We love our faculty members at NYU’s Master of Science in Publishing program, but it’s still nice to have a fresh face in the classroom now and then. Enter the guest speaker, an expert who spends an hour or so imparting a new publishing viewpoint, strategy or way of doing business to the class. This fall, we’re fortunate to have a number of guest speakers sharing their wisdom with our students.
For faculty members, luring a top publishing executive to NYU’s evening classes after a long day on the job is a feat in itself. In fact, snaring speakers requires the reach of a casting agent, the tenacity of a talent scout and the clout of a speakers’ bureau combined. One must be very persuasive to convince a guest speaker to put together a PowerPoint presentation, scramble around for interesting handouts—think bestselling books or hot magazines—bolt out of the office early (stomach grumbling), and race to NYU in time to face a sea of equally hungry and weary students.