The Latin term gravitas embraces a wide variety of characteristics: the capacity to be worthy of honor and esteem, political responsibility and accountability, social rank, the attainments of grandeur and office. In our current political and cultural climate, when traditional leadership roles are being challenged or redefined, what can we learn from the Romans' own understanding of leadership and its attributes? and how can we extend that understanding in ways suitable to our own multicultural, multi-ethnic society, in which women play powerful (if still contested and hard-won) roles? Indeed, how do we exercise leadership as citizens and as members of this prominent land-grant university, celebrating its proud sesquicentennial this year?

Hosted by: Department of History

In conjunction with: College of Business, College of Law, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Department of Computer Science, Department of Economics, Department of Mathematics, Department of the Classics, Program in Medieval Studies, School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, Spurlock Museum