National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jim Leach visited Samford's campus Thursday, July 29, to speak at a forum titled "Civility in a Fractured Society".  Leach is the ninth chairman of NEH, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, and his visit to Samford was part of a national tour to promote greater civility in the nation's political life.  Thursday night's event in Brock Recital Hall was sponsored by Samford's Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, and the Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education.  

Before the event, John Knapp, director of Samford's Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, sat down with Leach for a conversation on civility in society.  This video is part of a series by the Mann Center called "Conversations on Ethics and Leadership".

Samford University President Andrew Westmoreland ended the evening with a few concluding remarks, encouraging everyone to check out Birmingham Kitchen Table.  Birmingham Kitchen Table is a recent collaboration between Samford University and o2ideas to "create positive change in the world by encouraging dialogue among diverse people."  To learn more about Birmingham Kitchen Table and the other organizations involved with the event, visit the following links.

Birmingham Kitchen Table 

Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership 

The Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education 

The Alabama Humanities Foundation 

Jim Leach