Lyon College will kick off its spring 2023 convocation series with a presentation by Lyon College faculty member Dr. Scott Roulier titled “Contemporary India: A View from the Backseat of an Auto-rickshaw” on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 4 p.m. in the Nucor Auditorium of the Lyon Business and Economics Building, 2300 Highland Rd., Batesville.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Using a number of vignettes—from urban animals to modernist architecture, from cremation ghats to militant vegetarianism—this lecture will try to provide a general sketch of some of the successes of the world’s largest and most diverse democracy as well as the religious conflicts and authoritarian political maneuvers that threaten to undermine it.

"India has piqued my interest for many years,” said Dr. Roulier. “Receiving a Fulbright grant to teach, conduct research and travel in India last spring was a great privilege. I hope to be able to convey at least a little bit of the richness of that experience.”

Dr. Roulier received his Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Virginia and currently occupies the David Trimble Chair of Political Philosophy at Lyon College. He teaches courses primarily in political theory and constitutional law. Secondary teaching interests include urban politics and environmental politics.

In 2005, he was named the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching/CASE Arkansas Professor of the Year. He is also the author of two books: “Kantian Virtue at the Intersection of Politics and Nature” (the University of Rochester Press, 2004) and “Shaping American Democracy: Landscapes and Urban Design” (Palgrave, 2018). He has been the recipient of both a German Academic Exchange Service Fellowship (DAAD) and a Fulbright Fellowship and has been a scholar in residence at Tübingen University (Germany) and Massey University (New Zealand).

Lyon College students, faculty, staff, and guests gather regularly for academic convocations and lectures on issues relevant to Lyon College, the community, or society at large.

"We are excited to hear from Dr. Roulier about his first-hand insight into India, a ‘land of many names,’ where he recently taught and researched during the spring semester of 2022,” said Dr. Michael Oriatti, chair of the Lyon College Convocation Committee.

For more information about the presentation, please contact Dr. Oriatti at Michael.Oriatti@lyon.edu.

The Lyon College campus will be closed Thursday, Feb. 2, because of inclement weather. All classes (including evening classes) will be canceled and offices will be closed.

Lyon College dining services will be open for brunch from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:45-6 p.m. 

Students, faculty and staff should monitor their Lyon College email, the Lyon College website, lyon.edu, and local media outlets for information.

The Lyon College campus will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 1, because of inclement weather. All classes (including evening classes) will be canceled and offices will be closed.

Lyon College dining services will be open for brunch from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:45-6 p.m.

The Black History Month Women's Alumni Panel, originally scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m., will be rescheduled for a later date.

Students, faculty and staff should monitor their Lyon College email, the Lyon College website, lyon.edu, and local media outlets for information.