A new tentpole event is set for the calendar at Brandon University next fall, thanks to alumni sponsorship of a new public lectureship announced at Homecoming this weekend.
The JRC Evans Memorial Distinguished Lectureship will welcome experts, authors, and other compelling speakers to deliver public lectures at BU, starting at next year’s Homecoming.
Dr. Arnold & Mrs. Glenyce Tweed are sponsoring the inaugural lectureship next year. Both are members of the Class of ’59 from Brandon College, the predecessor to Brandon University. The President of Brandon College during their studies was Dr. JRC Evans, a renowned educator and administrator who led the College for three decades and played a key role in shepherding it through the Depression. He died in 1960.
“A public lectureship featuring topics of real community interest can help blend the local community with the academic. It’s a joint project,” Dr. Tweed said. “We can help show the community that the university is not just an ivory tower. Brandon University is a place where real problems in the world are discussed and where real solutions are developed.”
The Evans Lectureship will host free lectures on campus where the community mingles with university students and faculty to hear from speakers on topics of current interest.
“This can be mind-expanding for students and a dose of real-world interest,” added fellow Class of ’59 graduate Cam Davreux, who is also supporting the Evans Lectureship. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the university to show value to the community, and it fits beautifully with the university’s new strategic plan.”
The proposal grew out of lunch meetings that BU President David Docherty regularly hosts with engaged alumni across the country.
“I am very moved that we have alumni who are continually thinking of ways that BU can extend our reach in this fashion,” Docherty said. “This is exactly what presidents hope for when we visit alumni. This is going to be a very satisfying event next year.”
The new Evans Lectureship was announced at the Homecoming 2022 Awards Banquet, Saturday evening at BU’s Harvest Hall, and the first lecture is expected next fall at Homecoming 2023.
Alumni and other friends of Brandon University are invited to lend their own support to the lectureship and ensure it is able to attract the highest-quality speakers year after year, by donating online at BrandonU.ca/Give.
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