Lectures

The 2018-2019 academic year will be filled with festivities and special events marking the 175^th anniversary of Clarke. The arts and lecture offerings for the year will pay tribute to this milestone with a series of events designed to highlight the theme and showcase our extremely talented alumni, students, and faculty.

The year will be celebrated through art, music, drama, and lectures with a theme of Home. This single word can take on a variety of identities – Clarke as home, Dubuque as home, Iowa as home, pride in where your story starts. The theme of Home allows for celebration, reflection, and hope.

Welcome home to Clarke University.

SPRING 2019 Events

February

February 7

Mackin-Mailander Alumni Lecture:
Molly Schreiber ’99
Creating Purpose & Happiness In Your Life: Lessons from the heart
7:30 p.m.
Jansen Music Hall, Free

February 21

Mackin-Mailander Faculty Lecture:
Sherry Warren, Clarke University Assistant Professor of Social Work
Home: From Little House on the Prairie to Global Citizen
7:30 p.m.
Jansen Music Hall, Free

March

March 26

Mary Murphy, BVM Endowed Lecture in Biology:
Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Iowa state University
Growing Our Prairie Roots to Cultivate Our Agricultural Future
7:30 p.m.
Jansen Music Hall, Free

Dr. Schulte Moore has been involved in the research on prairie “strips,” planting narrow bands of prairie along the edges of farm fields, which research has shown to decrease nutrient loss and erosion and increase diversity of pollinators and birds.

Iowa is known worldwide as a leading agricultural producer. But Iowa also has a deep prairie heritage. Historically covering about 80% of the state, today you find remnants of the prairie heritage in place names, along roadways, at parks, and in the artwork adorning advertisements and informational brochures. While agriculture is key to the state’s economy, Iowans also want the rich soils, clean water, and biodiverse landscapes prairie can provide. Through transdisciplinary projects, Schulte Moore works to improve agriculture by strategically incorporating diverse, deep-rooted, perennial vegetation: prairie. She will share her efforts to blend engagement, science, technology, and education to grow our prairie roots and cultivate a better agricultural future for Iowa and beyond.

March 31

Evolution Weekend Lecture:
Dr. Jeff Schloss, Westmont College
“Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!”: Evolution’s Major Intersections with Religion
2 p.m.
Jansen Music Hall, Free

The so-called “creation – evolution” controversy is of course not a single debate at all, but has ranged from varying historical interpretations of specific religious texts to more fundamental questions underlying all religious belief. This talk will explore fascinating new findings in evolutionary theory that defuse claims of incompatibility and even illuminate areas of concordance between science and faith.

This presentation will discuss one of the big issues in evolution, that of human uniqueness, and its relevance not only to science and religion, but to the humanities and social sciences more generally. It will be followed up with a panel including Dr. Schloss, Dr. Tom Riley (Professor of Philosophy) and Dr. William Gregory (Associate Professor of Religious Studies). The two additional panelists will respond to Dr. Schloss’ speech and the three will answer audience questions.

This program is supported in partnership with Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

April

April 2

Schemmel Endowed Lecture in Theology:
Norm Freund, Clarke University Professor of Philosophy
Spirit, Sacrifice, Struggle, and Success: Clarke’s 175 Years
7:30 p.m.
Jansen Music Hall, Free