Schemel Forum Spring Luncheon Seminars Announced

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars will explore everything from artificial intelligence and ancient wisdom traditions to insights on the federal government and the American Revolution.

A buffet lunch is included for the four seminars, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the University’s campus. The Schemel Forum is sponsored by Munley Law and 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; remote access, when available, is $15.

George Aulisio, Ph.D., dean and professor of the Weinberg Memorial Library and director of the Schemel Forum, recently appeared on WVIA's "ArtScene with Erika Funke" to discuss the upcoming events.

Among the presenters is former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who joined the University in August as a Leahy Distinguished Fellow in Public Service. Casey, Of Counsel, Dilworth Paxson LLP, will discuss “The Federal Government Today: Institutional Pressures and the Way Forward,” with a luncheon presentation that will be held Thursday, March 26, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

At a time of heightened public concern about governance, trust and democratic stability, Casey will offer a thoughtful examination of how the federal government operates today. He hopes attendees will gain a better understanding of “what federal institutions are supposed to be about and what they must deliver for citizens.”

“We are at a time in history when we all need to be reminded about how government is supposed to work at every level,” said Casey, who served during four presidencies. “It’s our responsibility as citizens to understand how government works.”

Drawing on 18 years in the U.S. Senate representing Pennsylvania, Casey will explore the role of federal institutions, the norms and constraints that guide them, and the pressures they face in an era of polarization, rapid change and public skepticism.

Casey will discuss how governing systems work in practice — where they remain resilient, where they are under strain, and how accountability and constitutional guardrails function across branches of government. His talk will focus on the judicial branch of the federal government, which is currently under significant strain. This, he says, underscores the importance of becoming informed and engaged in our political systems.

“Our democracy doesn’t function on autopilot. It only functions well if citizens become full, active participants,” said Casey, who also served as State Treasurer and Auditor General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Casey’s talk concludes by considering a constructive path forward, including the roles of civic engagement, institutional responsibility and, most importantly, informed public participation in sustaining democratic life.

“I think the way forward is engagement by informed citizens,” he said, noting that it’s easy to take things for granted when institutions are functioning as they should.

Casey also reflected on the challenges of information overload in today’s world.

“We hear a lot of information but not enough information that is factual,” he said.

The spring luncheon series begins Friday, Feb. 27, with the talk “Advancing Decision Sciences with Artificial Intelligence: Swarm Intelligence, Predictive Analytics and Executive AI Leadership,” presented by Anasse Bari, Ph.D., professor of Computer Science, Courant Institute School for Mathematics, Computing and Data Science, New York University (NYU); director, NYU’s Predictive Analytics and AI Research Lab; and contributor, CNN and the Washington Post. The luncheon presentation will be held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.

Dr. Bari has led transformative research in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics — work that has saved lives through early disease prediction, reshaped Wall Street with AI-driven investment tools, accelerated the discovery of new energy sources, and strengthened civic engagement, election forecasting and political strategy.

This talk will explain how swarm intelligence — AI-inspired by the collective behavior of bird flocks, dolphin pods and ant colonies — is driving new algorithms that generate forward-looking insights in complex environments. It will feature case studies led and deployed by Dr. Bari, including predictive modeling for COVID-19 severity, real-time election forecasting and public opinion modeling, swarm-based trading and AI tools accelerating research and commercialization in emerging energy sources such as Low Energy Nuclear Reactions. Dr. Bari will also introduce the BARI AI Enterprise Transformation Framework for Executives.

Next, on Friday, March 6, James McKane, living history interpreter and artisan, will present “Commemorating and Interpreting the American Revolution 250 Years Later.” His luncheon presentation will be held in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.

With America preparing to celebrate the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, McKane’s presentation is both timely and enlightening. The years 2025–2033 mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. While major milestones often dominate public commemoration, the defeats, glories, stories and often-overlooked faceless individuals of the Revolution merit equal attention, according to McKane, who served as an advisor for Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution.” A leader of multiple living history organizations, McKane has a deep understanding of the period’s challenges.

During the luncheon presentation, he will examine the American Revolution through living history, drawing upon his extensive experiences organizing, leading and participating in historical reenactments. These experiences include rowing across the Delaware River on Christmas Day, recreating hundreds of period-accurate uniforms, and even constructing eighteenth-century fortifications for Ken Burns’ recent documentary on the war.

McKane, who earned his bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Scranton, is also a design patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The spring luncheon series will conclude Tuesday, May 5, with a presentation by Jennifer Houser Wegner, Ph.D., curator, Egyptian Section, Penn Museum, and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Houser Wegner will discuss “Wise Words: Ancient Egypt’s Wisdom Tradition” at a luncheon in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.

The literary genre known as “instructions” or “wisdom literature” is among the earliest in ancient Egyptian writing. This talk will examine the central themes and motifs found in Egyptian wisdom literature and consider how they resonate with didactic traditions from neighboring ancient cultures.

Emerging in the Old Kingdom, these texts continued to be composed for more than two millennia, extending into the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. While their structure and tone evolved over time, their fundamental purpose remained consistent. Instruction texts were typically framed as a father addressing his son and conveyed moral, ethical and practical guidance for achieving a successful life. As such, the texts present the compiled wisdom of the society that produced them. This tradition reflects the broader Egyptian interest in divine wisdom, embodied in deities such as Thoth and Maat, who oversaw knowledge, writing and the proper order of the world.

To register for the seminars, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.

To pay online or for additional information about Schemel Forum events, please visit the Schemel Forum’s webpage.