Thursday, September 11, 2008
Chief Justice Shepard presents Constitution Day lecture
 USI's 2008-09 University Core Curriculum Speaker Series kicks off Wednesday, September 17, with the annual Constitution Day Lecture, presented this year by Randall T. Shepard, an Evansville native and Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.Shepard will present “Presidential Elections as a Test of the Constitution” at 7 p.m. in Kleymeyer Auditorium in the Liberal Arts Center. Shepard was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court by Governor Robert D. Orr in 1985 at the age of 38. He became Chief Justice of Indiana in March 1987. A seventh generation Hoosier, he graduated from Princeton University cum laude and from the Yale Law School. He earned a Master of Laws degree in the judicial process from the University of Virginia. Shepard was judge of the Vanderburgh Superior Court from 1980 until his appointment. He earlier served as executive assistant to Mayor Russell Lloyd of Evansville and as special assistant to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. He also was trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He served as chair of the ABA Appellate Judges Conference and of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. From 2005-06, Shepard served as president of the National Conference of Chief Justices. Chief Justice John Roberts recently appointed him to the U.S. Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. Shepard teaches periodically at the law schools of NYU and Yale. He is married to Amy MacDonell, USI trustee, and they have one child. Here's the rest of the University Core Curriculum Speaker Series schedule: September 26 Debate-A-Palooza, 6 p.m., USI Quadrangle. Debate-A-Palooza is a nonpartisan voter education program that brings citizens together to watch a televised debate and talk about what they learned. The event will kick off at 6 p.m. with a concert by Deaf Megan, and at 8 p.m. the first presidential debate will be shown on two jumbo screens. This event is free and open to the public. Bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic if you like. If it rains, the event will be held in the Health Professions Center. Debate-A-Palooza is sponsored by the Communications Club. October 10 Paquito d’Rivera, 2 p.m., Forum I, Wright Administration Building. Havana, Cuba native d’Rivera is a multiple Grammy-award winning musician and composer. The National Endowment for the Arts said “he has become the consummate multinational ambassador, creating and promoting a cross-culture of music that moves effortlessly among jazz, Latin, and Mozart. The University Core Curriculum presents this informational performance in cooperation with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. October 23 Fall Lecture by Dr. Alan Lightman, 7 p.m., Carter Hall, University Center. Lightman is an MIT physicist and English professor and author of Einstein’s Dreams and several other books. He is a featured author in USI’s Bonding through Books program and Evansville’s One Book One Community selection, This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. His essay hails the power of unanswered questions. Lightman’s lecture is sponsored by Student Development Programs. February 17 Lecture by Dr. Kenneth R. Miller, 7 p.m., Carter Hall, University Center. In 2005, Miller, professor of biology at Brown University, testified in Kitzmiller et al vs. Dover (Pennsylvania) Area School District on the question of whether intelligent design is a religious belief or a scientific theory. It was ruled in the case that intelligent design is a form of creationism and can not be taught in schools under the first amendment. The University Core Curriculum Lecture Series hosts Miller in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Theory of Evolution. For more information, contact Dr. Mark Krahling, director of the University Core Curriculum, at mkrahlin@usi.edu or 812/464-1712. Wendy Knipe Bredhold News and Information Services wkbredhold@usi.edu or 812/461-5259 |
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