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Manchester University announces lineup for spring speaker series

North Manchester, IN (01/28/2025) — Manchester University offers more than a dozen presentations in its Values, Ideas and the Arts (VIA) series for Spring 2025. Presentations are at 11 a.m. on Mondays in Wine Recital Hall at the North Manchester campus unless otherwise noted. They are free and open to the public.

  • Feb. 3: Spring Semester Blessing and open house in Petersime Chapel organized by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Campus Interfaith Board.
  • Feb. 10: Reverend Angelo Mante and local students of Fort Wayne's Peacemaker Academy share their work toward the cultivation of a community of nonviolence through relationships and education.
  • Feb. 17: Dr. Babu Ayindo, a Kenyan peace educator, discusses the intersection of arts, peacebuilding and decolonization.
  • Feb. 24: 2012 MU graduate Ben Tapper, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Indianapolis, presents, "The Why Behind DEI."
  • March 3: Dr. Steve Schweitzer from Bethany Theological Seminary discusses science fiction and theology.
  • March 10: Students who have recently studied away share their experiences abroad. Panel moderated by Dr. Pam Haynes, assistant dean of academic affairs.
  • March 17: 1958 alumna Shirley Glade, scholar of Russian history, Soviet policy and art history, shares her personal migration and immigration stories.
  • March 31: Education for Conflict Resolution (ECR) details how to have healthy conflicts.
  • April 7: Michael Mears, British actor and playwright, discusses the role of the arts and culture in promoting peace and opposing war.
  • April 14: Students from the PEAC 320 course, Global Conflict Resolution, will organize an interactive obstacle course for participants that will demonstrate effective communication skills, de-escalation, and how to defuse microaggressive situations. Held in the Upper Jo Young Switzer Center.
  • April 21: Dr. Craig Higson Smith, South African human rights worker, presents, "Juggling on the Precipice: Reflections on 30 Years of Conflict Work."
  • April 28: 2018 alumna Audri Svay - who has been Theopoet in Residence at the Chuch of the Brethren Annual Conference and the Sing Me Home festival - discusses the power of language to form identity.
  • May 5: German magician and illusionist Alexander Mabros proposes that magic is a universal language. He shares how his illusions transcend verbal barriers and connect people.
  • May 12: Baccalaureate, an interfaith ceremony to celebrate the Class of 2025, is provided by the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies in Cordier Auditorium.

Manchester's VIA programming broadens students' cultural experiences, enriches students intellectually and aesthetically, provides opportunities to experience the arts, promotes dialogue about ideas and values, and embodies in its presentations the values expressed in the University Mission. VIA features speakers, musicians and dramatic performers from the University community, across the country and around the globe.

More information about individual programs can be found at www.manchester.edu/academics/VIA.

For the media

Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., provides vibrant and transformative student experiences. Learn more at www.manchester.edu/about-manchester.

Our mission and values

Manchester University respects the infinite worth of every individual and graduates persons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.

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