Past Berger Lectures

Building Inclusive Excellence: Removing the Structural, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal Barriers that Perpetuate Inequality on our Campuses

Presented by Dr. Melinda Messineo

How do we make excellence in teaching and learning inclusive? Dr. Melinda Messineo will guide attendees on a sociological exploration of how their personal diversity stories impact their ability to see and eliminate the structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal barriers to creating the inclusive communities that we aspire to build. 

Dr. Melinda Messineo is Professor of Sociology at Ball State University (BSU) and a nationally recognized diversity/equity teacher, researcher, and advocate. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Outstanding Diversity Advocate Award from BSU, Schnabel Teaching Award from the North Central Sociological Association and the Hans O. Mauksch Award from the American Sociological Association. She has served as President of the North Central Sociological Association; Vice President of Alpha Kappa Delta; the International Sociological Honor Society; and was Chair of the Section for Teaching and Learning for the American Sociological Association. Dr. Messineo has also held several academic leadership posts at BSU including interim Associate Vice President/Provost of Institutional Diversity, Chair of the Sociology Department, and Chair of the First Year Experience. Dr. Messineo is passionate about connecting students with the community and making a difference in people’s lives.

The Berger Lecture is presented each year by the USI College of Liberal Arts in honor of Sydney Berger, one of Evansville's most respected attorneys who worked with local civil rights organizations and served as an instructor at USI for nearly two decades. Each year, an academic department in the college hosts a guest lecturer to present on the theme of civil rights or civil liberties, celebrating the values Berger cherished.

Questions about the presentation can be directed to Dr. Ronda Priest, Department of Sociology, rpriest@usi.edu

Electoral Justice Meets Democracy

The University of Southern Indiana Social Work Department welcomed Dr. Gena McClendon as she presented the 2020 Sydney Berger Lecture.

McClendon is director of the Voter Access and Engagement and the Financial Capability and Asset Building initiatives at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her work primarily involves policy research analysis and consultation with community-based programs, academic institutions, state and federal policymakers and advocacy groups. Read the full press release. 

The Re/Evolution of the Black Arts Movement

The USI Psychology Department welcomes Ron Himes and Heather Beal as they present the 2019 Sydney Berger Lecture.

“The Re/Evolution of the Black Arts Movement” will investigate the continued need for cultural institutions of color. Himes founded his own theatre company in 1976, during the height of the Black Arts Movement. Himes and Beal will ask and address the following question: do we still need a theatre company dedicated to blackness and why? Read the full press release.

The Majority Minority

The University of Southern Indiana Political Science, Public Administration and Philosophy Department welcomes Dr. Marjorie Hershey, professor of political science at Indiana University, as she presents at the 2018 Sydney Berger Lecture, “The Majority Minority”.

Hershey’s talk will explore the underrepresentation of women in American politics and how that underrepresentation affects our lives. She asks, “If we elected more women to Congress, executive leadership, and state legislatures, would we have different types of policies? A different political tone? Less partisanship- or more?” Read the full press release.