4:00 - 4:50 p.m., Friday, September 6, 2013

Room 172, Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building, University of Evansville Campus, 1800 Lincoln Ave, Evansville, IN

The Office of Academic Affairs and the Department of Religious Life are collaborating on a new interfaith initiative this fall, First Friday Forum @ 4:  Faith and Faculty. The monthly forum will provide an informal venue where UE faculty can present and offer reflections about their own faith traditions/religious practices and engage the University community in informal dialogue. 

Friday, September 6: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Mormonism, presented by Dr. Ryan Kiggins and Dr. Mark Kopta.

Dr. Ryan Kiggins is Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Politics, and Society, University of Evansville. He is trained in the fields of International Relations and political theory with research and teaching interests in theories of international relations, cyber security, internet governance, American foreign policy, and international political economy. Dr. Kiggins received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Florida in December 2011 and has held academic appointments as Visiting Assistant Professor at Williams College during the 2012-13 academic year and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2011-12 academic year. Dr. Kiggins’ research has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal International Studies Perspectives, and in peer-reviewed edited volumes published by the University of Minnesota Press, Ashgate, and Springer-Verlag. In addition, local ABC and CBS affiliates in Lafayette, Louisiana have relied on Dr. Kiggins’ expertise during news reports on international political events including the Arab Spring and the overthrow of Mummar Kaddafi. Dr. Kiggins is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Dr. Mark Kopta is Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Evansville. He is an internationally recognized expert in psychotherapy and mental health research. He is also Founder/Executive Director of the CelestHealth Research Group. CHRG has research centers at Johns Hopkins University, Marquette University, University of Louisville, and University of Trier in Germany. Dr. Kopta has served as a mental health consultant and contributor for ABC News. His research and comments have been featured on network news and public television as well as in a variety of magazines and newspapers, as examples, USA Today; U.S. News & World Report; Huffington Post, Forbes, Der Spiegel, the European news magazine; and Corriere Salute, the Italian news magazine.  Dr. Kopta is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

For more information, please contact University Chaplain, Tammy Gieselman, tg85@evansville.edu or Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs, John Mosbo, jm545@evansville.edu.