EDWARDSVILLE - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Department of Historical Studies and Emeriti Faculty Association will host the Inaugural Abraham Lincoln Memorial Lecture at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Lovejoy Library’s Abbott Auditorium.
Renowned Civil War historian Edward L. Ayers, PhD, president emeritus and Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities at the University of Richmond, will present “Lincoln, Race, and Slavery,” with a reception to follow.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The presentation is free and open to the public. Interested community members may park for free after 5 p.m. in the lot behind Lovejoy Library.
“We are excited to have such a distinguished scholar of the United States and the Civil War as Ed Ayers visit our campus,” said Erik Alexander, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Historical Studies, who teaches courses on the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. “Ed is among the preeminent Civil War historians writing today, and anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln or the Civil War will find his talk relevant and interesting.” As part of the event, Ayers will also visit with SIUE students in Alexander’s Civil War and Reconstruction course.
“Dr. Ayers’ scholarship concerning the Civil War and Reconstruction provides a critically important perspective that remains deeply relevant for our society,” added CAS Dean Greg Budzban, PhD. “As one of the pioneers of the digital humanities, his insights in this area will be extremely valuable to us in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Ayers is the author and editor of 10 books. He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award, was the Carnegie Foundation’s National Professor of the Year in 2003 and was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama in 2013. He is the current president of the Organization of American Historians.
His first book on the Civil War, “In the Presence of Mine Enemies,” won the Bancroft prize in 2004, awarded annually to the best books published on American history. The second half of his two-volume study of the Civil War and Reconstruction, “The Thin Light of Freedom,” appeared in 2017.
Central to SIUE’s exceptional and comprehensive education, the College of Arts and Sciences has 19 departments and 85 areas of study. More than 300 full-time faculty/instructors deliver classes to more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty help students explore diverse ideas and experiences, while learning to think and live as fulfilled, productive members of the global community. Study abroad, service-learning, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities better prepare SIUE students not only to succeed in our region's workplaces, but also to become valuable leaders who make important contributions to our communities.
More like this:
