Campus News

Former philosophy professor will speak at Founders’ Day

Retired UGA professor Bernard Dauenhauer will present the annual Founders’ Day Lecture Jan. 27 marking UGA’s 221st anniversary.

Dauenhauer, emeritus professor of philosophy, will speak on “Justice, Truth and the Place of Universities” at 3 p.m. in the Chapel. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The lecture will be on the date—Jan. 27—that UGA was established in 1785 when the Georgia General Assembly adopted a charter creating the university as America’s first state-chartered institution of higher education.

In conjunction with the annual celebration of Founders’ Day, the Hargrett Library will mount a one-day display of the historic 1785 University of Georgia Charter from 8 am until 4:45 p.m. in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s gallery on the third floor of the Main Library.

The Founders’ Day Lecture is sponsored by the university’s Alumni Association and the Emeriti Scholars, a group of retired faculty members who are especially known for their teaching abilities and continue to participate in academic life through part-time teaching, research and service assignments. When Dauenhauer, a member of the Emeriti Scholars, finishes his lecture, Sheila Slaughter, professor of higher education at UGA, and Kathleen McNicholas, a student, will make brief commentaries on his remarks.  A reception will be held immediately following the program in Moore College.

Deborah Dietzler, executive director of the Alumni Association, urges faculty, staff and students to join alumni for the lecture and reception.

“This is a day to celebrate the many contributions the University of Georgia has made to the growth and prosperity of Georgia over more than two centuries, and to renew our dedication to excellence in teaching, research and service,” Dietzler says. “We welcome all who share pride in UGA’s educational leadership and its commitment to a greater future for our state and nation.”

All of the Emeriti Scholars are members of UGA’s Teaching Academy and have received honors for outstanding classroom teaching. In addition to developing the Founders’ Day Lecture, members of the group have worked with the Honors Program, taught courses and seminars, lectured at special events and served as mentors to Honors students.

As part of Founders’ Day, the Alumni Association and Emeriti Scholars place a book in a collection they created in UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  This year’s book is Academic Capitalism and the New Economy. Sheila Slaughter is a co-author.

Dauenhauer joined the UGA faculty in 1972 and retired in 1999.