Indiana Wesleyan University commits to provide academic opportunities of growth on its campus and is excited to announce that David Brooks and Anne Snyder will visit on April 4, 2024. David is a New York Times opinion columnist and PBS NewsHour commentator, and Anne, his wife, is the editor-in-chief of Comment.
IWU President Jon S. Kulaga and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aly Williams will host a conversation on April 4th between Brooks and IWU Professor of Psychology Erin Devers concerning Brooks' recently released book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (Random House, October 23, 2023). The book is the focus of a community-wide staff effort to learn and grow over the spring 2024 academic term. Devers is finalizing a comparable title for InterVarsity Press.
The conversation provides an opportunity for the IWU community to pause and engage in a unique and meaningful way together. When reflecting on the upcoming discussion, Kulaga offered, “David Brooks is perhaps one of the most well-known public intellectuals approaching issues from a Christian worldview. His platform in the wider society as a columnist of The New York Times and The Atlantic – gives him a unique perspective into the ways in which our polarized society prevents individuals from truly getting to know each other. We are excited to host both David and Anne on the IWU campus for an evening of important conversations – that we trust will extend into – and have impact on – the conversations we will all be having with family and friends during upcoming election cycle of 2024.”
The conversation is scheduled for 7:00 PM on April 4th in the Phillippe Performing Arts Center. The event will be free, but tickets are limited and will be available in March. Williams anticipates practical application from the event and says, “We are hopeful this book will prove beneficial in helping us think more deeply about how we relate to our students, one another, and our neighbors in the communities where we live.”
To share the message Brooks offers in his book, Indiana Wesleyan University is partnering with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) to make a variety of resources available to fellow member institutions at no cost. A reading guide, workbook, and a livestream of the April 4, 2024 conversation will be made available so other institutions can form their own reading and viewing groups.
More information concerning David Brooks and Anne Snyder’s visit to Indiana Wesleyan University is available from Professor of Humanities and Executive Director of Scholarship Todd Ream at todd.ream@indwes.edu.