Barry McNamara  |   Published October 04, 2015

Prestigious speakers

Nakassis, MacArthur Award winner, joins lists that includes Mather, Patel
One day after presenting an archaeology lecture at Monmouth College, Dimitri Nakassis received a prestigious MacArthur Award, as reported by The New York Times.   An associate professor of classics at the University of Toronto, Nakassis received the so-called “genius grant” of $625,000 for his work that is transforming the understanding of prehistoric Greek societies. He and the other 23 grant recipients can spend the money in any manner they want, no strings attached, thanks to the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.   Nakassis joins an impressive list of important visiting lecturers at Monmouth College. During the last academic year, Monmouth’s students were able to meet with interfaith leader Eboo Patel and Nobel Prize-winning physicist John Mather, among others. Upcoming in October will be McMullen Lecturer Massimo Pigliucci, who is a well-known critic of creationism.   “Visiting lecturers at Monmouth don’t just speak in a large auditorium and then head out to catch their next flight,” said President Clarence R. Wyatt. “They also speak one-on-one with students in intimate settings and serve as aspirational models.”   That is also true of Monmouth graduates who return to speak at their alma mater, many through the Alumni Distinguished Visitor program. On the same day as Nakassis’ talk, Daniel Cotter ’88 and Pamela Malone Meanes ’90, past presidents of the Chicago Bar Association and the National Bar Association, respectively, visited political science classes, ate lunch with students and held a roundtable discussion about careers in law.

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