Constitution Day Celebration

“America 250: Hope Through History”

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, 7 p.m., Spurlock Center

Guest Speaker: Jon Meacham

Jon Meacham photographFranklin College commemorated the nation’s 250th anniversary this fall with a Constitution Day Convocation featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author, presidential historian and commentator Jon Meacham, one of America’s foremost public intellectuals.

Meacham’s lecture took place on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Spurlock Center on the Franklin College campus. The lecture is part of Franklin College’s America250 programming and its collaboration with the City of Franklin. The event was free and open to the public. Book sales and author signing followed the lecture.

Titled “America 250: Hope Through History,” Meacham’s lecture explains how the American past is the story of challenges overcome, crises resolved and progress made. In this nonpartisan speech, Meacham will walk the audience through moments that have seemed intractable – the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, the battle against polio, FDR’s reaction to the first days of the Depression, Winston Churchill’s decision to fight on against Hitler and the Cuban Missile Crisis – to offer lessons for leaders in how to endure and prevail.

Meacham is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers examining pivotal moments and figures in American history. His works include The Soul of America, which explores periods in which national division gave way to renewal. He also wrote And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, which received the Lincoln Prize and spent 16 weeks on the bestseller list.

His other acclaimed titles include presidential biographies such as Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush and American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, which earned the Pulitzer Prize. Meacham also co-wrote Impeachment: An American History and has written extensively on leaders such as John Lewis and Thomas Jefferson.

Beyond his books, Meacham reaches broad audiences through his podcasts Hope Through History and It Was Said, which explore defining moments in American history and the voices that shaped them.

Meacham’s appearance was made possible through the Tillman Lecture Fund and the Dietz Lecture Fund.

Contact the Franklin College Office of Communications at (317) 738-8189 for more information.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day: Franklin College is a postsecondary institution receiving federal funds and must hold an educational program pertaining to the U.S. Constitution on September 17 annually.  Constitution Day and Citizenship Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, during the U.S. Constitutional Convention.  If September 17 falls on a weekend or holiday, the institution will hold Constitution Day and Citizenship Day program activities during either the preceding week or the following week.

Spirit & Place Festival Event

Image of the logo for the 2026 Spirit and Place Festival event at Franklin College with the words, "Connecting Our Roots and Neighbors at Franklin College" on it.

“Connecting Our Roots and Neighbors”

Spirit & Place Festival Event

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m.; Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center

Franklin College will host “Connecting with Our Roots and Our Neighbors” as part of the 2026 Spirit & Place Festival on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center. Presented in partnership with the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the event will feature artists from Afghanistan and Anishinaabe traditions as they demonstrate their craft and explore how art expresses identity, spirituality and cultural heritage. Admission is free for all ages, but registration is required.

The evening will begin with painting and quillwork demonstrations from 6 to 7 p.m., giving guests an opportunity to see the artists at work and learn more about the traditions and stories reflected in their art.

A panel discussion will follow from 7:15 to 8 p.m. The artists will explain the connections among art, spirituality, identity and heritage and explore how understanding our own stories can help deepen connections with neighbors from different backgrounds.

The event is also part of the College’s Interfaith Understanding Through the Arts initiative, which was originally funded through a grant from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation. The goal is to bridge understanding of the world’s religions by highlighting the differences and similarities of various faith traditions through artistic expressions rooted in the arts and humanities. Artistic media showcased during previous events have included storytelling, poetry, music and the culinary arts.

Spirit & Place is housed on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis and puts the liberal arts into action through the power of the arts, humanities and religion. Year-long projects and events utilize these three “civic tools” to bring people together in a spirit of adventurous civility and collaboration. The signature offering, the Spirit & Place Festival, is a multi-day festival of events independently created and hosted by the community with support from Spirit & Place. Spirit & Place provides a yearly theme, staff coaching on collaborative possibilities and event design, and promotional support. A team of community reviewers select festival events after an application process.

This year’s Spirit & Place theme is Connections. Through conversations, performances, exhibitions, walks, workshops, films, and family, the festival invites you to experience new perspectives, strengthen relationships, and discover fresh ways to show up in community life.

Register Here

2027 MLK Day Celebration

“Chaos or Community: Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King”

Monday, Jan. 18, 2027, 4 p.m., Richardson Chapel

Guest Speaker: Seana Murphy, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Community Center

Franklin College’s 2026-27 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, “Chaos or Community: Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King,” will be held on Monday, Jan. 18,Seana Murphy photograph 2027 at 4 p.m. in the Richardson Chapel on campus. The guest speaker for the event is Seana Murphy.

Seana Murphy serves as executive director of the Martin Luther King Community Center (MLK Center), where she leads efforts to empower children, families and neighborhoods through education, economic opportunity and community engagement. Guided by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community, she is focused on expanding educational programs, workforce readiness initiatives and family support services throughout Central Indiana.

With more than 20 years of experience in education and nonprofit leadership, Murphy has held leadership positions at Early Learning Indiana, Ivy Tech Community College, IUPUI and Broadway United Methodist Church. As state director of Indiana’s Twenty-first Century Scholars Program, she helped secure more than $25 million in investments to expand college access and educational opportunities for Indiana students. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to building partnerships, strengthening communities and creating opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.

 

Spring Convocation

“And So Vonnegut Goes On, 20 Years Later”

Tuesday, March 9, 2027, 7 p.m., Branigin Room, Napolitan Student Center

Guest Speaker: Julia Whitehead, CEO of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

Julia Whitehead photographFranklin College will welcome Julia Whitehead, CEO of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, on Tuesday, March 9, 2027 in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center. Whitehead is the final speaker in the College’s 2026-2027 Convocation Lecture Series and will present the talk, “And So Vonnegut Goes On, 20 Years Later.”

Julia Whitehead is the founder and CEO of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis. She successfully applied for the Vonnegut Library to receive Indiana’s first Literary Landmark designation in 2022. She is the author of Breaking Down Vonnegut, which reached No. 1 in multiple Amazon categories that same year, and is currently writing a book about Kurt Vonnegut and Frank Lloyd Wright.

A former U.S. Marine Corps officer, Whitehead has held writing, editing and public service roles with organizations including Random House, Eli Lilly and Co. and the legislatures of Indiana and South Carolina. Her experience also includes teaching abroad in Thailand and writing, producing and directing a documentary screened at the 2018 Heartland International Film Festival. She also leads Random Harvest Group, a consulting firm specializing in communications and nonprofit business planning.