-like campus.
The community members are also welcome to become members of the Gates Sports Center for fitness and wellness programs (for a fee) and to take advantage of the free extensive services and computer access in Helmke Library.
To find out more about events and activities on campus, browse the IPFW Events Calendar. Businesses and organizations interested in developing partnerships with IPFW may call University Relations and Communications at 260-481-6105.
The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center
The acoustically superb Rhinehart Music Center, designed by Fort Wayne-based Schenkel Shultz, features the 1,600-seat Auer Performance Hall, the 250-seat Rhinehart Recital Hall, and rehearsal halls, studios, practice rooms, offices, and classrooms for the IPFW Department of Music and community partners in the arts. Designed to serve the university and the community, the building is visually exciting with glass-prismed piano studios and congregation rooms that create exquisite spaces for learning and interaction. With its panoramic views of the IPFW arts plaza and the heart of campus, the music center completes the arts courtyard along with the Ernest E. Williams Theatre and the Visual Arts Building.
The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center is an acoustic envelope. Each building element was designed in concert between architect and acoustician to enhance sound. Each space has been fine-tuned. Teaching studios, rehearsal spaces, and practice rooms are acoustically isolated. Floating floors and ceilings, massive walls 16" to 18" thick, and door seals ensure there will be no vibration, no bounced sound, and no echo. Wood and canvas reflector panels in the performance halls balance sound to accommodate unamplified vocals and instrumentation as well as amplifed spoken word. The exterior of the building is surrounded by an architectural score made of brick staffs, with windows representing notes, and glass prisms adding musical accents. Inside and out, The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center sings.