LECTURESHIPS

Mary Frances Hobson Lecture and Prize

The annual Mary Frances Hobson Lecture and Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Letters brings the University and surrounding community together each spring to celebrate the accomplishments of an author of note from the region. Initiated in 1995 by the Hobson Family Foundation of San Francisco, the award serves as a memorial to Mary Frances Hobson (1912-1993), a journalist and poet, who was the first woman to receive the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in journalism from the University of North Carolina. Previous Hobson Prize recipients are: Kay Gibbons, Mark Richard, Jill McCorkle, Randall Kenan, G.D. Gearino, Amy Hempel, Allan Gurganus, Padgett Powell, Sheri Reynolds, Chuck Sullivan, Shelia P. Moses, Michael Parker, Josephine Humphreys, Judy Goldman, Darnell Arnoult, Lee Smith, Robert Morgan, Silas House, Joseph Bathanti, Sharyn McCrumb, Dorothy Allison, Edward P. Jones, Kevin Wilson, Jim Grimsley, Wiley Cash, Crystal Wilkinson, and Michel Stone.

Taylor Religious Heritage Lectures

An endowed annual lecture series, the Heritage Lectures were established by Dr. Hargus and Mrs. Doris Taylor for the Chowan University community. The lectures focus on religious personalities and movements as contributors to our understanding of our Judaeo-Christian Heritage.

The Reverend George T.and Luvenia B. Rouson Memorial Lecture

This annual lecture was established in 2003 as a joint venture with the Town of Murfreesboro, Chowan University, Murfreesboro Historical Association and local historian, Alice Eley Jones. Being known as educators and community-minded people who set a good example for others to follow, the event named in the Rouson family’s honor was designed to recognize citizens who have a positive influence in the community.

Dan and Sallie Surface Lecture in History

Chowan University and the Department of History host a lecture featuring a leading scholar each October. The Dan and Sallie Surface Lecture in History is a free event and open to the public. The lecture is an opportunity to bring together Chowan University and the larger community to listen to an engaging presentation of new research in southern, Civil War, North Carolina, or Virginia history.

"As I reflected on why I love Chowan, a commonality manifested: Chowan fosters one hundred percent authenticity one hundred percent of the time. Chowan is a place that gathers those from all backgrounds, a place that embraces individuality and accepts the not so ordinary. Watching classmates excel on the field, in the classroom, clubs, sororities, fraternities, art exhibits, music concerts and so much more- there was always a place for everyone."

Beth Walker '21