Past Presidents Inauguration 2011 Discussion Panel

October 15, 2011

Panel Discussion Moderated by Amherst College trustee Andrew J. Nussbaum ’85

• “What Artists, Humanists and Scientists Actually Do.” Don Randel, president of the Mellon Foundation, former president of the University of Chicago and, prior to that, provost at Cornell University. Randel, a distinguished musicologist, will talk about the liberal arts—specifically the connections between the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Dr. Randel will be introduced by Mark Marshall, the Class of 1959 Professor of Chemistry. 
• “The Opportunity for Equality.” David Harris, senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. Harris had previously served as deputy provost and interim provost at Cornell, and, after a stint in the Obama administration, has returned to the university. He is a sociologist whose work relates to racial and economic inequality. Professor Harris will be introduced by Rhonda Cobham-Sander, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Black Studies and English and chair of the English Department.
• “The Liberal Arts and Civil Society.” Isabel Hull, the John Stambaugh Professor of History at Cornell University. Hull, a historian with a focus on Germany, has written many articles and three major books: one on the personal relations that informed the political history of the Kaisserreich, one on the history of sexuality in Germany and one on German colonial rule and violence in Southeast Africa. Her current research is on World War I. Her talk will address the importance of the liberal arts and intellectual life more generally. Professor Hull will be introduced by Hilary Moss, Associate Professor of Black Studies and History.