Stephen Woodburn, associate professor of history at Southwestern College, will kick off a busy weekend at SC with a book presentation at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 11, in Deets Library on the campus of Southwestern College.  The public is invited to attend and there is no admission charge. A book signing will follow the presentation.

Woodburn is author of a translation of Nikolai Danilevskii’s “Russia and Europe: The Slavic World’s Political and Cultural Relations With the Germanic-Roman West” published by Slavica Publishers at Indiana University.  The book was first published in 1869; after 1895 it went out of print in Russia for almost a century, but since 1991 it has been printed in at least eight new editions and over 100,000 copies. The author argues that the Slavs are culturally distinct from Western Europe, which explains its popularity as Russians attempted to redefine their national identity after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It has never before been translated into English. Kishimjan (Bektashova) Ketner ’09 proofread early drafts of each chapter. The book is available on Amazon, and will be available at the book signing.

“Recent events in Ukraine reveal that Russians and Ukrainians are still trying to figure out their relationship with the West,” Woodburn says.  “Danilevskii says that Slavic civilization is distinct from the Germanic-Roman civilization of Western Europe, and that resonates with Russians, plus nearly half of Ukrainians, in the present. For a book written so long ago, it’s quite relevant to the present.”

“If Russians are reading it,” he adds, “maybe more Americans should, too.”

Founders Day weekend will also include recognition of inductees entering the Leaders in Service Hall of Fame for the Social Sciences, the Fine Arts Hall of Fame, Business Hall of Fame, Scholars Hall of Fame, and Educators Halls of Fame.

Hall of Fame festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, with the unveiling of plaques of those entering the Leaders in Service Hall of Fame for the Social Sciences.  At 6 p.m. there will be a dinner in Deets Library followed by the induction ceremony at 6:45. Limited seating is available and RSVP is necessary.

Saturday’s schedule begins with the dedication of the TOMARI Theatrical Arts and Technologies Center at 9 a.m. Named in honor of lead donors Tom and Mari Wallrabenstein, the center is located just east of White Physical Education Building on Warren Street.

Following the dedication will be the unveiling of plaques honoring the inductees into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame at 10:30 a.m. in the Darbeth Fine Arts Center lobby.  The induction ceremony will be at 11 a.m. in Messenger Auditorium.

At 3:30 p.m., in Deets Library, there will be a reception for the Educators and Scholars Hall of Fame inductees. At 4 p.m., the induction ceremony for the Educators Hall of Fame will begin followed by the induction ceremony for the Scholars Hall of Fame at approximately 4:45 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., Jonathan Larson’s rock musical, “Rent” will be presented inside the Richardson Performing Arts Center.  Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students.  For tickets, call 620-221-7720.