Save the Date for 2015 Hancock Symposium: Security vs. Liberty

The Hancock Symposium annually brings two engaging days of lectures, panel discussions and presentations by noted experts on one particular subject of global interest. The dynamic sessions challenge students through intellectual discourse, and the entire campus community participates in the events and learn together.

The 2015 Hancock Symposium will be held Sept. 15-16, 2015.

“Security vs. Liberty: Balancing the Scales of Freedom.”

The terrorist attacks on United States soil on September 11, 2001 – and the global response – defined a generation. The primary question asked since that fateful day has been: “How do we maintain a balance between championing liberty and preserving security?”

We face a multitude of concerns that demand attention to security yet may limit individual liberty: global pandemics, metadata collection by governments and private companies, climate change, war, migration, equal access to education, the rise of the megacity, and availability of food and clean water. These issues force us to confront difficult questions about the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of government. For example: How secure are your medical records? Can the government and school officials track you on social media? Does immigration policy put you – or your neighbor – at risk?

The 2015 Hancock Symposium will bring together practitioners, thinkers, and citizens to discuss, critique, and query—and perhaps impact—the scales of freedom.

This year’s symposium chairman is Dr. Tobias T. Gibson. Symposium committee members are Dr. Mark Boulton, Dr. Linda Webster, Dr. Kali Wright-Smith, Prof. Kat Barden, Abigail Manwell, Spencer O’Gara, Claire Gibby, Ryne Fletcher, Dr. Kurt Jefferson – Hancock Symposium Director, and Dr. Carolyn Perry, Senior Vice President and Dean of Faculty.

Watch a video recap of the 2014 Hancock Symposium.