ernest j. walters, jr. lecture series in political thought

Each year the Walters' endowment brings a distinguished scholar onto campus to give a public lecture in the area of political thought. The aim of the series is to provide students with an opportunity to reflect in an explicit way on the moral foundations of politics. Lecturers also teach a class and are available to meet with students during their visit to the Furman campus. Inaugurated in 2001, the memorial lectureship was established by the students Jay Walters inspired and the friends and family he cherished. The series is sponsored by the Department of Political Science under the auspices of the Riley Institute.

Ernest J. Walters, Jr. joined the political science department at Furman in 1962 after completing graduate work at the University of Chicago. He chaired the department from 1979 to 1984 an d retired in 1989 as professor of political science emeritus. He continued to teach in Furman's Learning in Retirement program until his death on January 31, 1997.

Jay's greatest commitment and enduring contribution were to the students that he attracted to the discipline he loved, political philosophy. His long hours of class preparation (often extending into the early hours of the morning) and dedication to his students were characteristic of the twenty-seven years he gave to teaching at Furman. His excellence in the classroom was recognized in 1971 when he was honored as the third recipient of the Alester G. Furman and Janie Earle Furman Award for Meritorious Teaching. In the words of one of his students: "What I remember most about Dr. Walters is that he expected a lot from his students, but he was willing to take whatever time it took to make you understand the idea or the argument. Above all, he made it clear that he really loved what he taught, and therefore invited his students to love it too. In my mind that is what real teaching is about."

2010 Lecture:
"Stuck with Virtue in our Pro-Life Future: The Persistence of Human Nature in the Era of Biotechnology"
Dana Professor Peter A. Lawler, Berry College
April 14, 2010, 8:00pm, Younts Conference Center

Past Walters' Lectures:

2009: "For the Love of the Game: Biotechnology and Adulteration of American Sport," Professor Leon R. Kass, University of Chicago

2008: "Modern Problems, Ancient Solutions?" Professor Susan Collins, University of Houston

2005: "Where Have all the Evils Gone?" Professor Michael A. Gillespie, Duke University

2004: "De(a)dication: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg and 9/11," Professor Michael Zuckert, University of Notre Dame

2002: "Pluralism and the Limits of Politics," Professor William A. Galston, University of Maryland

2001: "Politics in the Age of Technology: Are the Classics Still Relevant Today?" Professor Eugene F. Miller, University of Georgia