Campus Lectures

The Kendrick-Poerschke Memorial Lecture by Omid Safi, editor of Progressive Muslims

The premiere of a documentary on Max and Trude Heller, created by Furman students under the leadership of Communications Studies professor John Armstrong, followed by a panel discussion with the Hellers and friends.

Furman history professor Courtney Tollison interviewed Rev. Hall about his role in the civil rights movement in Greenville, SC.

Rod Smolla, president of Furman University and one of the nation's top constitutional scholars, looks at the Prize Cases that came out of the Civil War conflict in South Carolina and examines the ongoing debate over the power to declare and make war under the U.S. Constitution. From the earliest days of the nation, U.S. Presidents have sparred with Congress, and at times the Supreme Court, over who has the power to send American forces into hostilities. Does the power reside exclusively in Congress, or does the President, as Commander-in-Chief, have inherent power to order American troops into combat? The first and still perhaps most influential Supreme Court decision to address these issues came from South Carolina. In the Prize Cases, the Supreme Court opined on the great constitutional issues of war and peace, responding to claims that Abraham Lincoln's blockage of Charleston in the aftermath of the seizure of Fort Sumter by the secessionist forces violated the Constitution since Lincoln acted without a congressional Declaration of War.

In 1975, Charles and Homozel Daniel purchased "Portrait of Lady Impey" from an auction house in New York City. They were told it was painted by the renowned 18th-century English portraitist Thomas Gainsborough. The Daniels bequeathed the painting to Furman and it was appraised, along with the rest of the White Oaks Collection, by Sotheby's in 1993. Without sending it to an expert in London, Sotheby's could not determine whether the portrait was painted by Thomas Gainsborough or by the artist's less revered nephew Gainsborough Dupont. Two years ago, the case was revisited when a descendant of Lady Impey contacted Furman. After researching the provenance of the painting, there is reason to believe that Furman's painting truly is a Gainsborough. In order to solve this mystery, the Decorative and Fine Arts Committee brought an internationally known Gainsborough scholar from England to Furman. Hugh Belsey, former Curator of Gainsborough's House and author of numerous books about Gainsborough, examined the Portrait of Lady Impey and revealed his findings at a public lecture on March 13. He also discussed the works of Thomas Gainsborough, particularly in his later years, as Furman's painting was created in 1786 near the end of Gainsborough's life.

A panel discussion of Greenvillians Benjamin Downs, Lottie Gibson and Leola Robinson Simpson, moderated by Sean O'Rourke of Communications Studies and Jennie Hill of the Cicero Society

Elizabeth Cook answered questions about the relationship between natural disasters, environmental destruction, and economic failure in Haiti based on her experiences in the country from August - November 2008.

Furman hosted a panel discussion moderated by former New York Times environmental reporter Andrew Revkin and featuring former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman as one of five panelists. Other panelists included David Hales, President of College of the Atlantic, and Furman President David Shi. The discussion was part of a day-long celebration on campus of sustainability, which included a lecture by Whitman and the dedication of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability.

Princeton University professor and best-selling author Cornel West spoke at Furman as the university's chapter of the NAACP celebrated its founding and its future.