Chancellors past and present lend their names to two upcoming talks: the Chancellor's Colloquium, presented by Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi; and the Vanderhoef International Lecture, named after Chancellor Emeritus Larry Vanderhoef.

Ruth Asmundson, the former Davis mayor who was a chemistry professor in her native Philippines, will deliver the Vanderhoef lecture, speaking on international education.

The Chancellor's Colloquium Distinguished Speakers Series will host Laura Tyson, a UC Berkeley professor and an economic adviser in the Obama and Clinton administrations.

Both programs are free and open to the public, and each includes a reception.

Vanderhoef International Lecture — Sponsored by the International House. Asmundson’s talk is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, at the I-House, 10 College Park. A reception is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., and the talk at 7. For more information, call the I-House, (530) 753-5007.

Asmundson, now retired from research chemistry and academia, said she is titling her talk "From Science to Politics: My Personal Journey, Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained."

She was born in the Philippines and graduated from Adamson University in Manila with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. She became a Fulbright Scholar in the United States, earned a Master of Science degree in chemistry from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and a doctorate in agricultural chemistry from UC Davis, also as a Fulbright Scholar.

She was a research chemist with Adamson & Adamson Inc. in the Philippines in 1964, and a professor at Adamson University from 1964 to 1966 and from 1972 to 1973. During her last stint on the Adamson faculty, she served as chair of the Graduate School of Chemistry.

Asmundson served as mayor from 2004 to 2006 and from 2008 to 2010.

Chancellor’s Colloquium — Tyson is the second of three speakers in this year’s series. Her talk, “Two-Track Recovery of the Global Economy,” is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Tyson is the S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she served as dean from 1998 to 2001. She was dean of the London Business School from 2002 to 2006.

She is a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. During the Clinton administration, she served as the president's national economic adviser and as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Each Chancellor’s Colloquium includes a panel discussion with faculty and policy experts. Here are the panelists for the Tyson talk:

• Brad Barber — Professor of management, Graduate School of Management. He holds the Maurice J. and Marcia G. Gallagher Chair in Finance, and serves as director of the Center for Investor Welfare and Corporate Responsibility.
• Steven Currall — Dean and professor of management, Graduate School of Management. Like Tyson, he was formerly affiliated with the London Business School, where he served as a visiting professor of organizational behavior and entrepreneurship, and faculty co-director of the Institute of Technology.
• Robert Feenstra — Professor, Department of Economics.

RSVPs for the Chancellor's Colloquium are requested by March 23, by e-mail to eventrsvp@ucdavis.edu. For more information, call Ceremonies and Special Events, (530) 754-2262.

This year’s third and final Chancellor’s Colloquium is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, with Bruce Alberts, president-elect of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and editor-in-chief of Science. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UC San Francisco.

Alberts’ talk, like the others in the Chancellor’s Colloquium Distinguished Speakers Series, is set for 4 p.m. in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre.