Lebanon Valley College to Host Dr. Steve Fuller for Lecture

Dr. Fuller was Expert Witness in Landmark Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District Case

ANNVILLE, PA (02/02/2016)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College's 2015-16 Colloquium Series will present Dr. Steve Fuller as part of this year's "Local Meets Global" theme. Dr. Fuller, who testified as an expert witness in the landmark Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case in 2005, is the Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology at the University of Warwick in England. His lecture, "The Kitzmiller Trial: The Global Significance of a Local Event," will be presented Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. in the Neidig-Garber Science Center.

Ten years ago, parents of students in the Dover Area School District near Harrisburg, Pa., sued the school board after it voted for biology teachers to introduce intelligent design as an alternative to the theory of evolution. A federal judge determined that it was unconstitutional for the school to enforce this policy under the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the "separation of church and state" clause. Dr. Fuller testified for the school district in the trial, using his background in history and the philosophy of science as an expert witness. The trial remains a historic one in the evolution versus intelligent design debate that still holds interest in classrooms today.

Dr. Fuller, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, founded a quarterly journal about social epistemology and has authored more than 20 books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, as well as the UK Academy of Social Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, among others. His work concerning sociology, social theory, and the future of humanity has appeared worldwide and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

The Colloquium Series is a year-long integrated series of keynote presentations, guest speakers, films, and academic courses. The 2015-2016 series is dedicated to the issue of "Local Meets Global" and asks individuals to consider their place in the world as a global citizen and part of a larger whole while remaining in any one locale as a singular being. The goal of the 2015-2016 Colloquium Series is to encourage these encounters, to test and reshape their limits, and to challenge us all to become world-ready local actors and global citizens.

Visit www.lvc.edu/colloquium for more information and a schedule of events.

About Lebanon Valley College

Lebanon Valley College is a private, coeducational college founded in 1866 and dedicated to the liberal arts. The College offers 36 undergraduate majors plus self-designed majors and a range of minors, concentrations, and pre-professional options, as well as graduate degree programs in athletic training, business administration, music education, physical therapy, and science education.

The College has 1,573 full-time undergraduate students and 106 full-time faculty. Students can choose from more than 90 clubs and organizations, and 12 study abroad programs. LVC awards generous academic scholarships to those whose high school records demonstrate a commitment to challenge and achievement.