Manchester University / Academics / VIA

Values, Ideas and the Arts (VIA) 

Values, Ideas and the Arts presentations enhance the Manchester Core program in the liberal arts through cultural exposure, artistic experience and intellectual enrichment. VIA features speakers, musicians and dramatic performers from the University community, across the country and around the globe. Manchester students earn academic credit through attendance. Members of the University community and the public are also invited to attend all VIA events. All events are free of charge unless otherwise noted.

The goals of the VIA program are to:

  • broaden students' cultural experiences,
  • enrich students intellectually and aesthetically,
  • provide opportunities to experience the arts,
  • promote dialogue about ideas and values, and
  • embody in its programs the values expressed in the University Mission.

Events last approximately one hour unless noted otherwise.

For more information about VIA credits, see Aug. 29 email from VIA Committee Chair Jared Friesen.


Fall 2021

Be sure to check this schedule often for new VIA events and fuller descriptions that will be added.



Opening Convocation
Monday, Aug. 30
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium (masks required)

President Dave McFadden
Where We Stand
We all come to Manchester as individuals and find ourselves part of this larger community. In a time when the world around us is fracturing, here we stand, together, at Manchester. What does it mean to celebrate our differences? How will we learn about ourselves and each other in a way that builds our community? Primary organizer: Julie Knuth



From Manchester to AbbVie program moved to Nov. 22.

 



Monday, Sept. 13
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Patrick HolbertPunch Line Drunk

In this comedy show, Patrick Holbert shares stories and jokes about addiction and sobriety. Students will be asked to consider their own relationships with alcohol and other drugs while also learning how to have fun without getting wasted. Each fall, Counseling Services coordinates with the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Committee and the Athletics Department to offer an engaging educational program about the use of alcohol and drugs, and wise choices around the exposure to alcohol and drugs in college.
Primary organizer: April White



 Monday, Sept. 20
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium (masks required)
Livestream on MU Facebook

Jeff Diesburg VIABetween Rows and Horizons
Jeff Diesburg, associate professor of art, presents his sabbatical work, a series of oil paintings depicting three local farms. 
He will discuss the concept of sabbatical, what he learned by painting pastoral landscapes, and the ancient but surprisingly uncommon practice of growing food. 
The painting series Between Rows and Horizons is open for viewing in Gallery G on the second floor of the Jo Young Switzer Center. 




Monday, Sept. 27
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium (masks required)
Livestream on MU Facebook
Jason Elliott Growing Sustainability at Manchester
With mounting evidence of the near-future impacts of human-caused climate change, it is time for all people to realize their role in building sustainable solutions. Jason Elliott, Manchester Class of 2011, is the assistant director of sustainability for Duke University where he works to develop a broad array of goals to mitigate climate change through sustainable solutions. Come to learn about how you can work toward a more sustainable future regardless of your area of study or profession.
Primary organizer: Virginia Rendler

 



Monday, Oct. 4
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium (masks required)
Livestream on MU Facebook
Deardorff VIAIntercultural Competence: Building a More Peaceful World
Dr. Darla K. Deardorff is executive director of the Association of International Education Administrators and a research scholar with the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. Author of 10 books and 60-plus articles, she holds faculty positions at several institutions around the world, including in South Africa and China. She will discuss her journey in working with the United Nations and her research surrounding developing intercultural competency skills, storytelling, and education. Her work will inspire a deeper understanding of the importance of the ability to communicate successfully across differences.
Primary organizer: Virginia Rendler 

 



Manchester Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, Oct. 10
3 p.m. (90-minute program)
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
MSO 83Invitation to the Dance
A program of dance music from the Renaissance through the 20th Century, and from across the globe. You'll tap your toes as you join the orchestra for this whirlwind tour of movement-inspired music. It features Manchester University professors Beate Gilliar and Jim Brumbaugh-Smith dancing to Leroy Anderson’s Blue Tango.
Primary organizer: Debra Lynn

 



Monday, Oct. 11
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Date available for VIA

 



Monday, Oct 25
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required

Refugee and Resettlement Services
Nyein Chan is director of Resettlement Services for Catholic Charities Fort Wayne-South Bend. He will share about their work providing direct service for refugees in the Indiana area with special focus on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
Primary organizer: Virginia Rendler



Monday, Nov. 1
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Step Afrika!

The group blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African-American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.
Primary organizer: Sam Alley



Monday, Nov. 8
11 a.m. 
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Steve Miller VIATruth and Reconciliation Project: Justice Through Telling Stories
The Truth and Reconciliation Oral History Project, founded by the Rev. Steven Miller, is an endeavor that uses the power of spoken and documented words to heal and create spiritual and social change. 


Monday, Nov.15
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Celebrating Native American History Month

Proposal final description pending.
Primary organizer: Beate Gilliar


Monday, Nov. 22
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
Martin Garcia ChavezFrom Manchester to AbbVie

Martin Garcia Chavez, Ph.D, models how MU has helped him to refine and fulfill his dream as a chemist. He is a senior scientist I in Medicinal Chemistry AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company in Illinois. He graduated from Manchester in 2016.
Primary organizer: Beate Gilliar


Monday, Dec. 6
11 a.m.
Cordier Auditorium
Masks required
A Spirited Past ... What Makes Manchester, Manchester?

Description, final title pending
Primary organizer: Jeanine Wine
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