Lewis Honors College Announces Speaker Series Slate for 2021-22
Each year, through its Lewis Honors College Speaker Series, the Lewis Honors College hosts multiple speakers on a range of topics to enrich the UK Honors experience. This year, the Lewis Honors College Speaker Series presents four speakers: Chris Arnade, Jonathan Haidt, Bill Kauffman and Derek Anderson.
On Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. in the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge, Chris Arnade will present, “Poverty, Faith, and McDonald's.” His talk will provide a personal and intimate look at the communities, both rural and urban, failed by elites and how they have struggled to maintain their faith and dignity.
On Thursday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m., Jonathan Haidt will virtually present “How College Students Can Become Stronger, Smarter, and Happier Despite the Efforts of Well-intentioned Adults Who Make Them Weaker.” Haidt, a social psychologist, strives to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences. Registration for this virtual event can be found here: https://uky.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3tVW_cWAQxGjA_UbYK7kWw.
On Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. in the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge, Bill Kauffman will present, "Look Homeward, America!--You Too, Lexington." The title is a nod to Kauffman’s 2006 book, “Look Homeward America: In Search of Reactionary Radicals and Front-Porch Anarchist,” which provides a portraiture of American originals from Dorothy Day to Wendell Berry. Kauffman says these reactionary radicals, front-porch anarchists and traditionalist rebels offer an alternative America that draws its breath from local cultures, traditional liberties, small-scale institutions, and neighborliness.
On Thursday, March 24 at 4 p.m. in the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge, Derek Anderson will present, “Don’t Run Out Of Breath Before You Win.” In his talk, Anderson will focus on overcoming adversities and his own experiences in doing so. Anderson came from humble beginnings and played on the 1996 University of Kentucky NCAA Championship basketball team. After retiring from the NBA (where he earned an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006), Derek returned to Louisville where he became a motivational speaker, started a foundation and wrote a book titled, “Stamina,” about persevering through the trials of life.
The purpose of the Lewis Honors College Speaker Series is to better prepare the Lewis Honors College students for the challenges and opportunities of life by covering topics including self-awareness, personal values, character development, leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, financial literacy, career planning, success and happiness; and to educate the Lewis Honors College students regarding the American values of individual liberty, free enterprise, personal responsibility, faith, family, patriotism, intellectual diversity, community engagement and civic responsibility.
All Lewis Honors College Speaker Series events are open to the broader UK community. Students, faculty, staff and alumni and all welcome and encouraged to attend.