Within the sesquicentennial season at Milligan College, various guest speakers have provided a special insight into the history and heritage of the institution.
To celebrate the sesquicentennial, scheduled for December, the college has hosted a series of lectures titled “History Through the Eyes of Milligan” through the summer and fall months. Residents can catch the next installment on Tuesday, Sept. 27, inside Derthick Lecture Hall at 6:30 p.m.
“I think these lectures have been amazing, mostly because you’re hearing from current and retired professors and individuals that have such knowledge of Milligan College,” said Dr. Lee Harrison, VP for Enrollment Management and Marketing Communications. “Each of the speakers have done an amazing job to highlight the history of Milligan College. You can see how passionate they are when they speak, and we’ve had some very good crowds so far for the lectures.”
Dr. Harrison actually opened the series of lectures discussing the founding of Milligan College.
“It was an honor,” Harrison said. “(Milligan President) Dr. Bill Greer had a scheduling conflict and was unable to open the lectures. I worked with a former Milligan graduate Clint Holloway to present the history of the founding of Milligan College. It was a very humbling experience.
“One of the things about the lectures is that speakers provide information on their topic and how it impacted themselves,” she continued. “I was able to talk about my grandmother and two aunts that attended Milligan … it was great to see the tie-in on how it helped my journey to Milligan. And it has been that way with each of the speakers.”
Tuesday’s lecture titled “Milligan & Women’s Issues” will be led by Dr. Pat Magness, a retired humanities professor. Two other lectures follows Magness’, including an Oct. 4 session titled “Milligan in the Providence of God” led by Dr. Bill Gwaltney, professor emeritus of Bible. The lectures conclude on Oct. 11 with “From Honors to Humanities” spearheaded by Dr. Bob Wetzel, professor of ethics and philosophical theology.
“She’s an amazing speaker,” Dr. Harrison said of Dr. Magness. “She brings such a passion when she speaks. And the same can be said about Dr. Gwaltney and Dr. Wetzel, they’re so well-versed in their topics. I highly encourage people that haven’t had a chance to come by to hear the lectures.”
And there’s no need to fret if you can’t make it to an event, either, according to Dr. Harrison. Each of the previous lectures can be viewed at milligan.instructure.com/courses/4224 online or by visiting the Milligan 150 portion on the school’s website.
From the beginnings in 1866, until now, Milligan College has seen a fair share of growth, Dr. Harrison added. Milligan College will officially turn 150 on Saturday, Dec. 10.
“We’ve had so many different events over the past year-and-a-half,” she said. “It has just been wonderful to have all these different events to help showcase the history and heritage of what is Milligan College.”
Dr. Harrison added that a bevy of events will begin during Milligan’s homecoming, slated for the middle of October.
“Learn, appreciate and celebrate,” Dr. Harrison explained about what the sesquicentennial is for. “This gives us a chance to see our past, but even more, what the future holds. It’s exciting to see even with all the new additions, whether its courses or buildings, that we’re the same school with the same values that we want to pass on to our students. We’re very excited for what the future holds for Milligan College.”
Visit www.milligan.edu/150-2/ online for more information on the upcoming events celebrating Milligan College’s 150th anniversary.