Grace A. Tanner Lecture in Human Values

Obert C. Tanner was a Professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, as well as an industrialist and a philanthropist. Of all the gifts he has left to universities, the one he was proudest of is the Lectures on Human Values. The Tanner Lecture on Human Values was formally established at the University of Cambridge, England on July 1, 1978. In writing about the purpose of these lectures, Professor Tanner said, “I see them simply as a search for a better understanding of human behavior and human values." To this end, the lecture provides a forum in which to promote scholarly and scientific learning in the field of human values while embracing moral, artistic, intellectual, and spiritual values—both individual and social—and advancing the full register of values pertinent to the human condition, interest, behavior, and aspiration.

During the 2021-22 school year, the Tanner Center will celebrate the legacy of Grace A. Tanner—wife of O.C. Tanner, and the center’s namesake. The Year of Grace will focus on “Building Cultures of Meaning” in honor of Grace’s love for arts and culture and in recognition of her resilience in the face of trials. Join us as we celebrate forty years of the Grace A. Tanner Lecture in Human Values at SUU.

Geena Davis to Deliver Grace A. Tanner Lecture in Human Values

Academy Award-winning actress will
conclude SUU's Year of Grace celebration

The Grace A. Tanner Center for Human Values is thrilled to announce that Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis will come to Southern Utah University (SUU) this fall to deliver the Grace A. Tanner Lecture in Human Values. Scheduled for Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. in SUU's Gilbert Great Hall, Davis will speak on "The Ripple Effect of Intersectional Representation in the Arts." This event is open to all campus and community members.

Tanner Center Director, Dr Danielle Dubrasky, said, "We are excited to bring Geena Davis to SUU campus as a way to close this momenteous year. We invite all members of SUU and the Cedar City community to attend this event."

In addition to being an Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor, Davis is also a world-class athlete (at one time the nation's 13th-ranked archer), a member of the genius society Mensa, and recognized for her tireless advocacy of women and girls. She is the Founder and Chair of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters - and reduce gender stereotyping - in media made for children 11 and under. Davis was appointed Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT for the UN's International Telecommunication (ITU), and is an official partner of UN Women. She is also the co-founder and chair of the Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), whose mission is to champion women and diverse voices in all forms of media.

The Grace A. Tanner Lecture will be followed by a moderated discussion between Geena Davis and SUU alum Melinda Pfundstein, acclaimed actor for the Utah Shakesspeare Festival and co-founder of StateraArts, an advocacy organization for women in the arts.

This lecture is the concluding event of the Year of Grace which celebrates the legacy of Grace A. Tanner and recognizes 40 year of the Grace A. Tanner Center for Human Values at SUU. The Tanner Center seeks to promote access to scholarly and scientific learning in all areas of human values which embrace moral, artistic, intellectual, and spiritual concepts.