Saturday University Comes to Jackson

JACKSON, WY —Go back to college for a day – minus the tests, stress and homework – with three professors from the University of Wyoming who will enlighten and entertain with lectures during Saturday University, the free one-day college education, on Saturday, March 2.

Attend one, two or all three Saturday University lectures from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., March 2, at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. There is no pre-registration necessary and the lectures are free and open to the public.  The day wraps up with a free lunch and conversation as the professors explore links among their topics.

Saturday University, March 2, Spring Term Schedule:

8:30-8:50 a.m.

Free coffee and pastries

8:50-9:00 a.m.

Welcome and opening remarks

 

9:00-10:00 a.m.

 The Black 14 Incident:  A Defining Moment in the History of the University of Wyoming and Its Intercollegiate Football Program

Jerry Parkinson, William T. Schwartz Professor and Former Dean, University of Wyoming College of Law

In the 1960’s the University of Wyoming football team was among the nation’s elite, having defeated Florida State in the Sun Bowl and competed against LSU in the Sugar Bowl.  All of that changed in 1969 when 14 African-American student-athletes were dismissed from the team for seeking to wear black armbands during a game.  The impact of that decision affected the fortunes of the football program for years and led to a series of court decisions involving an epic clash between the free speech and religious guarantees of the First Amendment.  This presentation takes us behind the scenes of this remarkable chapter in UW and State of Wyoming history.

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Energy, Climate and Hydrogen

Bruce A. Parkinson, J. E. Warren Professor of Energy and Environment, Department of Chemistry and the School of Energy Resources, University of Wyoming

Fossil fuel resources are finite and their continued exploitation endangers the world's climate. A non-polluting renewable energy economy based on hydrogen is feasible if hydrogen can be obtained efficiently and cheaply from sunlight and water. A possible path to the hydrogen economy will be presented.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Marginal Mormons: Race and Religious Identity in the Nineteenth-Century Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 Quincy Newell, Associate Professor, Religious Studies Program, University of Wyoming

The conventional wisdom is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is and always has been almost entirely white.  However, both African Americans and Native Americans have formed a part of the church since its founding in the nineteenth century.  This talk explores some of the ways in which race and religious experience shaped one another for some of these early non-white Mormons.

Saturday University is a collaborative program connecting popular UW professors with Wyoming residents who have a desire to learn.  Saturday University is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming Foundation and the Wyoming Humanities Council. The program is presented locally by Central Wyoming College, National Museum of Wildlife Art and Teton County Library Foundation.