"Consider This" Dinner Series

A dinner series where participants gather to consider life's big questions, discussing spirituality, religion and what it means to live as people with or without a professed faith tradition. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are invited to participate in each dinner. It is a time to be community, engage in meaningful conversation, and consider the beliefs and commitments at the heart of our work here at the University of Richmond.

Past Dinner Series Themes

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  • 2010-2011

    Where is soul in liberal education?
    Facilitator: Sydney Watts, History

    What role does the university play in cultivating students of virtue?
    Facilitator: Scott Allison, Psychology

    How do stories shape the life of the university community?
    Facilitator: Scott Johnson, Rhetoric and Communication Studies

  • 2011-2012

    How can I live as a person of ethical integrity and remain sensitive to the suffering of others in the context of a corrupt society?
    Facilitator: Thad Williamson, Leadership Studies

    How does nonconformity shape our university community?
    Facilitator: Laine Briddell, Sociology and Anthropology

    What is the civic commitment of the university?
    Facilitator: Sylvia Gale, Center for Civic Engagement

    What is the value of a college education?
    Facilitator: Dan Palazzolo, Political Science

    How do you live with no regrets?
    Facilitator: Linda Hobgood, Rhetoric and Communication Studies

    How can we more clearly link our campus trajectories related to diversity and civic engagement?
    Facilitator: Glyn Hughes, Office of Common Ground, Sociology & Anthropology, and WGSS

  • 2012-2013

    Do we have to forget to truly forgive?
    Facilitator: Tom Mullen, Journalism

    How do we forgive ourselves?
    Facilitator: Louis Schwartz, English

    How does the practice of forgiveness inform civil society?
    Facilitator: Mary Tate, Law

    Racism without racists: What are the implications of a colorblind ideology for intergroup relations
    Facilitator: Crystal Hoyt, Leadership & WGSS

    Why do we ask for forgiveness?
    Facilitator: Del McWhorter, Philosophy & WGSS

    In what respects is debt forgiveness moral or immoral?
    Facilitator: Jonathan Wight, Economics

  • 2013-2014

    Cultures of honor in universities: Possibilities and obstacles
    Facilitator: Rob Phillips, Management & PPEL

    Money, meaning, and sex: What shouldn’t money buy (and why not)?
     Facilitator: David Lefkowitz, Philosophy & PPEL

    What is the role of the humanities in public life?
    Facilitator: Amy Howard, Center for Civic Engagement & American Studies

  • 2014-2015

    The Culture of honor at the University: The tip that warns of a tipping point
    Facilitator: Andy Litteral, Management

    What is literature for? The ethics of reading
    Facilitator: Lidia Radi, French & Italian

    What is the role of science in a liberal education?
    Facilitator: Bill Myers, Chemistry

    Is humanitarian intervention always humane?
    Facilitator: Sandra Joireman, Political Science & International Studies

    The head and the heart in academic writing
    Facilitator: Shari Motro, Law

    What is the purpose of general education?
    Facilitator: Nicole Sackley, History & American Studies

  • 2015-2016

    Speaking out when our values are at stake: How, when, and why?
    Facilitator: Paul Achter, Rhetoric & Communication Studies

    The Man Box and its implications on society: Fostering authentic masculinity in Guyland
    Facilitator: Joe Boehman, Dean of Richmond College

    On Composing A Life
    Facilitator: Jan French, Sociology & Anthropology

    The Role of Libraries in a Liberal Arts Education
    Facilitator: Kevin Butterfield, University Librarian

  • 2018-2019

    What is spirituality? How does it shape our lives?
    Facilitator: Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life

    The Intersection of Spirituality, Sexuality and Gender Identity
    Facilitators: Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life & Lee Dyer, Associate Director of Common Ground & LGBTQ Campus Life

    Exploring the Relationship Between Faith, Spirituality and Social Justice
    Facilitators: Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life & Blake Stack, Assistant Director, Student Engagement and the Bonner Scholars Program

  • 2019-2020

    Sustainability & Spirituality
    Facilitators: Rob Andrejewski, Director of Sustainability, and Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life

    The Intersection of Climate Change & Faith
    Facilitators: Cassandra Troy, Sustainability, Communications & Engagement Specialist and Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life

  • 2021-2022

    Resilient Faith for Tough Times
    Facilitators: Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life and Communications Director and Katie Mahan, CAPS Counselor

    All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis
    Facilitators: Jamie Lynn Haskins, Chaplain for Spiritual Life and Communications Director and Sarah Adams, Assistant Director, Community Engaged Learning, Bonner Center for Civic Engagement