Fall Lectures - Mending America

There is an exciting series of public lectures at Ashland University in September and October that all--in their own way--address the seemingly ever-widening divisions in our country. Please come along and become part of the solution.

Tuesday, September 12 - No More Enemies
Rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma
7:30pm, Trustees Room, Myers Convocation Center
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Using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s quote, “My enemy is someone whose story I haven’t heard” as a touchstone, Dr. Susan Glisson and Charles Tucker, the co-founders of Sustainable Equity, will share stories of dialogue, understanding and trust within divided America. From a historic conviction in a cold civil rights case, passage and implementation of a statewide law requiring civil rights and human rights history curriculum in all Mississippi schools, to work with the City of New Orleans on Confederate monuments, and work with corporations such as Facebook, Glisson and Tucker have a diverse and substantial list of success stories of leading individuals and communities to examine their own attitudes and biases combined with the building of trust and respectful relationships.


Wednesday, September 13 - Welcome Table Workshop
Rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma
7:30pm, Trustees Room, Myers Convocation Center
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Discover more about the Welcome Table process developed by Dr. Susan Glisson in this interactive workshop which will introduce you to the tools and techniques used by the city of New Orleans and the state of South Carolina (among others) to help communities with deep racial and historical divisions. Learn more about this method of intentional dialogue that we can use in community building and in our daily lives. 
This event is part of the Symposium Against Indifference: Building Bridges through Dialogue.

Tuesday, September 19 - Can Science and the Bible Work Together? Christian Perspectives on Creation, Design, and Evolution.
7:00pm, Hugo Young Theatre
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Dr. Deborah Haarsma (Calvin College), who serves as president of the BioLogos Foundation, will speak as part of Ashland University’s second Faith and Society Lecture. BioLogos Foundation is a Christian advocacy group that aims to contribute to the discussion on the relationship between science and religion and emphasizes compatibility between science and Christian faith. 
Haarsma is an experienced research scientist. She has studied very large galaxies (at the centers of galaxy clusters), very young galaxies (undergoing rapid star formation in the early universe), and gravitational lenses (where space time is curved by a massive object). Her work uses data from several major telescopes, including the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico, the Southern Astrophysical Research optical and infrared telescope in Cerro Pachon, Chile, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory in orbit around the earth.
Gifted in interpreting complex scientific topics for lay audiences, Dr. Haarsma often speaks to churches, colleges and schools about the relationships between science and Christian faith. She is author (along with her husband Loren Haarsma) of Origins: Christian Perspectives on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (2011, 2007), a book presenting the agreements and disagreements of Christians regarding the history of life and the universe. 

Tuesday, September 26 - Working for Women's Rights in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
7:00pm Ridenour Room, Dauch School of Business
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Lydia Cordero Cabrera serves as General Director for Casa Amiga Centro de Crisis (Friendly House Crisis Center) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The Center offers hope to women and their children who live in violence daily providing a full range of services by professionals in psychology, social work, legal services, and women’s medicine. Lydia also participates in the Red Mesa de Mujeres Cuidad Juarez (Network table for those advocating women’s rights) and Movimiento de Mujeres (Women’s Movement). She has played a major role in creating the law enforcement protocol when dealing with cases of violence against women in Ciudad Juarez.

Cabrera is visiting Ashland as part of the International Peacemakers Program of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Wednesday, October 4 - Interfaith Dialogue
7:30pm, Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium
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In these times of anger, fear, and separation, Imam Jamal Rahman will talk about the six stages of Interfaith dialogue to help us move beyond polarization, share practices to open the heart and use humor to convey inconvenient truths about ourselves. A popular speaker on Islam, Sufi spirituality, and interfaith relations, Jamal, along with his Interfaith Amigos, has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News, BBC, and various NPR programs.
This event is part of the Symposium Against Indifference: Building Bridges through Dialogue.

Wednesday October 11 - The Virtues of a Christian Teacher
7:30pm, Miller Chapel
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In this second annual Rinehart Lecture in Practical Theology, Dr. Wesley Null (Baylor University) will address the questions: What virtues are most foundational to Christian teaching?  What about teacher educators and those who make decisions about teacher education curriculum?  What virtues should they uphold?
In his lecture, Dr. Null will draw upon his background as a K-12 teacher, teacher educator, educational historian, and university administrator to discuss these and related questions that are at the heart of private and public K-12 schools and universities today.