Inaugural activity continues throughout the year at Syracuse University

Inaugural activity continues throughout the year at Syracuse UniversityNovember 05, 2004Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

In continuation of the inaugural year conversation and collaboration “University as Public Good: Exploring the Soul of Syracuse,” Syracuse University will offer public symposia, lectures, performing arts events and other activities in the coming months that focus on the essence of both the city and the University. On April 11, 2005, Chancellor Nancy Cantor will deliver a major address about the inaugural year’s outcome.

For full details and current updates on events, visit http://soulofsyracuse.syr.edu/.

A “Gained Knowledge” committee is collecting information on inaugural events to ensure that this notable year is documented, both for the historical record and to capture the information and dialogue. At the close of the inaugural year, the collection will be processed and indexed, and any portion not confidential by nature will be made available to researchers. It’s intended that this collection will be viewed as a benchmark of University-community engagement and will become a learning tool, accessible for study by faculty, students, and the Syracuse community.

MLK Seminar

The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration seminar, to be held Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005, at 3 p.m. in Syracuse University’s Maxwell Auditorium, is a twin event to the Nov. 5 Inauguration Symposium.

A special gallery of community members from Syracuse has been invited to view the Nov. 5 symposium. This gallery will be invited back to participate in the Jan. 23 seminar, speaking on the issues of racism and genocide in the city of Syracuse through their own experiences.

This year will be Syracuse University’s 20th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

University Lecture Series

The University Lecture Series, as part of the inaugural year events, concludes for the fall semester with speakers Neil deGrasse Tyson and Paul Goldberger. Tyson, astrophysicist and director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium, will present “Destiny in Space: America’s Future on the Frontier of Cosmic Discovery,” at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9 in Hendricks Chapel. On Nov. 16, Goldberger, author and architecture critic for The New Yorker, will present “An Evening with Paul Goldberger,” at 7:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

Beginning in March, the University Lecture Series continues with visits by Maya Lin, sculptor, architect, designer, and craftswoman; Robert Egger, founder of the DC Central Kitchen and author of “Begging for Change”; and Bill Moyers, television journalist and host of “NOW with Bill Moyers” on PBS.

“What is Soul?”

As a part of the yearlong exploration, the Syracuse University Library will lead an exploration of the concept of “soul” itself. The “What Is Soul?” program will include an interactive website, a keepsake publication, a symposium, and a keynote speech at the Library Associates annual spring luncheon. The library invites all members of the campus and local community to participate in the program.

Scheduled to go live on Nov. 15, the library’s “What Is Soul?” website (libwww.syr.edu/soul) will provide a context within which all members of the University and local community can share personal reflections and perspectives on soul. The website will list resources, quotes, examples and definitions of soul, and a schedule of programs.

The SU Library is also creating a “What Is Soul?” publication that will be available in January at various locations throughout campus and in the community.

“Looking Within: A Socratic Symposium on Soul” will feature Christopher Phillips, author of “Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy,” from 4 -7 p.m., Feb. 14, 2005, in the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. This symposium invites campus and local community members to join selected scholars in exploring the question “what is soul?” Thomas V. Wolfe, dean of Hendricks Chapel, will offer introductory remarks, and Phillips will serve as moderator.

The “What Is Soul?” program will culminate in a public lecture, “Community of Soul and the Soul of Community” (working title), at the Library Associates annual spring luncheon, featuring keynote speaker Charles V. Willie, Eliot Professor of Education Emeritus at Harvard University. Willie is well known in Syracuse for his service to the University as professor and chair of the Department of Sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and as vice president of student affairs from 1950 to 1974. He is a noted civil rights advocate and sociologist, and the author of 25 books and more than 100 articles in the fields of education, health, race relations, urban studies and family relations. His lecture will begin at 1 p.m., May 13, 2005, in Rooms 304A, B and C in the Schine Student Center.

April 11 Address

Planning is underway for a number of spring events that culminate the inaugural year. The keystone event will be a community address by Chancellor Cantor on April 11 that will reflect on the inaugural year and its outcomes. The day will also feature a performance in Goldstein Auditorium by the Taylor 2 Dancers, a small company of dancers who perform the repertoire of Paul Taylor, one of the world’s most honored modern-dance choreographers.

Event information and updates will continue to be posted throughout the year on the inaugural year website, http://soulofsyracuse.syr.edu.