Ohio State a sponsor for statewide Bicentennial lectures

COLUMBUS – From European settlement to globalization, the Ohio Bicentennial Distinguished Lecture series, titled “Ohio and the World,” will feature scholars and experts who will discuss different themes related to Ohio’s continuing development. The eight-week series will provide people within and outside the university community an opportunity to journey through Ohio’s past, present and future.

“It is important that Ohio State be involved in the commemoration of the Bicentennial because the university is the major center of learning in Ohio and one of the major centers of learning in the world,” said Richard Sisson, Ohio State Board of Trustees professor in comparative politics and who is co-chairing the series with Geoffrey Parker, Andreas Dorpalen professor of history. “What the university can do is share knowledge. This is a modest contribution to the examination of our past and what we hope to be.

“We wanted to have lecturers who would spark the interest and excitement of public audiences. The idea is to share knowledge, information and ideas, and to do so in a very engaging and embracing way,” Sisson said. “Every lecturer in the series is a distinguished contributor and expert.”

The inaugural lecture will be presented by R.W. Apple, Jr., associate editor of The New York Times, who will present “Views and Themes from Ohio’s Past” at 3:30 p.m. March 20 in The Ohio Statehouse Atrium.

Organizers of the lecture series, created in collaboration with the Ohio Humanities Council and the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, recognized the importance of going beyond the university community to reach a variety of audiences. In addition to Columbus, most lecturers will present in a second Ohio venue, Newark, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Cleveland or Athens.

To cover Ohio’s 200 years of history, each presenter was instructed to address a specific time period and topic to discuss. The periods of history were segmented into 50-year intervals and cover topics such as European settlement, the Civil War, progressive reform, civil rights and globalization.

“The lectures will not be just on one specific year, but the time surrounding the year, whether circa 1753, 1803 or 2003. Overall, we wanted to have consistent themes that would tie the different periods of times together,” Sisson said. “Every topic will lead to a thread of continuity that will transcend each of these slices of time.”

Sisson and Parker’s goal is to get as many Ohioans as possible to think about the state’s past and future, not only during the bicentennial year, but in years to come.

“Through the lecture series, we can establish the foundation of information that can be used next year, in 10 years and 50 years from now,” Sisson said. “It is educational, and that is, of course, what universities are all about.”

Kenneth Andrien, chair of the Department of History, said the lecture series will not only be a time for celebration, but a time to reflect on the state’s achievements and obstacles.

“The Bicentennial is an important moment in the history of the state. These are the moments when you can look at your past, celebrate the accomplishments and look at the challenges ahead,” Andrien said. “The series speaks volumes about our faculty. As a public university, we have a greater responsibility to outreach to the community. This event will help shape the public’s thinking about the past and future.”

Other presenters in The Ohio Distinguished Lecture Series are: R. David Edmunds, professor of American history at University of Texas; James O. Horton, professor of American studies and history at George Washington University; Eric Foner, professor of history at Columbia University; Kathryn Kish Sklar, distinguished professor of history and co-director of the Center for the Historical Study of Women and Gender at State University of New York at Binghamton; James T. Patterson, professor of history at Brown University; Herbert B. Asher, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State; and William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland and former president of Ohio State.

For more information regarding the lecture series, visit the “Ohio and the World” Web site at http://www.osu.edu/bicentennial/.