Education roundup: Mount Union, Kent State Stark announce speakers, Walsh features Da Vinci

ALLIANCE – The University of Mount Union's Lecture Series provides learning across disciplines, bringing new perspectives and ideas to campus from places throughout the world. All lectures are free and open to the public, although tickets are required. Tickets and more information about the University of Mount Union Lecture Series are at www.mountunion.edu/lecture-series.    

Gallaher Lecture – 7 p.m. Wednesday at Brush Performance Hall, Giese Center for the Performing Arts. Dr. Robert Musil, president and CEO of the Rachel Carson Council, will speak. The Rachel Carson Council focuses on issues of global climate change and environmental justice. Musil will present, “Rachel Carson and Her Environmental Legacy for Today.”  

Faculty Lecture – 7 p.m. Oct. 12, Presser Recital Hall, Cope Music Hall. The Faculty Mount Union’s Dr. Susan Haddox, professor of philosophy and religious studies, will present “Gender, Violence, and Identity in the Bible and Society.” She will discuss questions of identity that run throughout the biblical book of Judges and how these questions are negotiated through stories.  

Kershaw/Carr Lecture – 7 p.m. Feb. 7, Brush Performance Hall, Giese Center for the Performing Arts. Musician and professor Chris Coles will present “Nine Lives,” a multimedia, interdisciplinary performance featuring animation, spoken word, dance and music. The lecture is a combination of the Kershaw and Carr lectures as well as the Black History Month and Peacebuilding and Social Justice lectures. 

Eckler Lecture – 7 p.m. March 23, Brush Performance Hall, Giese Center for the Performing Arts. Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson will present. Woodson has written dozens of books for adults and children. She is also a four-time Newbery Honor winner, four-time National Book Award finalist and the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award recipient, among other accolades.  

Schooler Lecture – 8 p.m. April 21, Timken Gymnasium, McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. Renowned political strategists Donna Brazile and Ana Navarro will speak. Brazile is the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, an author, and a Fox News contributor. Navarro is a Republican strategist, political analyst for CNN, CNN en Español, Telemundo and co-host of ABC’s “The View.”  

Featured Speakers Series marks 30th year

JACKSON TWP. – Kent State University at Stark has announced the 30th season of its Featured Speakers Series. All Featured Speakers events are held at 7:30 p.m. in Timken Great Hall at Kent Stark’s Conference Center. 

Kent State University at Stark is planning for in-person events, but this is subject to change. Masks will be required at all gatherings. 

All lectures are free and open to the public; however, because of limited seating, tickets are required. Detailed information about how to obtain tickets will be released before each event. For more information, visit www.kent.edu/stark/featured-speakers-series; and follow Kent State Stark on social @KentStateStark. 

Maxwell King – Nov. 9. King wrote the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, “The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers.” As former editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and a director of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, King created this definitive portrait of Rogers, a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations. King’s four-decade career also includes presidencies at two of the country’s largest philanthropies – The Pittsburgh Foundation and Heinz Endowments.  

Elizabeth Smart – Feb. 23. The abduction of Elizabeth Smart in 2002 was one of the most-followed child-abduction cases of our time. Police safely reunited Smart with her family nine months later. Through this traumatic experience, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and national legislation. She has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book “My Story” and recently released a book about reclaiming one’s life, “Where There’s Hope.” 

Erin Brockovich – April 13. The subject of Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning film, which turned an unknown legal researcher into a 20th-century icon by showcasing her dogged persistence behind the largest medical settlement lawsuit in history, will appear. Today, Brockovich is president of Brockovich Research & Consulting, and she is involved in numerous environmental projects worldwide. She has requests for her help in groundwater contamination complaints in every state within the country, Australia and other international hot spots. A best-selling author, Brockovich’s latest release, “Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It,” drew wide media attention before its publication. 

Walsh University features
Leonardo da Vinci exhibit

NORTH CANTON – The Walsh University Birk Center for the Arts is presenting an educational exhibit this fall that will include gallery talks exploring the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The Leonardo da Vinci: Exploring the Arts & Sciences in Renaissance Italy exhibit runs through Nov. 30. For more information, visit walsh.edu/davinci.html

The Leonardo da Vinci Educational Exhibit viewing is free and open to the public in the Birk Center’s Atrium Gallery. A companion show, Notebooks, will feature doodles and sketches by Walsh’s Visual Arts students and will be arranged in the atrium display case. For more information, contact Dr. Katherine Brown at ktbrown@walsh.edu or 330-490-7509.  

Gallery talks will be held in the Atrium Gallery. All gallery talks are free and open to the public with reservations. Reserve your place by email to lmclaughlin@walsh.edu. 

• Tuesday, noon-1 p.m.: Theology & The Visual Arts: A Focus on The Last Supper
• Oct. 19, 4-5 p.m.: Scientific Observation & Invention: Leonardo da Vinci's Botanical Drawings & Mechanical Studies 
• Nov. 16, 4-5 p.m.: Design Thinking and Leonardo da Vinci's Creative Process 

Art Workshop for children and teens 

On Oct. 9, 10:30 a.m.-noon, the workshop It's All a Matter of Perspective: A Linear Perspective Drawing Workshop for Teens ages 10-18 will take place in the Lattavo Art Studio in the Birk Center for the Arts, limited to 25 participants each. Reservations required by emailing lmclaughlin@walsh.edu. Workshop carries a $6 supply fee per participant. If a parent or other adult companion wishes to participate with the child or teen, the adult must also register and pay the supply fee. Mail a check payable to Walsh University for $6 per person with "Art Workshop" in the "For" line to:  Lisa McLaughlin at Walsh University, 2020 E. Maple St., North Canton.