Honesty is the - Franklin College

College tradition
includes hosting an
annual Convocation
Lecture Series based
on one of our five
core values: Respect,
Honesty, Responsibility,
Faith and Life-Long
Pursuit of Learning.
The Rev. David Weatherspoon is
the campus minister at Franklin
College and the chairman of
the Convocation Lecture Series
Committee. He focuses on areas
of spirituality for the campus:
Faith development, worship,
education, outreach/service and
pastoral care. From planning
chapel services to meeting oneon-one with students, he helps
students understand and practice
their faith.
Franklin College
Convocation
Lecture Series
2013 —14
Other Convocation Lecture Series
Committee members include:
This year’s series
focuses on Honesty,
defined by the college
as the ability and
willingness to live in a
manner that reflects
truth and integrity.
Ann Barton - Assistant Director, Pulliam School of
Journalism and Assistant to the President for
Special Projects
The goal of the
lecture series is to
enrich the students’
educational experience
by encouraging
them to develop
a personal values
system. Reflection and
discussion will focus on
how Honesty shapes
behavior, motivates life
choices, and influences
interaction with others.
Wendy (Shuler) Hagn ̓ 86 - Director of Church Relations,
Admissions Counselor
Deidra Baumgardner - Director of Communications
Dr. David Chandler - Professor of Philosophy and
Religion
Jennifer Fry - Coordinator for New Student Programs
Dr. Casey Hayes - Assistant Professor of Music
Renee (Kean) Knight ̓ 06 - Photographer, Social Media
Manager
Ashley Lobeck - Student Representative
Emma Peavey - Student Representative
Terri Roberts - Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion
Dillon Sayman - Student Representative
101 Branigin Boulevard
Franklin, Indiana 46131
(317) 738-8000
(800) 852-0232
www.FranklinCollege.edu
“Honesty is the
Best Policy.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Jose A. Vargas “Define American: My Life as an
Undocumented Immigrant”
Thursday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist. He is also the founder
of Define American. Eighteen years after
arriving in America, Vargas decided he
was done running. He exposed his story in
his groundbreaking essay, “My Life as an
Undocumented Immigrant,” for the New York Times Magazine,
stunning the media and political circles and attracting worldwide coverage. During this lecture, Vargas will seek to elevate
the conversation around immigration to discuss the 12 million
people who call the United States home but are undocumented.
“Impacts of Genetic Engineering
in Agriculture: An Indiana Story”
Thursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
It has been 17 years since the
introduction of Roundup Ready
soybeans, and now Indiana agriculture
is dominated by soybeans and corn
genetically engineered to withstand
herbicides and resist insect pests. Our Dr. Martha Crouch
state is also home to major plant biotechnology companies and
seed producers. What social, economic and ecological impacts
have these crops and industries had on Indiana farmers,
consumers and landscapes so far? What concerns accompany
new technologies that are in the pipeline? Crouch, a former
professor of biology at Indiana University and current consultant
on issues of biotechnology and agriculture, will provide her
critical analysis of genetic engineering in the context of Indiana
agriculture, with specific examples.
Mark Hartley
“If I Knew Then
What I Know Now...”
Thursday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Hartley is the author of the highly
acclaimed book series “If I Knew Then
What I Know Now…,” which has been
used in several college orientation
programs, including Franklin College this
fall. Hartley emphasizes the importance
of academic success to his new student audiences, and he
motivates them to approach college deliberately, with a focus
toward personal growth. The time between new student
orientation and graduation is full of lessons, and Hartley’s
program helps students begin that journey with their eyes open.
Martin Luther King Day Lecture
“The Truth
Will Set You Free”
Monday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
Richardson Chapel
Honesty is a core principle many
of us live by. This lecture will focus
on how many leaders, especially
the late Dr. King, led movements
by speaking truth and standing firm
on the adage that “the truth will set
you free.” Does your leadership
reflect your honesty? Are you set Dr. Stacy Downing
free? Downing, the associate vice president at Delaware State
University, will ask these questions during her lecture. She
earned her doctorate of education degree in urban educational
leadership from the University of Cincinnati.
Black History Month Lecture
Daryl Davis
“Klan-Destine Relationships”
Thursday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Driven by the need to understand those
who hated him only because of the color
of his skin, Davis decided at age 15 to
seek out the roots of racism. He set out to
meet Roger Kelly, Imperial Wizard of the
Invincible Empire Knights of the Klu Klux
Klan. After a cathartic first encounter, the two slowly formed as
close a friendship as a black man and a Klansman could form.
Davis will discuss his personal encounters with members of the
Klu Klux Klan and his successful plan for eradicating racism in
America.
Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow
Maria Karagianis
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) Public Health
Issues and Marriage Equality”
Thursday, April 10, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Dr. Bill Buffie is an internist on the south
side of Indianapolis and an educator
concerning public health issues affecting
the LGBT community. He is the CEO of
a 40+ physician multi-specialty group,
Dr. Bill Buffie
Indiana Internal Medicine Consultants.
He has worked through the Indiana State Medical Association
to highlight the health care disparities that exist for the LGBT
community since 2007. Dr. Buffie and his two daughters, Sarah
and Claire, will discuss the challenges Indiana faces due to
the divisive nature of debate surrounding marriage equality
considerations. The conversation will be facilitated by John
Krull ̓ 81, director of the Franklin College Pulliam School of
Journalism.
“Ten Years After - The Need
for a Dialogue, Not a Clash of
Civilizations”
Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is currently the
Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at
American University in Washington, D.C.;
Akbar Ahmed the First Distinguished Chair of Middle
East and Islamic Studies at the US Naval
Academy in Annapolis; and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at
the Brookings Institution. He has taught at Princeton, Harvard,
and Cambridge Universities and has been called “the world’s
leading authority on contemporary Islam.” His lecture will focus
on the need for an interfaith engagement and dialogue in a
global civilization, and he will explore the role of America and
the conflict between the tribe and state in the Muslim world.
“Making Meaning: Seven Steps
to Creating a Life Worth Living”
Thursday, March 13, 7 p.m.
Branigin Room,
Napolitan Student Center
Karagianis is an award-winning journalist,
writer and social entrepreneur. She is
currently a guest editor on the editorial
board of the Boston Globe, where she
worked for 13 years before becoming the
founding executive director of Discovering Justice, a nationally
recognized democracy and justice education organization
housed in the U.S. Courthouse in Boston, Mass. Using her
extensive experience, Karagianis will lead a discussion on
living a meaningful and worthwhile life.
All lectures are
free and open
to the public.