The faculty of the Department of Religious Studies established the Witherspoon Lectures in 1984 to honor their colleague Loy H. Witherspoon, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religious Studies, for his twenty years of distinguished service at UNC Charlotte. It is the oldest and most prestigious endowed lecture series at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Witherspoon had continued to teach each semester as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religious Studies. Hundreds of his friends and colleagues contributed to the fund that made this the first named, endowed lecture series at UNC Charlotte. Lectures have been published each year through a gift from Dr. William Pfischner.
Watch a slideshow about Dr. Witherspoon and past lectures here.
Read past Loy H. Witherspoon lectures online through the J. Murray Atkins University History Witherspoon Lecture Series Collection. (link opens in new browser). The Atkins Oral History Collections include Ten interviews with Loy Witherspoon. (Link opens in a new browser).
The Department of Religious Studies also hosted the Alice Tate Lecture in Judaic Studies for many years until 2021. Information about that lecture and about Alice Tate can be found in the navigation to the left.