Seemee Ali, associate professor of great ideas and English at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisc., will be the featured speaker at Southwestern College’s annual opening convocation on Friday, Aug. 21, in the Richardson Performing Arts Center.  There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.

"Dr. Ali is an impressive scholar, an engaging person, and a remarkable teacher,” says Southwestern College President Brad Andrews.  “She will be addressing the topic of Freedom, reflecting on the critical role that education and learning play in the constant human struggle for freedom. I look forward to her visit and her insights with great anticipation."

Ali earned her Ph.D. in literature from the Institute of Philosophic Studies at the University of Dallas, where she also received her master of arts degree. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Austin College.

At Carthage, she holds a joint appointment in the interdisciplinary great ideas program and in the English department. With philosophy professor Michael McShane, she is the co-founder of Carthage’s popular Hannibal Lecture Series.

Ali’s most recent essay, “Wallace Stevens’ Scrawny Cry,” appears in an anthology of essays devoted to lyric poetry, “The Lyric Prospect.” She is working on a book about Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad.

Since joining the Carthage faculty in 2008, she has taught classes on Homer, Dante, William Faulkner, and Salman Rushdie. Having lived and taught in Rome, she and McShane regularly travel to Rome with Carthage students during J-Term to study the philosophic and literary dimensions of Shakespeare’s Roman plays.

The opening convocation will wrap up the festivities for Fall Frenzy 2015 and officially start the academic year. It will also feature the introduction of new faculty, recognition of students included on the Dean’s Honor Roll for the spring 2015 semester, and announcement of the Scholar of the College.