John Sullivan, Distinguished University Professor and Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Philosophy at Elon University, will deliver the Ferris E. Reynolds Memorial Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21 in Whitley Auditorium on campus. Sullivan’s lecture is free and open to the public.
Sullivan’s presentation will look to the future by examining themes dealing with humane and liberating learning. He will use John Henry Newman’s 1854 volume “The Idea of a University” to explore medieval, modern and future visions for university life.
Sullivan will retire in May following a 36-year career at Elon. He is a past recipient of the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching and has served as chair of Elon’s Carnegie Committee on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. An active member of the Elon community, Sullivan was selected to offer words of comfort and assurance to a gathering of students, faculty and staff following the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2002, Sullivan delivered Elon’s Commencement address after serving for many years as the backup speaker.
His professional activities extend well beyond Elon. Sullivan is co-founder of the School of Philosophy and Healing in Action (SOPHIA), a program at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Md. The program, started in 1987, teaches healing principles based on ancient Chinese beliefs.
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