“Meet Misher” at Saint Joseph’s Inaugural Misher Festival of Arts and Humanities
The decades-long tradition from the University of the Sciences makes its debut at Saint Joseph’s University this spring.
In March, Saint Joseph’s University will revive a storied University of the Sciences tradition when the Misher Festival of Arts and Humanities comes to campus.
The festival is named for Allen Misher, BS ’59, PhD, H ’95, president of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP) from 1984 to 1994, who recognized the importance of a liberal arts education and worked to broaden the scope of the college’s offerings.
“He really wanted to transform education,” says Christine Flanagan, MFA, a professor of English, writing and journalism and a member of the Misher Festival committee. “He paved the way for PCP to become the University of the Sciences. “He thought there should be more offerings in humanities, literature, and fine arts — subjects he grew to appreciate more even after he graduated from pharmacy school. Dr. Misher is a model in what it means to be a curious, active lifelong learner.”
The celebration dates back to 2000 when the Misher Professor Endowment was established by friends of Misher in order to offer students deeper experiences with the arts and humanities. Over the last two decades, the festival has hosted over 200 events with that same goal in mind.
“One of the foundations of our education at Saint Joseph’s is experiential learning,” explains Nathan Baird, PhD, the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and festival committee member. “I think of the Misher Festival as bringing to campus those experiential learning opportunities that are open to all students, faculty, staff and community members.”
“I’m so impressed by the quality of people we have at St. Joe’s, and the Misher Festival is a chance for our faculty members to share their expertise, their joy and their love of teaching, which has become my favorite thing about St. Joe’s."
Christine Flanagan, MFA
Professor of English, Journalism, and WritingThe theme of this year’s festival is “Meet Misher,” and the activities will begin with a Zoom webinar with Misher himself on March 16. Additionally, Misher’s daughter, artist and educator Karen Misher, will speak about her recent collection detailing life as a mother of twin boys with special needs.
The rest of the week’s activities will be filled out by workshops on topics like Irish dance, fiber art, Irish environmental writing, ceramics, languages and linguistics, creative writing, pottery and more, as well as book discussions and launches, film screenings, field trips in Philadelphia and Lancaster and a morning at the Maguire Art Museum.
“I’m so impressed by the quality of people we have at St. Joe’s, and the Misher Festival is a chance for our faculty members to share their expertise, their joy and their love of teaching, which has become my favorite thing about St. Joe’s,” Flanagan says.
Flanagan encourages students of all majors and interests to consider attending Misher events.
“That’s the beauty of the Misher Festival — you show up to these events and there’s no cost, there’s no test, there’s no downside,” she says. “You can bring your friends and try these things without any fear of failure. St. Joe’s has such a strong foundation in the liberal arts and it’s just the most natural place to bring a festival like this.”
Check out the Misher Festival schedule to find more information about dates, locations and which events require reserved seating.
