WHAT IS THE FACULTY ROUNDTABLE?
Faculty Roundtables began in 2002 and have since hosted thousands of faculty members at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Brown, and other universities. The Faculty Roundtable at UC Berkeley is launching in October 2022.
The goal of a Roundtable is to foster cross-disciplinary community and dialogue among faculty that explores the intersection of current scholarship with various ethical, worldview, and religious or non-religious perspectives. The former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, commented that Roundtables are “the kind of night that should be the norm in academia — serious conversation among smart people about contested issues, with pretty much everyone who spoke and counter-spoke both witty and civil.” Hopefully, these interactions will spark innovative new approaches to a diverse set of academic and personal questions. Ideally, conversations begun at Faculty Roundtable dinners will continue in classrooms, seminars, discussion groups, coffee shops, and in every corner of Berkeley and beyond.
Roundtables are typically in-person events at a university faculty club or analogous venue. The event includes dinner, wine, dessert, and discussion after brief remarks from our presenters. At the close of our evening, we include time for questions and comments directed to each other and to our presenters.
Faculty Roundtables are made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries related to the big questions of human purpose and ultimate reality, and co-sponsored by The Veritas Forum and New College Berkeley. Additional funding has been provided by generous scholars and donors invested in the intersection of science and faith.
The goal of a Roundtable is to foster cross-disciplinary community and dialogue among faculty that explores the intersection of current scholarship with various ethical, worldview, and religious or non-religious perspectives. The former Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis, commented that Roundtables are “the kind of night that should be the norm in academia — serious conversation among smart people about contested issues, with pretty much everyone who spoke and counter-spoke both witty and civil.” Hopefully, these interactions will spark innovative new approaches to a diverse set of academic and personal questions. Ideally, conversations begun at Faculty Roundtable dinners will continue in classrooms, seminars, discussion groups, coffee shops, and in every corner of Berkeley and beyond.
Roundtables are typically in-person events at a university faculty club or analogous venue. The event includes dinner, wine, dessert, and discussion after brief remarks from our presenters. At the close of our evening, we include time for questions and comments directed to each other and to our presenters.
Faculty Roundtables are made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries related to the big questions of human purpose and ultimate reality, and co-sponsored by The Veritas Forum and New College Berkeley. Additional funding has been provided by generous scholars and donors invested in the intersection of science and faith.
REVIEWS FROM OTHER ROUNDTABLES
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There was an interesting discussion on the different types of intellectual humility, and for whom. One was essentially on the importance of fostering new voices, for which it is important that old fogies such as myself practice humility.
— Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering I appreciated the serious, complex, nuanced approach to the issues. — Professor of Anthropology I found the comparative global data quite fascinating as well as the data disaggregated by sub-field and by religion. Those generated useful research and political questions. — Professor of History |
The program was provocative; the evening was deeply satisfying. This was sociability at its best.
— Professor of Philosophy I thought it was great and provided a safe space to have some interesting conversations with other faculty that I certainly would have never had otherwise. — Professor of Applied Mathematics It was the kind of night that should be the norm in academia — serious conversation among smart people about contested issues, with pretty much everyone who spoke and counter-spoke both witty and civil. — Harry Lewis, Former Dean of Harvard College, Professor of Computer Science |
THE FACULTY ROUNDTABLE AT UC BERKELEY IS COORDINATED BY:
- Darren Hsiung, Campus Staff Minister, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Graduate & Faculty Ministries
- Michele Turek, Field Operations Director, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Graduate & Faculty Ministries
