Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series
The history of the Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series
Mary L. Seifert's rich family history with Clarion University can be traced to 1907
with the enrollment of her mother, Sabina Mooney-Seifert, and her uncle, Charles A.
Mooney. From 1909 to 1912, her grandfather, John A. Mooney, served as a trustee for
the Clarion Normal School. Shortly after her mother’s and uncle's graduations in 1909,
their two younger siblings, Thomas W. and John A., were to follow family tradition
by attending Clarion. Two of Seifert's uncles became medical doctors after furthering
their education at the University of Michigan. To date at least 18 members of her
extended family have graduated from Clarion.
Seifert loved music and the arts. As an investment in young people, she chose to endow a culture and lecture series at Clarion University to ignite the passion for learning that she encouraged. Through that endowment, the Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series Endowment of the Clarion University Foundation, Inc., was established to provide the Clarion University community with cultural experiences that inspire learning through thoughtful discussions.
More about Mary Seifert can be found here.
In honor of Mary Seifert Clarion University holds an annual series of events tied
to a particular cultural theme. The theme of the 2019-20 Mary L. Seifert Cultural
Series is "Conservation and Sustainability: Body, Mind, Earth."
Seifert Series 2019-2020 Events
Movie: Chasing Ice
Date: October 8th, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Suites on Main North Theater
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
-www.imdb.com

Lecture: Bill McKibben
Date: October 15th, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Marwick Boyd Auditorium
Of all the challenges the planet faces, none is as large as its fast-heating climate—and no one has worked longer or harder than Bill McKibben both to document and fight that ever-growing crisis. The author of the first book about global warming—1989's The End of Nature—McKibben went on to found 350.org, which has become the biggest grassroots climate campaign in the world. His latest book, Falter—already a New York Times bestseller—offers a call-to-arms, 30 years after The End of Nature set the stage. Hopeful but realistic, McKibben "combines fear of bad outcomes with hope for good outcomes," says The New York Times.

Activity: Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy
and Play Therapy
Date: February 17th, 2020
Time: Noon - 1:30 OR 5:00 - 6:30
Location: Gemmell Multi Purpose Room
The foundation of sustainability lies in the human ability to be a self-healing organism. Nothing in nature is more resilient than human nature. Today it is widely recognized that to achieve wellness we must be able to utilize our spirit of play and freedom to overcome the self-made stress we have introduced into the human experience. We now have medical professionals who are writing prescriptions to go out and play and enjoy nature. This workshop will introduce participants to the concepts and benefits of play therapy in an experiential workshop.
This seminar will provide attendees with an introduction to the fields of Expressive Arts Therapy and Play Therapy. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about these growing fields in counseling and psychology through lectures, demonstrations, and hands on activities. Dr. Grafton Eliason is the Coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at California University of Pennsylvania and has over twenty years of experience in the field with both children and adults. Topics will include: Non-Directive and Directive Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Dance and Movement Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness and Positive Psychology. Though these specialty areas originated almost 50 years ago, they are just gaining their stride as emerging theoretical applications in counseling practice today. It is our hope that participants will not only find this experience educational and informative, but fun and insightful as well. Please join us.

Lecture: Jerry Greenfield
Date: March 24th, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Marwick Boyd Auditorium
Jerry Greenfield and his long-time friend and business partner Ben Cohen are the men behind one of the most talked-about and least conventional success stories in American business. Co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., Greenfield has helped to build a store front venture into an ice cream and business phenomenon by making social responsibility and creative management strengths, rather than weaknesses.
With his best seller, Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip: How to Run a Values-Led Business and
Make Money Too (co-authored with Cohen), Greenfield created both a nuts-and-bolts
guidebook to the promise and pitfalls of "values-led" business, and an inspiring wake-up
call about the growing international influence of the "socially conscious" or "mission
driven" corporation.