Goshen College to host new lectureship series for 2024-25

In a new intradepartmental initiative, Goshen College will host a variety of speakers in the upcoming school year as part of its new lecture series. The lectures will all be free and open to the public.

The series builds on the variety of seminars and lectures that GC has historically offered each year. The school will continue to host speakers as it has in years past, but “there was a desire to view them as a more cohesive full series of presentations,” said Jeshua Franklin, chair of the Lectureship Committee, “rather than individual events managed by their own departments or committees.” The committee was convened to create a diverse series of lectures, and will do so throughout the fall and spring semesters.

“This is a great opportunity for the community to hear a wide range of speakers across many disciplines,” Franklin said. “While there’s a certain academic tint to the lecture series, and we certainly want our students to be engaged with these speakers, the lectures themselves are a way for Goshen College to connect and engage with the larger local community we serve.”

The first event is held on Sept. 12, with the Frank and Betty Jo Yoder Public Affairs Lecture. Dr. Antonio Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, will give his speech, “The Relevance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the Midwest and at Goshen College.” Flores has held this role since 1996. In it, he has served as chair and member of various national higher education associations and coalitions and received numerous honors for his contributions to higher education, including honorary doctorates from numerous universities.

The following week, on Sept. 18, Maria Tomasula, professor emerita and faculty fellow at the University of Notre Dame, will speak at the Eric Yake Kenagy Visiting Artist lecture. Tomasula is a LatinX studio artist who makes a variety of paintings, drawings and prints. Her art has been featured in numerous museums, such as the National Museum of Mexican Art, Forum Gallery and Zolla/Lieberman Gallery, as well as in publications such as the New York Times, the New Yorker and elsewhere.

Two days later, on Sept. 20, Las Guaracheras will hold a “female empowerment event” before their concert in the Performing Arts Series. An all-women salsa sextet from Cali, Colombia, Las Guaracheras plans to highlight female strength and creativity in the context of Latin music.

The final lecture of the fall semester is the Beechy Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lecture on Oct. 24. Speaking will be Dr. Wendsler Nosie, Sr., the former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Nosie Sr. was elected as the Tribal Chairman in 2006, leading nearly 17,000 tribal members on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Nosie Sr. is the first Native American to receive the Presidential Award from the National Progressive Baptist Convention and is now a professor at the American University of Sovereign Nations.

For more information and a list of all events in the series, visit goshen.edu/lectures.