Diversity Days Brings Big Events, Speakers to Ferrum in April

     Ferrum College will celebrate and explore issues of international diversity April 12-14 with special lectures, presentations, art and dance. On Tuesday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m., respected Russian historian Dr. Hugh Ragsdale will present, “Putin’s Russia: Problems and Prospect”. Wednesday, April 13th at 4:00 p.m., Ferrum participants in various study abroad programs will present some of the highlights of their study abroad experiences; later that evening at 7:30 p.m., Ferrum offers Steppin’ Out for Diversity: an evening in celebration of the many cultures represented on the Ferrum College Campus, followed by a reception. The final event will occur on Thursday, April 14th at 7:30 p.m. with a lecture from distinguished Nigerian author and former Ferrum faculty member, Dr. Emmanuel N. Obiechina who presents, “In Praise of Tradition: An Evening of African Story Telling.” All events will be held in the Grousebeck Music Building and are free and open to the public.

     Dr. Hugh Ragsdale received his B.A. at the University of North Carolina and his M.A. and PhD at the University of Virginia. He taught for a number of years at the University of Alabama and is now devoting himself full time to his research and writing. He has served as the President of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies and in 1998 was named the recipient of that organizations Senior Scholar award. Dr. Ragsdale has received numerous research grants to support his scholarly work in the former Soviet Union and Europe. His many articles have appeared in such publications as Slavic Review, Journal of Modern History, and the New York Times. His sixth book, titled
The Soviets, the Munich Crisis, and the Beginning of World Was II, has just been published by Cambridge University Press.

      Dr. Emmanuel N. Obiechina is a distinguished scholar and literary critic known for his keen and thoughtful interpretations of African literature and the African Diaspora. Born in Nigeria, Obiechina received his B.A. in English from University College in Ibadan, Nigeria, an affiliate of the University of London in 1961 and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Cambridge in 1967. With 20 years of teaching experience, Obiechina has taught students at universities in both the U.S. and Africa. He was Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Ferrum College in 1997. From 2002 to 2003, Obiechina was a Visiting Scholar in the department of African and African American studies at Harvard University. He was also a fellow in the Du Bois Institute where he presented research work entitled 'Slavery and the Fall of Africa: Textualizing a Historic Tragedy' as part of an ongoing book project.

For more information, contact Sasha Saari at (540)365-4331 or ssaari@ferrum.edu.

     Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.