By Linda Waggener, assistant director of university communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University’s Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy (KHIPP) will host “The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Relevancy for the 21st Century” on Monday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Little Auditorium of the Student Union Building as a part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration.
The event is free and open to the public.
The statewide celebration officially kicks off on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Ky. Federal and state officials and dignitaries are expected to pay their respects to the nation’s 16th president, who was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville on February 12, 1809, at the Bicentennial Kickoff event, which is open to the public. The event serves as the official opening of the national commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.
The tribute to Lincoln will continue during the KHIPP event on Campbellsville University’s campus. Featured panelists at the event will be CU historians Dr. Mary Wilgus, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of history; Dr. Damon R. Eubank, professor of history; and Dr. Wendy Benningfield, associate professor of history.
The panelists also took part in the making of two 30-minute segments taped at Campbellsville University’s TV-4 for the weekly program Dialogue on Public Issues. The video may be seen on CU’s website, by visiting www.campbellsville.edu, and selecting “streaming video” in the Quick Links drop-down menu.
John Chowning, founder of KHIPP and who serves as vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president of Campbellsville University, said KHIPP focuses its attention on “facilitating public policy study and issues debate, while encouraging the involvement of Christian leaders in the public and civic arenas.”
Chowning said a “wide range of public issues will be studied and presented by the institute for the purposes of engaging Campbellsville University students, faculty and the staff, and the general public, in a greater awareness and understanding of the myriad issues confronting our culture.”
He said KHIPP is committed to preparing Christian civic and political leaders for the 21st century.
“A greater awareness of the public policy process and understanding of the numerous issues being debated in our nation is essential for the citizenry as a whole,” Chowning said.
“KHIPP invites you, the concerned citizen and student of the American political process, to attend one or more events to be presented this spring on the campus of Campbellsville University,” he said.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information about KHIPP, contact Chowning at (270) 789-5520 or e-mail jechowning@campbellsville.edu.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,405 students who represent 98 Kentucky counties, 25 states and 29 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2008 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his ninth year as president.