Luncheon Seminars Feature Prominent Speakers

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will welcome another prominent group of thinkers for its spring semester World Affairs Luncheon Seminars.

The series will feature six seminars in total. All take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and most are in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room, except for the Feb. 9 and April 5 events, which will take place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. In addition, a Zoom link will be provided for those who wish to attend remotely.

“As always, our luncheon lecture series, proudly sponsored by Munley Law, will feature a diverse range of world-class scholars and experts,” said George J. Aulisio, dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library and director of the Schemel Forum.

The series begins Friday, Feb. 2, with “Religion, Democracy, and Election Cycles,” presented by Anthea Butler, Ph.D., Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought and chair of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A sought-after commentator and op-ed contributor for MSNBC, Dr. Butler will discuss how religious beliefs have polarized and destabilized elections around the world, and how it could impact democratic elections in 2024.

Next, on Friday, Feb. 9, Jeff Jarvis, Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, will present “Rethinking Local Journalism in Scranton,” in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Jarvis, the creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly magazine, will use the lecture to explore the current newspaper crisis in the United States and the Scranton area, with insights on how to increase local news consumption and civic engagement. His talk will include discussion of new models of journalism, as well as examples of what other cities are doing to address the issue.

On Friday, March 1, Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and faculty member at The Juilliard School, will present “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans.” He’ll discuss the parallels between President Abraham Lincoln and jazz icon Louis Armstrong, arguing both made “profound statements while at the same time subtly redefining the basic principles of their mediums.”

Schoenberg will also perform with The University of Scranton Jazz Band on Saturday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit scranton.edu/music.

Then, on Wednesday, March 6, Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law, will present “Political Reforms to Combat Extremism.” Pildes, one of the nation's leading scholars of constitutional law and a specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, will discuss institutional and policy reforms that could improve the polarization and extremism now infecting American politics. He’ll also address threats to the integrity of the 2024 presidential election and steps being undertaken to address the issue.

Pildes will present the seminar on Zoom, but only in-person attendees will be able to participate in the question-and-answer portion of the seminar.

On Monday, March 25, Patrick Bringley, author and former New Yorker magazine staffer, will present “All the Beauty in the World: A Portrait of the Met Museum.” Bringley will discuss his decade working as a guard at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which became the inspiration for his critically acclaimed memoir, “All the Beauty in the World.” A collection of fascinating stories set against the backdrop of one of the world's most iconic museums, the book delves into the transformative power of art and its profound impact on both observers and caretakers alike.

“I’ll be talking about the relationship between a great museum and any solitary individual, be it you, me, or the guard who stands in a gallery’s corner,” Bringley said. “I’ll be covering my time as a guard at the Met; the museum’s extraordinary collections, diverse visitors and talented corps of guards; and various ways we might derive meaning from art spanning continents and millennia. I hope attendees will walk away inspired and emboldened, and race straight for the nearest museum.”

Finally, on Friday, April 5, the series concludes with area native, former CNN correspondent and Russia expert Jill Dougherty returning to the University to present “The World in Disarray,” in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Dougherty, now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute Advisory Council, will discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and its global ramifications.

“Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine is transforming his own nation, as well as bringing death and destruction to Ukraine,” Dougherty said. “Russia now is a nation at war, its economy focused on building its war machine; mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in the military; weaponizing the media, as well as history and the educational system to propagandize citizens; destroying any opposition; and strengthening its ties with rogue regimes in North Korea and Iran. Putin faces re-election in March, but the Kremlin is closely watching the U.S. election too, intent on doing what it can to influence the outcome.”

Admission to the seminars is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $30 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $10 for remote access.

To register for the seminars, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.

Dean Aulisio spoke about the spring Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.

Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.