Jermaine Dupri is taking his talents to academia … sort of. The legendary music producer, executive, rapper and unofficial Atlanta “mayor” will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Ideas Festival Emory, taking place Sept. 20-22 at the university’s Oxford campus this fall.
Dubbed as “a celebration of creative minds,” Ideas Festival Emory is a program from the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement that will, in addition to Dupri, feature 40 speakers including filmmakers, scientists, poets, scholars and a Pulitzer Prize winner.
“Ideas Festival Emory is a celebration of creativity and innovation, connecting the public with visionary leaders who inspire and challenge us,” said Ken Carter, Charles Howard Candler professor of psychology and founding director of the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement. “We hope the festival will ignite new ideas and inspire meaningful conversations, in an environment that will be fun for people of all ages.”
Carter has an event guide and partner in Daren Wang, former executive director for the Decatur Book Festival. Wang is currently the assistant director for Emory’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement.
The event — free and open to the public — will also include live music on Oxford’s quad, food vendors, programming for the kids and photo exhibits.
Dupri, the Grammy-winning founder of Atlanta’s legendary So So Def Records, will kick things off in a Friday conversation with New York musician Matt Whyte, who hosts the Sing for Science podcast. The show features everyone from Beatles legend Ringo Starr to rapper Denzel Curry talking about science in relationship to a popular song in their catalog.
The remaining programming on Saturday and Sunday will include speaker sessions discussing science, history, literature, entrepreneurship, music, cinematography and photography.
Other notable names making the trip to Oxford, just over 30 miles east of Atlanta, include Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple; James Beard award-winning author, chef and AJC contributor Virginia Willis; Emmy-nominated writer Jon Goode and Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman.
A full list of speakers and programming can be found on the Ideas Festival Emory website.
For some context, Emory’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement was established in 2023, aiming to engage students in public conversations while promoting evidence-based research. The center, according to a news release, looks to “establish itself as a novel space where scholars share knowledge and insights directly with the community.”
The center’s team already has eyes on expansion, and hope to host a public scholarship academy for faculty in May 2025.
Ideas Festival Emory will also include programming for the kids. The festival is partnering with the Newton Education Foundation to connect students from Newton County Schools with children’s book authors.
Registration for the event is now open online.
Oxford Dean Badia Ahad said Ideas Festival Emory is a chance to introduce the public to the university’s newish center and its mission.
“Bringing together a diversity of scholars, artists and writers to discuss some of the most pressing and complex issues of our time is particularly important in this cultural moment when we need more and better models of civil discourse, free expression of ideas and constructive dialogue,” she said. “This perfectly captures the spirit of education and collaboration we embrace here at Oxford and Emory.”
