Augustana’s Symposium Day highlights transformation

Can a person – or an organization or college or culture – truly change? That is one of many questions that will be posed at Augustana College’s Fall Symposium Day, Wednesday, Oct. 11. The event includes visiting speakers from across the nation as well as student and faculty presentations on the theme of transformation. 

Featured events are open to the public. A complete schedule of events is available at: Fall Symposium Day.

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer M. McBride, one of Symposium Day’s keynote speakers, will highlight the religious transformation of Kelly Gissendaner, the only woman on Georgia's death row at the time of her execution in 2015. Rev. Dr. McBride is associate rector for formation at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta.

McBride’s 11:15 a.m. presentation, “The Transformative Power of Public Friendship with People Society Condemns,” will be held in the Gävle rooms of Augustana’s Gerber Center for Student Life, 3435 9 1/2 Ave., Rock Island.

That session will be followed by Dr. Christine Harb ‘15, the event’s Distinguished Alumni Featured Presenter. She will present “Health and its Call for Justice: Transformation of a World in Crisis,” at 12:30 p.m. in the Gävle rooms. Dr. Harb is a queer Palestinian human rights activist, physician and public health practitioner who will speak about the need for a thoughtful approach to political transformation in a world of challenges. 

Once per semester, Augustana devotes a full day to an alternative approach for learning and opens the process to the entire campus and Quad-Cities community. In addition to enriching presentations, the day includes advising sessions. The spring event, titled Celebration of Learning, showcases the research and scholarly works of faculty and staff.

“Augustana is a leader in considering the deep learning that happens inside and outside of the classroom,” said symposium organizer Dr. Jason Mahn, professor of religion. “It's a gift to work and study at a college that asks big questions and brings the whole community together to develop shared wisdom, and then to leverage that learning for the flourishing of the community.”

President Andrea Talentino said Augustana is proud of creating opportunities and space for individuals to hold discourse on law, religion, health care and social justice.

“It’s events like this that lead to transformational connections across campus and the community and that build Augustana students into tomorrow’s leaders for change,” she said.