Cicero, civic arts and Tusculum College to be explored in lecture October 5

billgarrisWhat is the relationship between an ancient Roman philosopher and statesman and a small, private college in East Tennessee?

That question will be answered in a lecture Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Tusculum College in a presentation by Dr. Bill Garris. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Behan Arena Theatre in the lower level of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts building on campus.

The presentation is part of Tusculum College Acts, Arts, Academia/Cicero Lecture Series and is also one of the activities celebrating the Inauguration of Dr. Nancy B. Moody, which will take place on Friday, Oct. 8.

The lecture by Dr. Garris, assistant professor of psychology at Tusculum, is fittingly part of the Inauguration celebration schedule of events as it looks at subjects at the core of Tusculum’s curriculum and history. With a dynamic approach, Dr. Garris will explore the themes and values present in Cicero’s life and explain how they form the foundation of a Tusculum education.

Tusculum College is named for a hilltop city in ancient Rome, that has a history intertwined with the lives of its residents.  Two thousand years ago, one of its most notable residents, Marcus Tullius Cicero, found in Tusculum a sanctuary where thoughtful statesmen could find refuge, study, and write, while governmental breakdown and societal dissolution ravaged the population centers of Rome.

Although the original buildings and amphitheater of ancient Tusculum lies in ruins, Tusculum College carries forward the spirit of refuge, study and civic engagement as it develops students in Cicero’s virtues and practical wisdom.
Dr. Garris has been an active part of the Tusculum community since joining the college in 2008. He is the director of the college’s Quality Enhancement Plan to improve student learning in the area of problem solving with reflective judgment, which was reviewed by a committee from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges last spring without any recommendations for changes.

Dr. Garris received his doctorate in human development and family studies from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Reformed Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wofford College.
Admission is $6 per person and can be paid at the door (cash or check only please).

For more information, please call Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423.798.1620, e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu or visit http://arts.tusculum.edu.