About the Norman and Louis Miller Lecture in Public Understanding
The Louis Miller Lecture in Public Understanding was established at St. Norbert College in 1993 by the Norman Miller Family Foundation in honor of the life of Louis Miller, a native of Green Bay who died in 1989. At that time, Norman Miller, an area developer and longtime advocate for human rights, stated, “I am pleased that my brother’s name will be memorialized through a continuing series [of lectures] at St. Norbert College that will promote peace and better understanding.” When Norman himself passed away in 2008, his name was added to the title of these annual lectures.
Continuing the legacy of the men for which it is named, the Norman and Louis Miller Lecture in Public Understanding promotes unity, communication and tolerance among different cultures, religions, ethnicities and traditions. The lecture series celebrates human dignity and encourages better understanding between people, both domestically and internationally.
Past Events
Please reach out to ITS to see the archive of past events.
| Academic Year | Speaker, Title, and Lecture Date | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | "A Conversation with Krista Tippett", Krista Tippett. March 11, 2025 | In conversation with Fr. Jim Neilson, PO Praem. |
| 2023-24 | “A Conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill”, with Sherrilyn Ifill. Oct 17, 2023 | Sherrilyn Ifill is the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights at Howard University Law School, where she also heads the multi-disciplinary 14thAmendment Center for Law & Democracy. She served as the seventh President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) from 2013 to 2022, and currently serves as President and Director-Counsel Emeritus. Ifill, the second woman to ever lead LDF, provided visionary and transformational leadership during one of the most consequential and intense moments in our nation’s history. Sherrilyn was in conversation with ESPN journalist Sarah Spain and President and CEO of Brown County United Way Robyn Davis. |
| 2022-23 | "Global Challenges to Human Rights Today" with Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein. Oct 25, 2022 | Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan is the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Known for his outspoken criticism of fascism, religious radicalism, and threats to civil liberties growing in countries around the world, Zeid was a powerful advocate for human rights and open societies. After his lecture, Zeid was joined by Micheline Ishay, Ph.D., Professor of Human Rights and International Studies at the University of Denver's Korbel School for International Studies, for conversation and questions. |
| 2021-22 | “How Should We Resist Hate? Free Speech vs. Censorship” with Nadine Strossen. Oct 5, 2021 | John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, New York Law School. |
| 2021-22 | “Mighty Be Our Powers:Investing in the Next Generation of Peacebuilders” with Leymah Gbowee. April 12, 2022. | Nobel Peace Laureate, Liberian peace activist, social worker and women’s right advocate, Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation of Africa. |
| 2020-21 | “Norbert of Xanten: The Enduring Relevance of a 950-Year-Old Peacemaker” with Tom Kunkel. April 8, 2021 | President Emeritus, St. Norbert College. |
| 2019-20 | "Resisting Hate Through Public Understanding: A 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Miller Lecture". Oct 29, 2019 | A look back at the 25 years of the lecture series and an examination of what can be done to continue to resist hate through public understanding |
| 2018-19 | "'Fake News' and the Coming Information Apocalypse", Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. April 4, 2019. | Professor of Theology and President Emerita, Chicago Theological Seminary. |
| 2018-19 | "Breaking white Supremacy: The Social Gospel in Black and White, Then and Now", with Gary Dorrien. Oct 30, 2018 | Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary. |
| 2017-18 | “Which Common Good? Rethinking Religion, Self-Interest and Agency”, Joerg Rieger | Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair of Wesleyan Studies, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion, Vanderbilt University. Oct 17, 2017. |
| 2017-18 | “Disturbing Aesthetics of Race”, M. Shawn Copeland | Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College. March 22, 2018. |
| 2016-17 | “The Word Peace and the Word Justice, and Why Sometimes the Peacemakers are Blessed (but only sometimes)”, William Miller | Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan. Sept 22, 2016. |
| 2016-17 | “Growing up Palestinian in Israel: One Man’s Journey from Revenge to Reconciliation”, Aziz Abu Sarah | Co-Founder and Co-CEO of MEJDI Tours. March 2, 2017. |
| 2015-16 | "The Faces of Modern Day Slavery", Lisa Kristine | Humanitarian Photographer. March 1, 2016 |
| 2015-16 | "Imagining Heschel: Catholicism and Other Religions "-- readings from the play 'Imagining Heschel' by Colin Greer, Discussion with Rev. John Pawlikowski | Former president of the International Council of Christians and Jews. Sept. 24, 2015 |
| 2014-15 | "The Moral Imagination: Conflict Transformation in the Contemporary World", John Paul Lederach | Professor of International Peacebuilding, Director of Peace Accords Matrix, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. March 9, 2015. |
| 2014-15 | "The Recruitment of Human Race Activists," James Forbes | The Harry Emerson Fosdick Distinguished Professor at Union Theological Seminary, Senior Ministry Emeritus of the Riverside Church, President of the Healing of the Nations Foundation. Oct. 28, 2014 |
| 2013-14 | “Interfaith Leadership on America’s Sacred Ground”, Eboo Patel | Founder and President, Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core). Feb. 27, 2014 |
| 2013-14 | “Changing Seasons in the Middle East: The Impact on Human Rights”, Micheline Ishay | Distinguished Professor of International Studies and Human Rights, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Oct 16. 2013. |
| 2012-13 | ||
| 2012-13 | ||
| 2011-12 | ||
| 2011-12 | ||
| 2010-11 | ||
| 2010-11 |