Stetson Cupola 1999-27-2

\JJ-2I. r- Z Cupola A. Stetson Univers Winter 1999 Stetson University Alumni News Volume XXIV No. 1 Stewart lecture encourages ethical concern and provides a means for action I" the United States doesn't learn to embrace its diversity, religious bigotry will tear apart the county as it enters the next millennium, veteran broadcaster Bill Moyers warned in a speech at Stetson University. "How do we avoid the intolerance, the chauvinism, the fanaticism, the bitter fruits of faith that occur when holy scriptures are used as a wedge to drive people apart?" Moyers asked his audience during Stetson's 1998 Stewart Lecture. A crowd of around 2,000, including faculty, students and Central Florida area residents, repeatedly applauded Moyers as he talked about the ethical problems that will accompany the increasing diversity in this nation. "The world has shrunk, and Moyers we cannot avoid the claims of different people, different stories and ideas impinging upon us," he said. Stetson President Doug Lee said that Moyers' work is important to the Institute for Christian Ethic's goal of encouraging dialogue among leaders in areas of ethical concern. In announcing last October that Moyers would speak at the university, Lee committed proceeds from the event to Home and Neighborhood Development (HAND) for a Spring Hill revitalization project, an ongoing effort to help low income families purchase affordable housing in the Southwest DeLand neighborhood of Spring Hill. A housing organization serving West Volusia County, HAND was founded in 1968 by a group of concerned citizens, including Stetson faculty, staff and administrators. Stetson University professors presented a gift of close to $7,000 to the executive director of HAND. "We are happy to fulfill our commitment to HAND's program to support residents of Spring Hill," said Lee. "The project is an excellent match with Stetson's ongoing outreach initiatives, which are based on our belief that social responsibility, values and ethics are critical to the education process." Half of the gift represents donations received at Stetson's Nov. 11 Stewart Lecture, featuring Moyers. Stetson matched the more than $3,400 in contributions with money presented to the university as an anonymous gift for the Spring Hill program. An ordained Baptist minister who lecided to devote his life to journal- sm, Moyers repeatedly praised the university for its commitment to instill ethical standards in students while encouraging cultural diversity. "The life of the mind and the life of the spirit are strongly linked at Stetson," he told the audience. As the Year 2000 approaches, hysteria over predictions of doom probably will increase, Moyers said. This type of hysteria has struck before — in the Year 1000 when many people again believed that the coming of a new millennium meant the end of the world. "Stetson's strong historical traditions, and its influence not only in spiritual but secular circles, make this an ideal place for the calm and deliberate examination of what it means to be religious in a modern democracy," he said. Much of Moyer's speech was drawn from his experiences in producing a recent 10-part television series on the book of Genesis. The series, which aired on Public Broadcasting Service stations, entitled Genesis: A Living Conversation, features representatives from several faiths, novelists, artists and educators discussing the first book of the Bible. "The Bible is not for indoctrination, but for education," he said. "We looked for people who had a real commitment to the Bible and who brought with them a quality of openness." Moyers and his wife, ludith Davidson, an education specialist, collaborated to create Public Affairs Television Inc., which produced hundreds of other hours of PBS programming. The winner of more than 30 Emmy Awards for his television work, Moyers began his career in journalism as a 16-year-old cub reporter in his hometown of Marshall, Texas. He served as executive editor of the series "Bill Moyers' Journal;" as senior news analyst for the "CBS Evening News;" and was chief correspondent for the documentary series, "CBS Reports." Moyers also was deputy director of the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy and was a special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1963 to 1967. He left the White House to become publisher of Newsday. Moyers was the fifth speaker in the Stewart Lecture Series since the Institute for Christian Ethics was founded at Stetson in 1991. Other lecturers have been former President Jimmy Carter and Nobel Peace Laureates Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel. Before the lecture, Moyers joked that Carter, Tutu and Wiesel are mountains while he is a foothill. "I've lectured at Harvard, Yale, Berkeley and other large institutions, but I haven't seen a more impressive succession of names in a campus series," he said. "It's a tribute to the vigor of Stetson's commitment to the Institute for Christian Ethics." The lecture series is named for the university's first dean of the chapel, Irish missionary and pastor James A. Stewart of Jacksonville. Led by Stetson Professor of Religious Studies Dixon Sutherland, the institute is designed to bring together the university and religious communities and to encourage students to be involved in civic affairs and to be socially responsible. As we have moved into the new school year, there is a tinge of .fall in the morning air, and rye grass is springing to life in DeLand. With the excitement of a new season, we begin counting the days to Stetson Weekend — just around four weeks — and all the events associated with Reunion, Homecoming, and our special public announcement about the $200 Million Campaign. The addition to the duPont-Ball Library is well under way and should be near completion in February. And if you have not seen the new Hollis and Wilson Centers, you are in for a treat. The new baseball stadium (Melching Field at Conrad Park) is scheduled to be dedicated during Stetson Weekend, February 19-21. Be sure to make your plans for Stetson Weekend. It promises to be one of the best ever. S^\ PCiCtru Meadows, '59, '63 MA itive Director, Alumni Association