2026/27 Academic Year Theme: Fire
The Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC), in partnership with the Student Government Association (SGA) Teagle Cornerstone Champions and Sustainable Cortland, is proud to present a dynamic, interdisciplinary series of events centered on the theme of Fire. This year’s programming invites our campus and broader community to explore the environmental, social, and cultural dimensions of this vital element.
From scholarly and practitioner presentations to book clubs, film screenings, and student-led initiatives, we will dive into the many meanings of water—its essential role in sustaining life, its symbolic power in language and culture, and its connection to critical global challenges. Fire speaks to both the physical and the metaphorical: the house is on fire, burning love, and keeping the fire alive.
As a universal and tangible element, Fire offers a shared language through which students, faculty, staff, and community members can engage in meaningful, pluralistic conversations about the pressing environmental and social issues of our era.
This year’s theme follows previous explorations of elemental foundations—Food (2023–24), Air (2024–25) and Water (2025–2026)—continuing our commitment to fostering dialogue around the essential forces that shape our world.
Our Common Reads and Transformative Texts!
Our Common Reads are selected each year as a collaboration between the Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC) and the Student Government Association. We are also please to announce that SUNY Cortland has been awarded a two-year Implementation Grant by the Teagle Foundation. This grant supports the continued development of our Common Read and CICC programming through the creation of new courses and themed focused attributes for upper-level electives. More details available on our Teagle Grant Page.
This year we have selected three outstanding books to explore Fire. Our short form reading is Brenda Hillman’s Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire (2013), the non-fiction is Rebecca Nagle’s By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land (2024), and our fiction selection is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (1953). Both together and individually these texts have the power to kindle myriad discussions across campus. Major themes of sovereignty and freedom, censorship, identity, happiness, social and environmental justice, and so much more burn brightly in these books.
We invite all to participate in discussion and events throughout the year to celebrate and study Fire!
We encourage faculty, staff, and students to creatively integrate this year’s texts and themes into their academic and co-curricular experiences. Consider starting a book club, volunteering to read to youth, incorporating the material into your courses, or sharing films and video content that align with the themes. You might also host a discussion event, lead a creative project, or explore other ways to engage your community around these powerful ideas. Let this be an opportunity to connect, reflect, and take action through the shared lens of Fire.
Events and Activities Supporting our Cultural and Intellectual Climate
Fall 2026
- Announcements and calendar coming soon!
About CICC
The Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC) is an all-campus committee of faculty and staff. Each year members of the Committee choose a theme to frame a year-long series of lectures, discussions, film screenings, and art exhibitions. This theme is meant to promote cultural life on campus and help the campus and Cortland community engage in discussions connected to issues relevant to today's world.
If you are a member of SUNY Cortland's faculty or staff and would like to participate in the CICC, please contact Benjamin Wilson, the committee's chair. If you are member of the student body or the Cortland community and have a suggestion for a speaker or event, please feel free to contact us as well.