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Home > 鶹ԭ announces lineup for fall speaker series

鶹ԭ announces lineup for fall speaker series

Aug 25, 2025

鶹ԭ offers more than a dozen presentations in its Values,Ideasand the Arts (VIA) series forFall2025. Presentations are at 11 a.m. on Mondays inWineRecital Hall at the North Manchester campus unless otherwise noted. They are free and open to the public.

  • Sept. 1:Aaron Cook, a 2009 graduateand medical editor, shares a personal and intellectual journey about navigating the challenges ofcollege and starting a career.
  • Sept. 8:Brian Cashdollar, director of cross country and track & field at 鶹ԭ, discusses his coaching philosophy, which hasdemonstratedremarkable success by setting achievable expectationswith his athletes, with applications to the larger campus community.
  • Sept. 15:A discussion of the state of American democracy in celebration of Constitution Day, sponsored by Manchester’s political science program.
  • Sept. 22:MarkusGilliar, an internationally renowned sports photographer, shares insights from four decades behind the lens at OlympicGames, FIFA World Cups, US Open andWimbledon, Formula 1 races, the Tour de France, and more.
  • Sept. 29:Irene Miller, social psychologist and Holocaust survivor,tells her story of survival as a childduring World War II.Heldin Cordier Auditorium.
  • Oct. 6:Ella Brown, researcher at the University of Michigan,shares the results of her NSF-funded research with wild male mountain gorillas. Her findings bring us closer to understanding our shared evolutionary lineage.
  • Oct. 20:Dr. Lizbette Ocasio-Russe, professor of creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University,explores the power of comics and graphic novels andhow her webcomic“Xcommunicada”celebrates humanity and embraces diverse beliefs.
  • Oct. 27:Dr. Stacy Erickson-Pesetski, professor of English and associate dean of academic affairs at 鶹ԭ,shares her experiences reading Shakespeare with incarcerated adults and juveniles in Indiana prisons and jails for the past 12 years.
  • Oct. 28:In conjunction with the Oct. 27 program,a showing of the 2024 filmSingSing,followed by a discussion with Dr. Stacy Erickson-Pesetski. 6:30-9 p.m.
  • Nov. 3:Clarke Staton, chaplain at Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis,shares insights from his experience in healthcare chaplaincy.
  • Nov. 10:Darrell Edmonds, former alternative dispute resolution deployable field advisor for FEMA,discusses the complexities of resolving conflict and explains key principles of effective conflict engagement.
  • Nov. 17:鶹ԭ seniors Carmen Reno and PaytonElsrodshare their distinctive ways of making the most of their college experience and becoming their best selves.
  • Nov. 24:Becky Landes, regional value chain professional atFarmwiseIndiana and former school food service director, shares insights from her 23 years of experiencein child nutrition—including efforts to bring local farm produce into Manchester Junior-Senior High School.
  • Dec. 1: Heidi Lovett, youth services senior manager at St. Joe County Public Library, explores how she turned her passion for art into a series of innovative library projects that bring stories to life in unexpected ways.

Manchester’s VIA programming broadens students’ cultural experiences, enriches students intellectually and aesthetically, provides opportunities to experience the arts, promotes dialogue about ideas and values, and embodies in its presentations the values expressed in the University Mission. VIA features speakers,musiciansand dramatic performers from the University community, across the country and around the globe.

For the media

鶹ԭ, in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers vibrant and transformative student experiences. Learn more atwww.manchester.edu/about-manchester.

Our mission and values

鶹ԭ respects the infinite worth of every individual andgraduatespersons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.

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