We’re BACK for our first installment in 2024 of…

Humanities on the Mall!

On February 4th at 5pm in DC, we will be joined by an amazing panel to discuss “Students, College Campuses, and Difficult Conversations.” We’ll also chat about a new book, The Student: A Short History (2023). Our speakers will be:

• Chris Celenza, Dean of the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University
• Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University and author of The Student: A Short History
• moderator Aliza Watters, Assistant Dean and Director of First-Year Seminars at JHU

We look forward to an eye-opening, moderated discussion with audience Q&A, plus wine & cheese. ALL ARE WELCOME. Registration is free: register in advance here. IDs are required to enter the building (and JHU affiliates can swipe in with your J-card).

See you there!

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Michael S. Roth ’78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University in 2007. He has overseen the launch of academic programs at Wesleyan such as the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and the Shapiro Center for Writing, as well as five new interdisciplinary colleges emphasizing research and cohort building. Under his leadership, Wesleyan had its most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history, raising more than $482 million, primarily for financial aid. Roth has undertaken a number of initiatives that have made a Wesleyan education more affordable for many and more accessible to students from under-represented groups. Since returning to Wesleyan, he has published three books (all with Yale University Press) bearing on liberal education, the most recent being The Student, A Short History (2023). His Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (2014), was recognized with the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ Frederic W. Ness award for a book that best illuminates the goals and practices of a contemporary liberal education. Roth’s 2019 book, Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness, addresses some of the most contentious issues in American higher education, including affirmative action, safe spaces, and questions of free speech. [Full bio via Wesleyan University]

Professor Christopher S. Celenza is the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. He is also a professor of history and classics. Celenza oversees the Krieger School’s 22 highly ranked academic departments within the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. He has made it a priority to foster diversity and inclusion. He also seeks to build on the school’s collaborative relationships, deepening support for scholars at every stage of their careers. [Full bio here]

Professor Aliza Hapgood Watters is the Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Curriculum, Director of First-Year Seminars, and a Senior Lecturer in the University Writing Program. She is currently working to implement the recommendations of the University’s Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2), which aims to reshape the Hopkins undergraduate academic experience. [Full bio here]