WILSON, N.C. — September 10, 2025 — Barton College’s Honors Faculty Lecture Series returns this semester with the theme “Movement.” Suggested by Barton student Gracie Howard, a leader of the Honors Student Council, the theme will be explored by faculty from across the disciplines, underscoring the College’s commitment to the interdisciplinary nature of the liberal arts.
The series began unofficially in fall 2018 as an experiment between Dr. Gerard Lange and the late Dr. Steven Fulks on the topic of “memory.” It officially launched in spring 2019 with the theme “books” and has continued each semester with faculty presenting their disciplinary perspectives on a one-word theme. Past topics have included “freedom,” “light,” “death,” and “resistance.”
“By presenting on a shared theme, faculty demonstrate how the liberal arts are interconnected and essential to Barton’s identity,” said Dr. Gerard Lange, director of the Whitehurst Family Honors Program and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.
Lectures will be held on Mondays from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the Willis N. Hackney Library learning commons. A question-and-answer session will follow each lecture. Because the series coincides with the lunch hour, guests are encouraged to bring their lunch.
Fall 2025 Schedule
- Sept. 15 – Charlie Ottinger, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science
- Sept. 22 – Yvette Richardson, Assistant Professor of Social Work
- Sept. 29 – Dorothy Austin-Harrell, Director of Pathways & Community Engagement Partnerships
- Oct. 6 – Ashley Bennett, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology
- Oct. 20 – Ken Russell, Dean of the School of Business and Innovation
- Nov. 3 – Mark Basinger, Associate Professor of Biology
- Nov. 10 – Shawn McCauley, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
The Honors Faculty Lecture Series is free and open to the public.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Gerard Lange, director of the Whitehurst Family Honors Program and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, at [email protected] or 252-399-6475.
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