Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture is Hosted by Slattery Center

The Inaugural Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture, presented by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, took place in November 2021.

At a reception in the Slattery Center after the lecture are, from left: David J. Dzurec, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of History, interim dean of CAS and then-interim executive director of the Slattery Center for the Humanities; Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D.; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., then-provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
At a reception in the Slattery Center after the lecture are, from left: David J. Dzurec, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of History, interim dean of CAS and then-interim executive director of the Slattery Center for the Humanities; Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D.; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., then-provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Keynote lecturer Lonnie Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, presents “The Humanities, Democracy and Race” in a virtual format.
Keynote lecturer Lonnie Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, presents “The Humanities, Democracy and Race” in a virtual format.

The Inaugural Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture, presented by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, took place in November 2021. Keynote lecturer Lonnie Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, presented “The Humanities, Democracy and Race” in a virtual format.

“I’ve always been struck by the simple fact if we ignore the value of humanities, it’s really at our own peril,” Secretary Bunch said. “Far too often, Americans look for simple answers to complex questions, yet the humanities help us embrace ambiguity, help us understand nuance, subtlety, evolutionary change. If we could help our nation embrace ambiguity through the humanities, what a contribution we would make.”

Lecture namesakes Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D., are esteemed community leaders whose work has encouraged and enriched the practice of community engagement in Scranton and nationally. Sondra Myers serves as senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel

Forum at The University of Scranton. The Distinguished Visit-ing Fellowship in Humanities and Civic Engagement serves to commemorate their commitment to the humanities. Secretary Bunch is an American educator, curator and historian whose scholarly works cover a wide range of topics from diversity in museum management to the impact of politics on museum funding. He is the Smithsonian Institution’s first Black secretary and the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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