Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

Common Hour

Common Hour connects Lycoming College’s community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents for one hour each month during the academic year. It is designed to provide a broad and diverse range of educationally rich topics that promote thoughtfulness and dialogue well beyond the length of the seminar. This free series is offered online, and a catalog of prior lectures is available to access on-demand.

Time: Thursdays at 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

For questions, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 321-4376 or alumni@lycoming.edu.

Laura Seddelmeyer photoThursday, March 23, 2023
11:45 a.m. via Zoom Webinar

Laura Seddelmeyer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History

"The Challenges of a Modern Monarchy"

Register here.

Thursday, April 27, 2023Jeff Newman photo
11:45 a.m. via Zoom Webinar

Jeff Newman, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology

"My family’s experience with solar power and heat pumps to reduce our carbon footprint and energy costs"

Register here.

Archived Lectures

February 23, 2023 - "Lycoming and the Humanities: Myths, Realities, and Opportunities" with Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., Professor of English & Director of the Humanities Research Center

January 26, 2023 - "The Power and Limitations of Data: Understanding a Data-Driven World" with Elizabeth Moorhouse, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics

November 17, 2022 - "How Stable Marriages Save Lives" with Krish Pillai, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Science

August 25, 2022 - "State of the College" with Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D., President of Lycoming College

April 28, 2022 - "A Historical Retrospect of Old City Williamsport" with Sean Baker, Lycoming College Archivist

February 17, 2022 - "From Warrior to Wildcat: A reflection on over 40 years in college sports" with Harry Perretta '78, Head Women's Basketball Coach, Retired, Villanova University

October 21, 2021 - “The meme stock phenomenon” with Georg Grassmueck, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of Business Administration, Lycoming College

September 23, 2021 - "Don't fear the Terminator: The real dangers of artificial intelligence and machine learning" with Christopher Kulp, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Lycoming College

August 26, 2021 - "State of the College" with Kent Trachte, Ph.D., President of Lycoming College

May 20, 2021 - "Grilling with Dr. Hafer" with Gary Hafer, Ph.D., John P. Graham Teaching Professor of English

April 29, 2021 - "The Immunology of COVID-19 and SARS CoV-2 Vaccines" with Mary Morrison, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, Lycoming College

March 18, 2021 - "Pandemics in Perspective" with Cullen Chandler, Ph.D., Professor of History, Lycoming College

February 18, 2021 - "Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic" with Steve Johnson '76, President, UPMC Susquehanna

November 19, 2020 - "A Revolutionary Time"  with John F. Piper Jr., Ph.D. '07H,  Professor and Dean Emeritus, College Historian

October 22, 2020 - "Prophecy & Projections:  Reading the 2020 Election Tea Leaves" 
Caroline Payne, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science, discusses what the current election models are forecasting, and how to understand the magic behind these models.

September 24, 2020 - “The Long Movement for Black Lives” 
Sarah Silkey, Ph.D., chair and professor of history, traces the efforts of Ida B. Wells and other activists to demand legal protections and opportunities for the Black community, tying their work into recent protests.

August 27, 2020 - "Leading Lycoming College during the COVID-19 Pandemic" with Kent Trachte, Ph.D., President of Lycoming College