President Emeritus speaks on campus
Jerry Israel, seventh president of the University of Indianapolis, returned to campus on March 3 to speak at the annual Jerry and Carol Israel Lecture on Public Policy.
The lecture series is in its fifth year, and this was Israel’s first year as the event’s keynote speaker.
Israel, a historian and former professor of history and political science, spoke on politics, highlighting the levels of authority held by the president, the Constitution and the Supreme Court. His talk was entitled “By What Authority: The
Humor throughout the talk ignited moments of laughter in the crowd.
“A word of advice, kids. There are about 20 words you should memorize, learn and use in conversation to prove you’re a college graduate,” Israel said in his lecture. “One of them is charisma. Use that in the same sentence as paradigm, and people might even think you’ve got a master’s degree.”
International relations graduate student Ben Waddell seemingly took Israel’s words to heart.
“He was such a charismatic speaker,” Waddell said. “I can imagine he was an amazing teacher, so easy to listen to and to follow.”
Former UIndy President Jerry Israel speaks in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall on March 3 as the featured speaker of the Jerry and Carol Israel Lecture on Public Policy. Photo by Jacki Dillman.
After the talk, Israel opened the floor to questions.
He fielded queries ranging from ones on policy, the presidency and even Proposition 8 (controversial California legislation that banned gay marriage).
One audience member wondered what question Israel would pose to James Madison, if he could go back in time to meet the founding father. Israel said that he would ask about the original intent of the Constitution and also gauge how Madison would have felt about Facebook.
“I feel a little like a Miss America candidate,” Israel said, jokingly as he fielded questions.
The fifth annual Jerry and Carol Israel Lecture on Public Policy ended with a reception in the lobby of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, where Israel mingled among his former colleagues and some current university students.
“His talk wasn’t what I expected walking into the room,” Waddell said. “It was better.”
