Usdin Lecture Series
About the Series
About the Series
Funded by college donors Cecil and Gene Usdin, the Judeo-Christian lecture series features lectures with a religious lens. Flagler College is pleased to present its upcoming Usdin speaking engagements.
Lectures are free and open to the public. If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodations, please contact Colleen Everhart at CEverhart@Flagler.edu. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request, provided a minimum of three days’ notice is given.
Upcoming Speakers
Upcoming Speakers
Dr. Maureen K. Day
Dr. Maureen Day is the Flagler College 2026 Cecile & Gene Usdin Judeo-Christian Lecture Series speaker. She is a sociologist and theologian who studies the influence of religious beliefs on public life, especially among Catholics. Also, Dr. Day is the co-author of, "Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America’s Largest Church" (2025) NY Press. Based on her book, her talk will focus on the Catholic Church being at a crossroads and the many challenges facing the church that are both internal and external to the institution. "Catholicism at a Crossroads" charts this new era of Catholic worship, belonging, and identity in America today. Using survey data with over fifty interviews with lay and ordained US Catholic leaders, the book illustrates how the church has adapted to Pope Francis’s modern papacy, the rise of religious non-affiliation, and various demographic changes including an increasing Hispanic population.
Topic
"Young Adults, Parish Experiences, and Polarization: Charting Pathways for the Future of Catholicism"
Date
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location
Ringhaver Student Center - Virginia Room
Past Speakers
Past Speakers
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi Evan Moffic joined Congregation Solel in July 2009 at age 31, after serving three years at Chicago Sinai Congregation. He graduated with high honors from Stanford University in 2000 with a major in history and a senior thesis on Louis Brandeis and the American Zionist movement. He is one of the country’s youngest senior rabbis in the Reform Movement.
He has been a guest lecturer at numerous Jewish centers and synagogues around the country and has been invited to speak to a variety of interfaith groups. His scholarly works have been published in a wide range of journals, newspapers, and magazines. Read his sermons, Ten Minutes of Torah commentaries, and Torah reflections.
Rabbi Moffic is married to Rabbi Arielle Poster Moffic, who is the Director of InterfaithFamily / Chicago. They are the proud parents of two children, Hannah (2007) and Tamir (2009).
Topic
A New Tower of Babel: AI and the Future of Faith
Date
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Location
Ringhaver Student Center - Virginia Room
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Flagler College values the free exchange of ideas and respectful communication, in alignment with the Chicago Principles that emphasize the importance of free expression on campus. The views expressed by the speaker(s) are their own and are not intended to represent those of the institution.