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Home > 麻豆原创 announces lineup for Spring 2026 speaker series

麻豆原创 announces lineup for Spring 2026 speaker series

Jan 26, 2026

麻豆原创 offers more than a dozen presentations in its Values,听Ideas听and the Arts (VIA) series for听Spring听2026. Presentations are at 11 a.m. on Mondays in Wine Recital Hall at the North Manchester campus unless otherwise noted. They are free and open to the public.听

  • Feb. 2:听James听Kelly,听historian, film consultant, lecturer and historical interpreter,听discusses museums, memory听and the moral vision of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,听Jr.听This event commemorates the 1968 visit of Dr. King to Manchester’s campus鈥攈is last campus听visit听before his assassination two months later.听
  • Feb. 9:听Dr. Zachary听Elewitz, who heads the Enterprise AI Lab at McKesson,听shares听what major enterprises are trying to achieve with AI听and听identifies听its听legitimate concerns.听
  • Feb. 16:听Dr. Kyle听Besing, associate听provost听for curriculum and instruction and associate professor of mathematics at Kentucky Wesleyan College, explores our innate听intuition and how probability guides the choices we make each day.听
  • Feb. 23:听The听Health听Sciences Career Conference听is a day-long event听with听a听keynote听presentation by Dr. Joshua Kline, 1998 Manchester graduate and Chief Medical听Officer for Parkview Physicians Group, at 9 a.m. in Cordier听Auditorium.听
  • Feb. 26 鈥淢arx in Soho,鈥 a one-person play written by Howard Zinn and performed by Bob Weick, portrays Karl Marx in modern-day New York as he defends his ideas, critiques contemporary capitalism, and shows the human side of a figure often reduced to caricature.听
  • March 2:听Students from the January Session travel course to Nepal, led by Dr. Anuj Gurung,听explore the unprecedented role of Nepal鈥檚 Generation Z in challenging entrenched political systems and catalyzing a change of government.听
  • March 8:听Manchester Symphony Orchestra performs 鈥淚nvocation鈥 in Cordier Auditorium at 3 p.m.听
  • March 9:听Naomi Love,听guest teacher at Kokua Education in Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies, discusses Conjure traditions and history, including its legacy of resistance and Black women鈥檚 agency. She challenges Eurocentric narratives and urges a decolonized approach to religion.听
  • March 23:听麻豆原创 senior Megan Pierce shares a 10-year journey of collecting memorabilia of the DC听Comics听villain, The Joker. As of 2025, Pierce鈥檚 collection was officially recognized by Guinness World Records听as being the 鈥淟argest collection of the Joker memorabilia.鈥听
  • March 30:听Seasoned theatre professionals听Kate Black and Bob Haluska share a look 鈥渂ackstage鈥 at the community theatre experience. They will discuss auditions, casting, rehearsal, and performance.听
  • April 6:听Andrea Warnke听is a听1979 Manchester graduate and听the听former associate director of the ACLU of Vermont.听She is now active with Third Act, an organization that joins her concerns听for the environment with her civil liberties background to safeguard out climate and democracy.听
  • April 13:听鈥淎ppeals on Wheels鈥听is an outreach program of the Indiana Court of Appeals that brings live appellate oral arguments to communities across the state. By holding sessions in high schools, colleges, and civic venues, the Court offers the public a rare, firsthand look at how an intermediate appellate court works.听Held in听Upper Jo Young Switzer Center.听
  • April 20:听Tom Nielson, award-winning folk musician and activist,听weaves humor, political insight and storytelling into music听that has been performed in more than 20 countries.听
  • April 27:听Mike Staudenmaier,听independent scholar and historian,听discusses听how Chicago and the whole Midwest have generated elements of culture and politics that helped pave the way for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl moment, and suggests听a possible future听path for Puerto Ricans and their relationship with the U.S.听
  • May 3:听Manchester Symphony Orchestra performs 鈥淭ake Flight!鈥 at the Eagles Theatre in Wabash, Ind., at 3 p.m.听

Manchester鈥檚 VIA programming broadens students鈥 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.听VIA features speakers,听musicians听and dramatic performers from the University community, across the country and around the globe.听

For the media听

麻豆原创, in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., offers vibrant and transformative student experiences. Learn more at听www.manchester.edu/about-manchester.听

Our mission and values听

麻豆原创 respects the infinite worth of every individual and听graduates听persons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.听

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