Former governor of Arkansas
Mike Huckabee
speaking on
“Ethics Surrounding the
Future of Medical & Health Care”
7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13, 2008
Launer Auditorium • Columbia College • 1001 Rogers St.
The Lecture Series
In November 2000, John Schiffman announced a $1.5 million donation to Columbia College to establish the Althea W. and John A. Schiffman Endowed Chair in Ethics, Religious Studies and Philosophy. It is the first-ever endowed chair at the college and, at the time, was the largest single gift in the history of the college. A significant portion of the gift was used to establish a lecture series focusing on ethics in society. The lectures are aimed at engaging students, faculty, staff and the Columbia community about ethical issues in contemporary society.
Schiffman donated the gift in honor of his late wife, Althea, who graduated from Christian College in 1941 and served on the board of trustees from 1983 until her death in 1987. After Althea's death, Schiffman finished out her term and remained on the Columbia College Board of Trustees until September 2007.
In 1985, Mrs. Schiffman received the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Columbia College Alumni Association. The Schiffmans' daughter, Joy, also is an alumna of Christian College.
"I established the chair at Columbia College because of my late wife's affection and fondness for the college and because of the historical roots of the college as an institution affiliated by covenant with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)," said Schiffman. "It is my hope that Columbia College will become a force in carrying forward the message to students that integrity, honesty, fairness and compassion are as important as intellect."
Huckabee is recognized nationally as a leader in health-care, education and energy issues. He served as governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007 and has held numerous other leadership positions over the course of his political career. He has been chairman of the National Governors Association, the Education Commission of the States and the Southern Governors Association. Huckabee also has served as president of the Council of State Governments and state co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority.
In 2003, Huckabee was recognized by the Road Runners Club of America as its Southern Region Runner of the Year. In 2005, he was named a Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine and one of the five best governors in America by Time magazine. That same year, he also received the AARP's Impact Award.
Over the past decade, Huckabee has authored five books, including his latest, "From Hope to Higher Ground."
Previous speakers
| 2003 | John Kasich, former U.S. congressman |
| 2004 | Arun Gandhi, founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence and grandson of the late Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi |
| 2005 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Harvard Law School graduate and environmental ethics advocate |
| 2006 | Soledad O’Brien, television journalist and CNN co-anchor |
| 2007 | David McCullough, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian |
Dr. Anthony Alioto, professor of history, has served as the Althea W. and
John A. Schiffman chair in ethics, religious studies and philosophy at
Columbia College since 2002.