Town & Gown presents:
Lunch at the Forum

October 3, 2024 - May 1, 2025 | 11:30 a.m. 

Join us for a series of lectures presented by some of Chapman University’s outstanding faculty members and academic leaders.

Registration will remain open through the Tuesday prior to each luncheon. 

Advance ticket purchase is required. More information about Town & Gown.


October 3rd, 2024
Angels and Basketball: Growing up Town and Gown at Johnny Appleseed’s Swedenborgian University in Urbana Ohio


Dr. Katharine Gillespie
Professor of Literature and the Humanities; The Smith Economic Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy

In 1964, Professor Gillespie’s father, a newly minted Ph.D. from Ohio State, was hired to be the “Dean of Men” at Urbana College in Urbana, Ohio. He was only 26 years old. Why would Urbana take such a chance? Because they were down to 8 students. Founded in the 19th century by a follower of Emmanuel Swedenborg named John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, classes routinely consisted of talking to angels in the nearby woods. The townspeople were no longer interested in such an institution and so had stopped sending their children there to study. Professor Gillespie’s dad’s mission was to bring it back to them. Her own childhood was therefore defined by the ways in which he did just that. [A small hint: it involves basketball.] It’s not just her story but the story, in microcosm, of how the modern university came to be. 

November 7th, 2024
Television is Dead. Long Live Television!


Jill Condon
Assistant Professor, Artistic Faculty; Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

Travis Knox
Associate Professor, Artistic Faculty; Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

Join us for a penetrating conversation exploring the ceaseless evolution of television over the past four decades. Learn how rapidly advancing technology, changing viewer preferences, and the explosive growth of content have transformed the television viewing experience and the media landscape. If you long for the good old days when stream meant a body of water, you don’t want to miss this journey through TV’s fascinating evolution into today. A 20-year veteran of television comedy, Condon started her career as an intern on The Cosby Show while attending New York University. Her writing credits include Ned & Stacey, Friends, Grounded for Life and Raising Hope. Knox has developed and produced several feature films, including Miramax’s Chicago and the Warner Bros. hit, The Bucket List.  

February 6th, 2025
Why is Hate So Appealing?


Dr. Peter Simi 
Professor of Sociology

Since he can remember, Pete Simi wanted to understand why people hate each other and how certain ideas and emotions are used to justify horrific atrocities. So, in 1996, after starting graduate school, he decided to look on the Internet for hate websites and found hundreds were readily accessible with simple key word searches. A few months later, in 1997, he began embedded fieldwork with active members of anti-government and white supremacist groups. He wanted to spend time with people in their natural environments, and, surprisingly, some individuals allowed him to sleep in spare bedrooms and crash on living room couches. He attended Ku Klux Klan cross burnings, neo-Nazi music shows, and Bible studies where they preached about White people being God’s true chosen children. As part of this research, he has spent dozens of hours on ‘death row’ in prisons across the US while interviewing individuals convicted of murder, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism. He has testified before Congress about the threat of domestic terrorism and in criminal and civil court helping juries and judges understand how the culture of hate informs motivations and the intent to commit violence. 

As a life-long learner curious about these creatures we call human beings, Pete Simi will share some of his experiences trying to understand the “dark side” of human nature.  

March 6th, 2025
Social Social Media: Bringing Back the Social to Social Media


Niklas Myhr, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing, Argyros College of Business and Economics

Niklas Myhr, also known as The Social Media Professor, will talk about how social media has transformed how people and organizations learn, communicate, share, and collaborate. In this presentation, Dr. Myhr will share some trends related to how automation and artificial intelligence is changing social media as well as insights into how one can bring back the social elements of social media for richer and more meaningful interactions resulting in stronger and more supportive online networks and communities. Niklas Myhr is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at Chapman University and his research is focused on the role of social media and digital marketing in developing and nurturing effective exchange relationships. 

May 1st, 2025
Classic Strings of Daniel De Arakal 


Dr. Daniel De Arakal 
Assistant Professor, College of Performing Arts; Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music

Join us for an afternoon of music and education with Assistant Professor Dr. Daniel De Arakal, DMA. Daniel has an established reputation as a scholar, performer, and advocate for music education. An alumnus of Chapman University, Daniel joined the faculty of the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music in 2013 before ascending to the Director of Guitar Studies position in 2019. Through his teaching work in primary and secondary education, development of a nationally recognized high school guitar curriculum, and creation and publication of repertoire for guitarists of all ages and skill levels, Daniel is dedicated to expanding the reach of and access to the classical guitar, its immense repertoire, and its rich history.