Join us for an afternoon or evening exploring some of the most compelling and talked-about issues of our day. Alvernia College’s Spring Lecture Series in Leadership, Ethics, and Community features nationally and locally known leaders and executives. The series is sponsored by the Centers for Excellence at Alvernia College—the Center for Community Engagement, Ginny Hand, director; and the Center for Ethics and Leadership, Dr. Gerald Vigna, director.

All events will be held in the Bernardine Franciscan Conference Center, 400 Saint Bernardine Street, adjacent to the Alvernia Campus, and are free and open to the public.

“Conscience, the Common Good, and the Campaign”
William J. Byron, S.J., Batdorf Lecturer
Sponsored by the David J. Batdorf Lectureship in Ethics
Thursday, February 28
Lecture: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Wine and cheese reception follows

William J. Byron, S.J. will present key precepts of Catholic social teaching such as social justice and service and their application to contemporary politics. He is the former president of The Catholic University of America and The University of Scranton, and a past recipient of the Hesburgh Award for his contributions to the advancement of Catholic higher education. He writes a bi-weekly column syndicated by the Catholic News Service and has authored seven books including Quadrangle Considerations (winner of the Catholic Press Association’s 1990 Best Book Award in Education), Take Your Diploma and Run!, Finding Work without Losing Heart, The 365 Days of Christmas and Answers from Within: Spiritual Guidelines for Managing Setbacks in Work and Life. Currently he is president of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Candidates and Their Faith: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue”
College Faculty Panel Moderated by Dr. Gerald Vigna
The Alvernia Faculty Series
Tuesday, March 25
Lecture: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Wine and cheese reception follows

Dr. Gerald Vigna, Director of the Center for Ethics and Leadership at Alvernia and formerly Dean of Arts and Sciences, and three other Alvernia College professors from varied disciplines will examine religion and the role it plays in the ’08 elections. Panelists and their disciplines include Deborah Greenawald, nursing; Dr. Elizabeth Matteo, psychology, and Dr. Spencer Stober, biology.


“What Race Is and What It Is Not”
Dr. Agustin Fuentes, Hesburgh Lecturer, Sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Reading
Examining Myths and Realities about Human Diversity
Monday, March 31
Lecture: 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Agustin Fuentes, a renowned anthropologist from the University of Notre Dame, will explore the social realities of race, especially in the United States, explaining how humans vary but not always in the way we think. Some of his research and teaching interests include human sexuality, the effects of biology and behavior on peace and aggression in daily life, and race as a prominent social reality. He is the Nancy O’Neill Associate Professor of Anthropology and a Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace, the Center for Social Concerns, and the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame. Recent books include Core Concepts in Biological Anthropology and Primates in Perspective. He publishes regularly in scholarly journals such as The American Anthropologist, and The American Journal of Primatology. This event is jointly sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Reading.

“A Conversation with Emerging Leaders”
Panel Discussion Moderated by Chair & CEO Julia Klein
The Next Generation: Their Goals and Ideas About Service
The Alvernia College Executive Conversation Series
Wednesday, April 23
Lecture: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Wine and cheese reception follows

Julia Klein and a panel of young community leaders will examine why and to what extent they are involved in community service. Ms. Klein is Chair and CEO of C.H. Briggs, a company founded by her grandfather Harry Briggs, one of the largest independently owned distributors of specialty building materials in the industry. She is an active leader in the non-profit community, chairing the Berks County Community Foundation and serving as a board member at the Reading Hospital and Quaker Maid Meats, Inc. Her community leadership has been recognized by Girl Scouts of America, Caron Treatment Centers, and the United Way. In 2007, she received the Enterprising Women of the Year award from Enterprising Women magazine. In 2004 she received the Athena Award, a national program promoting women’s leadership and honoring an outstanding record of business accomplishment and community service.

Alvernia’s Spring Lecture Series in Leadership, Ethics, and Community is sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and the Center for Ethics and Leadership (CEL). For more information, contact the CCE at 610-568-1527 or the CEL at 610-796-8365.