Hardy Chair Lecture
Hartwick's Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Human Services presents the 52nd Anniversary Hardy Chair Lecture. The lecture brings notable scholars in the world of sociology or criminal justice to campus to share their expertise and address current topics and issues.
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2025 Hardy Chair Lecture
“Rural and Small-Town America: Myths and Misunderstandings”
Presented by Tim Slack
February 21 at 6:00 p.m. in Shineman Chapel House
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
The public is invited to join.
Tim Slack
Tim Slack is a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University (LSU). His scholarship coalesces around the areas of social stratification and social demography, often with a focus on rural populations and rural-urban differences. He has published extensively, with over 80 journal articles, book chapters, and additional publications to his credit. In 2024, with Shannon Monnat (Syracuse University), he published the book Rural and Small-Town America: Context, Composition, and Complexities (University of California Press). He frequently delivers research presentations at the meetings of major professional societies and for policy-oriented audiences (e.g., Federal Reserve, Louisiana Legislature). His expertise has also been sought for stories produced by major media outlets, such as The New York Times, USA Today, and The Advocate (Louisiana’s leading daily newspaper). He is the recipient of the LSU Rainmaker Award, LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award, and LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, all university-wide honors. He teaches a variety of courses at LSU, spanning introductory sociology to Ph.D.-level seminars. He has taught over 5,000 students at LSU, which is greater than the total population of his hometown (Dryden, NY, 2020 pop. 1,887) and his wife’s hometown (Gueydan, LA, 2020 pop. 1,165) combined.
Lecture Sponsors
Department of Sociology, Criminology & Human Services
Alpha Phi Sigma’s Pi Gamma Gamma Chapter
Past Hardy Lectures
In addition to past speakers Immanuel Wallerstein, Kai Erikson, John Kitsuse, the most recent include:
Walter Dunn, criminal justice advocate and author of Through Innocent Eyes and How to Navigate Through the Criminal Justice System.
Tim Daly, director of the Joyce Foundation’s Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program, “Preventing School Violence”.
Cheryl Jonson, associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Xavier University, “Preventing School Violence”.
Tom Brindley ’99, P’19 is the Superintendent of Schools for the Oneonta City School District, “Preventing School Violence Panel Discussion”.
Chief Christopher Witzenburg is a 25-year veteran police officer and the current police chief for the City of Oneonta Police Department, “Preventing School Violence Panel Discussion”.
Joel Best, professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, “Facts, Fake, and Other F-Words: Critical Thinking in Contentious Times”.
Amy Fitzgerald, associate professor of criminology from the University of Windsor (Canada), “The Co-occurrence of Animal Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence: Why it Matters”.
Gary LaFree, professor of criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland and director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence headquartered at the University of Maryland, “Countering Terrorism: No Simple Solutions” .
Contact
For more information, contact Associate Professor of Sociology, Jennifer LaRose, [email protected].