The Vernon L. Pack Distinguished Lecture and Scholar in Residence

Dr. Richard Alley was the 2009 Vernon L. Pack Scholar in Residence.

The Vernon L. Pack Distinguished Lecture and Scholar in Residence program was established in 2002 through a generous gift from alumnus Vernon L. Pack, a 1950 graduate of the College. A distinguished lecturer visits campus to address important current issues that will allow the Otterbein community to reflect on ethical, spiritual and social issues. In alternate years, an esteemed scholar is invited to campus to reside for up to one academic year in order to provide an educational enrichment experience for Otterbein students.

In support of its commitment to educating students about environmental issues, Otterbein College has selected Dr. Richard Alley, a geologist at Pennsylvania State University, as the 2009 Vernon L. Pack Distinguished Lecturer. Alley will present his lecture, Get Rich and Save the World-Or Else: Global Warming, Peak (Whale) Oil, and Our Future, at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, in the Fritsche Theatre in Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St., Westerville. The lecture will be followed by a reception in the Fisher Gallery in Roush Hall, 27 S. Grove St., Westerville. Both events are free and open to the public.

While on campus from May 18-29, Alley will meet with students in the energy science and society class, advanced environmental studies, and historical geology class to discuss various topics including the role of energy, global warming science, and climate change.

More information about Dr. Alley is here.

Distinguished Lecturers:

2002 - Doris Kerns Goodwin, acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize in history winner for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.

2004 - Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International and host of CNN's international affairs program Fareed Zakaria GPS.

2005 - Alan Lightman, noted physicist and critically acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams

2008 - Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmentalist. Photos of the event. Mr. Begley was featured in the Fall issue of Towers magazine. Read the article.

Distinguished Scholars in Residence:

2003 - Dr. Valentine Moghadam, a professor born in Iran, who conducts research regarding development, social change, and gender in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan.

2005- Lois Raimondo, an internationally-known photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist nominee for her work on the New York City Mitchell Lama housing project for New York Newsday.

2007 - Wande Abimbola, President of the International Congress of Orisa Tradition and Culture, and world-renowned expert on Ifa, a West African sacred divinatory and literary system.

2009 - Dr. Richard Alley, an acclaimed geologist who conducts research on environmental issues including abrupt climate changes, glaciers, ice sheet collapse and sea level change. News release.