January 23 – January Series of Calvin University – Ken Jennings – 12:30 p.m.

Ken Jennings

AND THE ANSWER IS: WHY IS IT BETTER TO BE A GENERALIST?

Underwritten by: The Peter C. and Emajean Cook Foundation

Ken Jennings is known for his trivia prowess after setting (and continuing to hold) the record for the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! In 2004, he successfully auditioned for a spot on the show and went on an unprecedented 74-game victory streak worth $2.52 million. He then went on to appear in several special tournaments, including the ABC special, “The Greatest of All Time,” which he won. Later that year, he joined the game show as a consulting producer, and in early 2021, he guest-hosted the program for six weeks after the passing of long-time host Alex Trebek.

As a speaker, Jennings appears at college and corporate events nationwide, covering topics ranging from the importance of education to artificial intelligence (specifically his encounter with IBM’s Watson) to his love of geography — always sharing his insider stories from behind the scenes at Jeopardy! For Calvin’s January Series, he will discuss why it’s important to be a generalist in the age of hyper-specialization.

Jennings has published 12 books, including Brainiac about his Jeopardy! Adventures, Maphead on geography obsessives, and Because I Said So regarding parenting myths. He currently stars on ABC’s hit game show The Chase and GSN’s Master Mind. He also co-hosts the twice-weekly podcast Omnibus.

This lecture will be broadcast live at the Dogwood Center from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information on the Calvin University January Series click here.

The Dogwood Center, a remote site for the Calvin University January Series, is supported in part by the Fremont Area Community Foundation.