Mary Elizabeth Moore, the dean of Boston University School of Theology, will present Austin College’s 2017 Allen-Head Lectures on February 21. Her first lecture, “Teaching as a Sacred Art” begins at 11 a.m. at Sherman Hall’s Hoxie Thompson Auditorium on campus. The second lecture, “Transforming Ministry: Recreating Culture in the 21st Century” begins at 7 p.m. in Wright Campus Center’s Mabee Hall. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
Moore is the author of Education for Continuity and Change: A Traditioning Model for Christian Religious Education, Ministering with the Earth, and Teaching as a Sacramental Act as well as several other books and articles. She has served as president of the International Academy of Practical Theology and held leadership in the United Methodist Church, in which she is an ordained deacon.
She says her passion is to journey with others to cultivate deeper faith, compassionate humanity, and a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Moore is a native of Louisiana and completed her undergraduate and master’s degree at Southern Methodist University. She earned her Ph.D. from Claremont School of Theology, where she also served as a professor of theology and education prior to moving to her current role at Boston University School of Theology.
The Allen-Head Lecture Series was established by an endowment gift in 1985 in memory and celebration of E.T. Allen Sr. and Mary Bell Anderson Allen; Mr. and Mrs. E.T. Allen Jr.; and Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Head Jr. of Whitesboro, Texas. The lectures feature nationally prominent speakers in the areas of religion, philosophy, psychology, history, and literature.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates and inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.