Sebastian Junger is the internationally acclaimed, best- selling author of WAR, The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont, and Fire. He is also the acclaimed director of the documentary films Restrepo and Korengal. As a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and as a contributor to ABC News, he has covered major international news stories and has been awarded the National Magazine Award and a SAIS Novartis Prize for Journalism.

Junger’s latest book, In My Time Of Dying, is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery. For years as an award- winning war reporter, Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. That was the last thing Junger remembered until he came to the next day and was told he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm that he should not have survived. This experience spurred Junger — a confirmed atheist raised by his physicist father to respect the empirical — to undertake a scientific, philosophical, and deeply personal examination of mortality and what happens after we die.

As an award- winning journalist reporting on the war from the soldiers’ perspective, Junger and photojournalist Tim Hetherington spent weeks at a time at a remote outpost that saw more combat than almost anywhere else in the country. This resulted in his best- seller WAR, as well as Restrepo. Hetherington was later killed while covering the war in Libya. Following his untimely death, Junger returned to Park City, Utah, to debut the film, Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington, with high commendations at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Junger created this film in honor of Hetherington’s original vision to capture stories that would broaden viewers’ perceptions of war and serve as a remembrance for his humanity and courage. Realizing the dangerous risks frequently taken by freelance photographers and reporters, Junger was motivated to start Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC), an organization that provides medical training for journalists in war zones, to commemorate the death of the acclaimed photographer. “Tim wanted to change the world,” Junger recalls, “But he also wanted the world to change him” (New York Times). ”

Junger became a fixture in the international media when, as a first- time author, he commanded the New York Times best-seller list for more than three years with The Perfect Storm, which became a major motion picture starring George Clooney.

His reporting on Afghanistan in 2000, profiling Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, became the subject of the National Geographic documentary Into the Forbidden Zone. In 2001, his expertise and experience reporting in Afghanistan led him to cover the war as a special correspondent for ABC News and Vanity Fair. His work has also been published in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, and Men’s Journal. He has reported on the LURD besiegement of Monrovia in Liberia, human rights abuses in Sierra Leone, war crimes in Kosovo, the peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, wildfire in the American West, guerilla war in Afghanistan, and hostage-taking in Kashmir. He has worked as a freelance radio correspondent during the war in Bosnia.

Sarah Frey is the founder and CEO of Frey Farms, a Certified Woman- Owned Agribusiness headquartered in southern Illinois. Frey Farms is a leading US grower, shipper and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sarah also oversees the diverse operations of the Frey family of companies to include land acquisition, regenerative agriculture initiatives, raw ingredient manufacturing and a full-scale beverage business. The Sarah’s Homegrown brand of produce and beverages are distributed across the US from over 200 cold-chain distribution centers, in both retail grocery and foodservice.

Sarah has been described by the New York Times as America’s Pumpkin Queen. “Ms. Frey, crushes any image you may have of a pumpkin farmer. She has a taste for fedoras and an impressive collection of boots in her closet. She also has farmland in seven states and millions of dollars in produce contracts in her desk drawer” says Kim Severson, food editor for the NYT.

Frey Farms is best known as being America’s largest producer of fresh pumpkins; but watermelons are, in fact, their top commodity. Sarah founded Tsamma (sah-mah) watermelon juice, which was the first watermelon juice distributed nationally; and is the author of the best-selling book, “The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life – and Saved an American Farm,” published by Random House in August of 2020. “The Growing Season” has been optioned for film with Sarah serving as the Co-Executive Producer.

Sarah’s entrepreneurial spirit was nurtured at the young age of eight, while accompanying her mother on a summer produce route selling direct to grocery retailers in southern Illinois. The summer she turned 16, Sarah took over the produce route and expanded it from 12 independent grocery stores to over 150 - then purchased her family’s small 100-acre farm. Bootstrapping her way out of rural poverty, She ran her full-time business while attending high school and college simultaneously. At age 19, Sarah negotiated with Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, and successfully secured fresh produce contracts, turning her vision into reality with an expansive growth into retail grocery that enabled her to bring her four older brothers back to the family farm and into a now-flourishing business.

Sarah serves on many industry-leading association boards and has been appointed by both democratic and republican administrations. She has been highlighted as one of the most influential women in agriculture, serving in bipartisan Ag Advisory roles for multiple members of the US Congress and has provided expert testimony on key issues affecting US food supply. Sarah actively advocates for better health initiatives, nutrition policies and economic opportunities on behalf of underserved rural communities. Her companies provide dedicated support and resources to various nonprofits and proudly partners with Feeding America.

Sarah still lives on “The Hill” where she and her brothers grew up and is raising her two sons William and Luke. Her efforts continue to better the lives of those living in rural poverty providing professional college advisory assistance and internships to students interested in pursuing higher education with a focus on business and agriculture. Sarah attributes her American success story to humble beginnings, hard work and a close family with plenty of Midwestern moxie.

The GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity.  Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.

Chanticleer’s repertoire is rooted in the renaissance, and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has committed much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering GRAMMY® Awards for its recording of Sir John Tavener’s “Lamentations & Praises”, and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled “Colors of Love”.  Chanticleer is the recipient of the Dale Warland/Chorus America Commissioning Award and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and its Music Director Emeritus Joseph H. Jennings received the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African-American choral tradition during his tenure with Chanticleer. 

Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition “A Chanticleer Christmas”. 

Chanticleer—a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation—is the current recipient of major grants from The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, The Bob Ross Foundation, Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, and The National Endowment for the Arts. Chanticleer’s activities as a not-for-profit corporation are supported by its administrative staff and Board of Trustees.

View the Chanticleer program.

Spread the Warmth: Empowering the Homeless One Coat (and One Job) at a Time

Founder and CEO of the Empowerment Plan, Veronika Scott, will be the guest speaker for the University of Evansville’s Patricia H. Snyder Lecture in October. The lecture is planned for Tuesday, October 29, at 7:00 p.m., in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center, on UE’s campus. The event is free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of the Snyder family.

Empowerment Plan is an organization centered around the idea of a specialized coat being made for homeless people. The multipurpose coat is waterproof and self-heated, and can be transformed into a sleeping bag. In addition to the coat initiative, the organization provides jobs for homeless women, allowing them to get back on their feet and find a place to live. These efforts have garnered Scott some recognition, and she was named a “CNN Hero” by the network in 2016.

André Watts was only 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in one of the orchestra’s Young People's Concerts. More than half a century later, Watts remains one of America’s most distinguished and celebrated performing artists. He is a regular guest at major summer music festivals, and has appeared with major United States orchestras and symphonies. Watts’s international engagements have included appearances in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, and Spain. His 1976 New York recital for Live from Lincoln Center was the first full length recital broadcast in the history of television. Watts’s performance at the 38th Casals Festival in Puerto Rico was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming. His extensive discography includes recordings of works by Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt and Tchaikovsky; recital CD’s of works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt and Chopin; and recordings featuring the concertos of Liszt, MacDowell, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens. Watts received a 2011 National Medal of Arts, and in 2006, he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his debut. He is the recipient of the 1988 Avery Fisher Prize. Watts was appointed to the Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in 2004 and in 2017 was named a Distinguished Professor, the highest academic rank the university bestows upon its faculty.

A masterclass by André Watts will be offered the day before the concert:
Monday, April 29, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
Krannert Fine Arts Building, Wheeler Concert Hall, University of Evansville Campus, 1800 Lincoln Ave, Evansville, IN

NASA astronaut Eileen Collins reveals encouraging perspective and insight on the leadership skills needed to break barriers and become a successful pioneer in your field.

One of America’s most admired women, Col. Collins became the first female to pilot a U.S. spacecraft with the Discovery shuttle flight in 1995, and the first female commander on the 1999 Columbia shuttle flight. In 2005, NASA tapped Col. Collins to command the space shuttle Discovery’s historic “Return to Flight” mission, NASA’s first manned flight following the loss of space shuttle Columbia in 2003.

While logging 872 hours in space, Col. Collins earned a reputation for coolness under pressure. With that same calm demeanor, she shares how her career as an astronaut took shape, from her early years in the U.S. Air Force to her ground-breaking experience with NASA.

Drawing from her career experiences, Eileen reveals valuable insights learned from both her successes and her failures. From the importance of working with others to achieve lofty goals, to successful leadership in dynamic environments, her perspective inspires you to embark on your own original journey. For audiences interested in space exploration, she can also provide insight into the future of space travel as the world turns to exciting new space frontiers.

The panel includes:

Dr. Robert Dion, Chair, Department of Law, Politics and Society, University of Evansville
Dr. Marvin Overby, Professor, American Politics, University of Missouri
Dr. Patrick Sellers, Professor, Political Science, Davidson College

Dr. Kazee will moderate the panel discussion and contribute his own personal insights as a political scientist. Professors Overby and Sellers are well-regarded scholars of American politics as well as former students of Kazee.

A keynote conversation between former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and University of Evansville President Thomas A. Kazee.

This keynote conversation is presented in partnership with the University of Evansville Department of Law, Politics, and Society as part of an all-day series of current events and political science events and discussions, in honor of the retirement of Dr. Thomas Kazee and his academic career as a political scientist.

A fifth generation Hoosier, Senator Lugar left the United States Senate as the longest serving member of Congress in Indiana history. Before his election to the Senate, Senator Lugar helped manage the family's food machinery manufacturing business in Indianapolis, served on the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners, and served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis. During his six terms in the Senate, he exercised leadership on critical issues such as food security, nuclear non-proliferation, energy independence, and free trade. In 1991, he forged a bipartisan partnership with then-Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. To date, the Nunn-Lugar program has deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear warheads that were once aimed at the United States.

Senator Lugar and his wife, Charlene, were married Sept. 8, 1956, and have four sons and 13 grandchildren.

Ed Davis is the Former Police Commissioner of the Boston Police Department and current President and CEO of the business strategy and security agency, Edward Davis LLC. Commissioner Davis was at the forefront of the emergency response to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing and the arrests that followed. His experience during the Boston Marathon bombings will be depicted in the upcoming feature film, Patriots Day, starring John Goodman as Commissioner Davis, scheduled to release January 2017.

Commissioner Davis has built a stellar reputation on his diverse experience in interagency collaboration and law enforcement on local, state, national, and international levels. His keen insight in cyber security and anti-terrorism, as well as his expert knowledge in crisis management and strategic planning translates across industries. Commissioner Davis’ unique approaches to terrorism, cyber security, and policing have been adopted both nationally and internationally in Singapore, London, Northern Ireland, Jordan, and Israel.

The Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series proudly presents Doc Severinsen and the UE Jazz Ensemble.

For 30 years, Doc Severinsen shared our living rooms as the band leader on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Within a week of the final telecast, Doc Severinsen and His Big Band were on the road, and to this day, audiences across America love and respect Doc’s musicianship and repertoire of iconic American music.

Join us for an electric evening as Doc Severinsen and the UE Jazz Ensemble, comprised of UE students, perform Ellington and Basie standards, pop, jazz, ballads, and big band classics.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series was made possible in 1997 through an endowment from the late Patricia H. Snyder, trustee and longtime friend of University, to bring speakers or performers of renown to Evansville at no cost to the public.

Brainstorm: Dr. Bennet Omalu and the Concussion Crisis

Made possible by the Patricia Snyder Lecture Series.
7:00 p.m.
Old National Events Plaza Ballroom
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana and the University of Evansville have partnered to bring celebrity entrepreneur, Daymond John to Evansville. The free public event will be held at 7:00 p.m. on October 20, 2015, at the Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville. The event, An Evening with Daymond John, will serve as both the culmination of JA’s 50th anniversary celebrations as well as this year’s special event for UE’s annual Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series which brings renowned speakers to Evansville at no cost to the public.

Questions? Send us an e-mail to: eveningwithdaymondjohn@gmail.com

Join us for a conversation with Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Hager on the campus of the University of Evansville. Event is complimentary; seating is first come, first served. 

"Jesus and Judaism," presented by Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences

Sponsored by the Snyder Concert and Lecture Series, the Department of Religious Life, and the
Temple Adath B'nai Israel

View the event flyer.

Featuring David Ilan, director of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.

Ilan’s lecture will explore “Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Israel and Why They Matter.”

This event will be held at Temple Adath B'nai Israel, 8440 Newburgh Road, Evansville.

Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, was the first speaker in the 2012-13 Patricia H. Snyder Concert and Lecture Series. The event on Thursday, September 27, 2012, began at 6:00 p.m. in Eykamp Hall (Ridgway University Center) with an advance screening of PBS documentary Half the Sky, courtesy of WNIN and Independent Lens. WuDunn's speech at 7:00 p.m. was followed by a reception and book signing at 8:00 p.m. The event was free and open to the public.