Arnold Shober

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Pulitzer Prize Winner James Forman Jr. to Explore Causes of Mass Incarceration at Lawrence Talk

James Forman Jr., author of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, will deliver a talk that explores the rise of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of color. The talk will be followed by a signing of his book, which is hailed as “superb and shattering” by The New York Times.

James Forman Jr. headshot
Pulitzer Prize Winner James Forman, Jr. to speak at Lawrence University.

Forman explores how the war on crime that began in the 1970s was supported by many African American leaders in the nation’s urban centers and seeks to understand why. His exploration began when Forman served as a public defender in Washington, D.C. After he failed to keep a 15-year-old out of a juvenile detention center, he wondered how the mayor, the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the arresting officer, even the bailiff—all of whom were black—could send so many of their own to a grim, incarcerated future.  

Forman, now a professor at Yale Law School, will explore the answers during a talk and signing at Lawrence University on Thursday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Wriston Hall Auditorium.  He will show how good intentions and pressing dangers of the last 40 years have shaped the get-tough approach in the culture at large and in black neighborhoods.

Forman’s visit is sponsored by the Erickson Fund for Public Policy, Center for Institutions and Innovation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Lawrence University’s Government Department and Office for Diversity and Inclusion. He is hosted by Lawrence University Associate Professor of Government Arnold Shober. “Wisconsin has some of the highest incarceration rates of African-Americans in the country, yet race, crime, and prison are one of the most complex—and heart-rending—policy issues in modern America,” Shober says.  “Forman’s talk will help us think carefully and compassionately about our way forward.”

This event is free and open to the public and no registration is required.

Lecture and Signing with Pulitzer-Winner James Forman, Jr.
Thursday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center Auditorium
Appleton, WI
Free and Open to the Public

Panel of Lawrence Scholars Examine Constitutional Issues Faced by President Lincoln

Jerald Podair

A three-member panel of scholars will discuss constitutional issues presented by the Civil War Thursday, Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in  Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center auditorium. The program will include a question-and-answer session with the audience.

The presentation is in conjunction with the 1,000-square-foot traveling exhibit “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” that is on display in Lawrence’s Seeley G. Mudd Library until Feb. 8. Both the panel presentation and the exhibition are free and open to the public.

Arnold Shober

Participating in the discussion will be Lawrence faculty members Jerald Podair, professor of history and Robert S. French Professor of American Studies, and Arnold Shober, associate professor of government. Joining them will be 1981 Lawrence graduate James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, Ill.

James Cornelius ’81

The panel will examine a variety of topics, among them:

• What the words “all men are created equal” meant in the Declaration of Independence, what they meant to Jefferson Davis and his fellow Confederates and how did Lincoln interpret the word “equal?”

• Was secession constitutional?

• How did Lincoln and Jefferson Davis reflect clashing understandings of the nature of the “more perfect Union” established by the Constitution?

• Did the Constitution form an unbreakable “contract” with the American people or a revocable “compact” between sovereign states?

• How did the stresses of civil war erode civil liberties in the United States?

• How did Lincoln balance national security and personal freedom during the Civil War, especially with regard to Northern critics of the war?

• Was Lincoln an extraconstitutional “tyrant,” as his political enemies argued?

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

 

First Lady Michelle Obama Speaking Sept. 28 at Alexander Gymnasium

First lady Michelle Obama will deliver a campaign address Friday, September 28 in Alexander Gymnasium on the Lawrence University campus.

First lady Michelle Obama

Doors open at 1 p.m. This will be a standing only event.

* All tickets for Lawrence  students, faculty and staff have been distributed.

• A live webcast of the event can be seen here.

“While Lawrence is very careful not to endorse candidates for political office, we do encourage our students to learn about the political process and to be involved in making informed decisions about candidates. As such, the first lady’s appearance is an excellent educational opportunity for Lawrence students to experience first-hand the political process in the homestretch of an important election cycle,” said David Burrows, provost and dean of the faculty.  “One of the founding traditions of a liberal arts college is the education and creation of good citizens and good citizenship includes understanding the issues in any election. This should offer a great teaching moment for the entire Lawrence community.”

Mrs. Obama’s visit to Lawrence will be the second appearance by a major figure in the 2012 presidential election. Gov. Mitt Romney spoke at Lawrence on March 30.

“Despite an easy Wisconsin victory in 2008, Barack Obama’s campaign recognizes that the state is no shoo-in in 2012,” said Arnold Shober, associate professor of government at Lawrence. “Michelle Obama’s stop at Lawrence University shows how pivotal the Fox Valley is to win the state. Mitt Romney can count on suburban Milwaukee, and Barack Obama can rest assured in Madison, but neither candidate can take northeast Wisconsin for granted.”

Earlier this year to foster engagement in the national political arena, Lawrence launched an Internet tool — MyElectionDecision.org — to help voters intelligently search for their own individual “best candidate.” The interactive website allows voters to see which of the two major presidential candidate’s positions best match their own on a variety of important national issues.

Lawrence University does not endorse or sponsor either this event or Obama for America. Neither the university nor the LUCC is affiliated with Obama for America. The campaign is renting university facilities at its cost and the first lady is appearing at a campaign event for Obama for America.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

Lawrence University Political Scientist Sees “Generational” Matchup in U.S. Senate Race

Lawrence University political scientist Arnold Shober sees a “generational” political matchup this November in the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring four-term Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl.

Shober says Tommy Thompson, a former four-term Republican governor, and Democrat Tammy Baldwin, who has represented Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District since 1999, not only represent different political “cultures,” but also face different challenges in this election.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

 

Gov. Mitt Romney to Speak at Lawrence University

Gov. Mitt Romney, the current GOP presidential nominee frontrunner, will deliver a major policy announcement Friday, March 30 at 2 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre in the Lawrence University Music-Drama Center.

Gov. Mitt Romney

A limited number of seats will be available to the Lawrence community. Overflow seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for a live video feed in Harper Hall, adjacent to Stansbury Theatre.

“While Lawrence is very careful not to endorse candidates for political office, we do encourage our students to learn about the political process and to be involved in making informed decisions about candidates. As such, the governor’s appearance is an excellent educational opportunity for Lawrence students to experience first-hand the political process in the midst of an important election cycle,” said David Burrows, provost and dean of the faculty.  “One of the founding traditions of a liberal arts college is the education and creation of good citizens and good citizenship includes understanding the issues in any election. This should offer a great teaching moment for the entire Lawrence community.”

Lawrence was selected for the announcement based on its standing as the state’s top-ranked liberal arts institution. Last week before the Illinois primary, Romney issued a policy statement at the University of Chicago.

Romney’s visit is only the latest example of Lawrence’s engagement in the national political arena.  Earlier this year, Lawrence launched an Internet tool to help voters intelligently search for their own individual “best candidate.”

MyElectionDecision.org allows voters to see which candidate’s positions best match their own on a variety of important national issues.

According to the latest Rasmussen Reports’ look at the Wisconsin Republican primary race, Romney holds a double-digit lead over Sen. Rick Santorum. Based on statewide telephone survey, 46 percent of likely Republican primary voters in Wisconsin favor Romney, while 33 percent prefer Santorum.

“Mitt Romney’s stop at Lawrence shows that he knows Wisconsin elections are decided here.  Fox Valley voters are key both to the GOP nomination and to the state’s electoral vote in November,” said Arnold Shober, professor of government at Lawrence. “Despite the move to an April primary, Wisconsin is still a key piece of any candidate’s election strategy.”

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges by Forbes, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries.  Follow us on Facebook.