Franklin College tradition includes hosting an annual Convocation Lecture Series that promotes the ideals of the institution. The college upholds a common set of values that enhances the community and sustains personal, spiritual, intellectual and professional growth for a lifetime. The college values people of integrity, a commitment to inclusivity, a culture of intellectual curiosity, the drive for innovation and creativity and the spirit of community.
All the lectures and their associated activities are free and open to the public. Seating is limited.
The schedule for the six-lecture series is below.
An official Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project and in recognition of Constitution Day, James H. Madison, Ph.D., will present “Two Hundred Years of Indiana History: Stories from Our Hoosier Heritage,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15 in the Branigin Room located in the Napolitan Student Center. Madison, the Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor Emeritus of History at Indiana University and one of the state’s preeminent historians, will present some of the best stories of Indiana’s past – from the pioneer era, through the Civil War, to the 21st century. His illustrated talk will focus on the Hoosier experience, highlight connections between past and present and help Hoosiers think about their future.
This lecture will take place in conjunction with the 5:30 p.m. opening reception of The Roger Douglas Branigin Archives in B.F. Hamilton Library. Branigin was a 1923 graduate of Franklin College who served as the 42nd governor of Indiana from 1965-1969. The permanent collection will include his official papers, rare books and personal memorabilia. A few of the interesting items in the collection include signed letters from Martin Luther King Jr., J. Edgar Hoover and Bobby Kennedy; the 100 millionth telephone produced in the United States; and a Colt pistol from Indiana’s Sesquicentennial. The archives aim to raise public awareness of the significance of Indiana history in general as well as introduce visitors to Branigin’s life story, his achievements and his colorful personality.
To attend the 5:30 p.m. Sept. 15 opening reception showcasing the college’s new space dedicated for The Honorable Roger Douglas Branigin Archives, RSVP by Friday, Sept. 9 by calling (317) 738-8040 or emailing kwood2@FranklinCollege.edu. After Sept. 15, the archives will be open for viewing by appointment only by calling (317) 738-8160 or emailing dshorey@FranklinCollege.edu. Admission will be free.
The archives are made possible by the generosity of Franklin College alumni John C. and Teresa Hagee Duffey. John is a partner with the law firm of Stuart & Branigin, LLP.
Richard G. Lugar (H.D. ’83) will present “Is National Unity Possible? Achieving Political Cohesion in an Era of Group Demands, Media Fragmentation and Individual Expression,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13 in the Branigin Room located in the Napolitan Student Center. A fifth generation Hoosier, former Sen. Lugar left the U.S. Senate as the longest-serving member of Congress in Indiana history, serving from 1977-2013. He also served as the mayor of Indianapolis from 1968-1976. Lugar is currently the president of the Lugar Center, a nonprofit organization focusing on global food security, weapons of mass destruction non-proliferation, aid effectiveness and bipartisan governance. He also serves as a professor of practice and distinguished scholar at the School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University.
Lugar’s convocation lecture coincides with Franklin College’s exhibit from The Remnant Trust, Inc., featuring original, first and early edition pamphlets, manuscripts and complete works. The exhibit will be on display at the college’s B.F. Hamilton Library, Sept. 8 through Dec. 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Franklin College extends its deepest gratitude to John D. Peterson for his generosity in making the 2016 Remnant Trust exhibit possible for the community.
Walter (Robby) V. Robinson will present “Death of the Watchman?” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 in the Spurlock Center. Robinson, editor-at-large for the Boston Globe, will share his perspective on the abandoned, or sharply curtailed, style of journalism that holds powerful institutions accountable, as highlighted in the film “Spotlight.” With news organizations everywhere struggling to survive, Robinson will share his view on how the loss of journalistic “watchman” imperils democracy.
Earlier in the day, the Indiana High School Press Association and the Pulliam School of Journalism will feature Robinson as a special media tour session for the Journalism Education Association’s national convention in Indianapolis. Students will have the opportunity to see a live broadcast when John Krull ’81, director of the Pulliam School of Journalism, interviews Robinson on “No Limits,” the show Krull hosts for the local NPR station WFYI. After the 1 p.m. broadcast, students will have time to ask questions and meet the journalist whose investigative reporting team earned a Pulitzer Prize and became the inspiration for an Academy Award-winning movie.
The Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner will present “Listen, Amplify, Act: The Path of Solidarity” as a part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration at 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16 in the Richardson Chapel. Bonner, ordained in the United Methodist Church, serves as the curator of The Shout, a spoken word, poetry-focused arts and justice community in Houston, Texas, that seeks to put words into actions. Bonner will discuss those crying out for justice and equality in our communities, a world that competes for attention and time, a culture that resists change through complacency and the role each of us plays in building our future.
Barbara Ransby, Ph.D., will present “Black Lives Matter, Democracy and Economic Justice: Reflections on the Long Black Freedom Movement,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 in the Branigin Room located in the Napolitan Student Center. Ransby is a professor of history, African-American studies, gender and women’s studies, and is interim vice provost for planning and programs at the University of Illinois at Chicago.Based on her experiences as an activist and an award-winning scholar, Ransby will examine the relevance of the black lives matter movement to the failures of U.S. democracy and the growing crisis of economic inequality. While assessing the urgencies of the current political moment, she will also reflect on what historians term the long black freedom movement, extending back to the 19th century. Her remarks will correlate to the new Smithsonian exhibit, “Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963.”
This lecture is presented by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The exhibit is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and is part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Right’s Struggle,” which brings four outstanding films on the civil rights movement to communities across the United States (see www.createdequal.neh.gov). “Created Equal” encourages communities across the country to revisit and reflect on the long history of civil rights in America.
For more information, contact the Franklin College Office of Marketing and Communications at (317) 738-8185.
Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential, liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus, spanning 207 acres, including athletic fields and a 31-acre biology woodland. Students enjoy the comfort and safety of suburban living, while also experiencing the many opportunities Indianapolis has to offer with a short 20-minute drive to downtown. The college prepares students to think independently, to lead responsibly and to serve with integrity in their professions, their communities and the world. The college offers its more than 1,000 students Bachelor of Arts degrees in more than 50 majors from 24 academic disciplines, 42 minors, 11 pre-professional programs and five cooperative programs. The college also offers a Master of Science in athletic training. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.FranklinCollege.edu. Find Franklin College on Facebook and follow @FranklinCollege on Twitter.
(Posted Aug. 18, 2016)
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