Opportunities Abound
Join Ohio Wesleyan for Its April and May 2025 Public Programs
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University announced its April and May 2025 public events lineup today. Unless otherwise noted, admission is free.
April 1: Ryosuke Motani, Ph.D., professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis, presents two seminars, "Mass Extinctions Past and Future – Are we in a mass extinction?" at 12:10 p.m. and "Five Steps to the Sea: How land animals became 'Sea Monsters' in the Dino Era" at 4:10 p.m. in Rooms 161 and 163, respectively, of Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, 90 S. Henry St., Delaware. Motani's primary research focus involves using physics-based functional morphology to probe physical constraints behind the evolution of animal shapes. These events are part of OWU's ongoing Science Lecture Series. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/BiologySeminarSeries.
4:15 p.m. April 2: Todd Davis, Ph.D., professor of English and Environmental Science at Pennsylvania State University's Altoona College, reads poetry selections, in the Milligan Room inside Slocum Hall, 75 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Davis is the author of eight full-length poetry collections, including his most recent, "Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems," "Coffin Honey," and "Native Species." His work has won the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize, the Chautauqua Editor's Prize, the Midwest Book Award, the ForeWord INDIES Book of the Year Bronze and Silver Awards, and the Bloomsburg University Book Prize. More than 400 of his poems have appeared in publications including American Poetry Review. Learn more about Davis at www.todddavispoet.com. His presentation is sponsored by OWU's departments of Environment and Sustainability and English. It is the university's 2024-2025 David G. Osborne Lecture, created in memory of the former professor of English and Humanities-Classics. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/environment and owu.edu/English.
8 p.m. April 4, 11, 18, and 25: Friday night guest nights, at Perkins Observatory, 3199 Columbus Pike (U.S. 23), Delaware. Content varies based on weather conditions but may include a planetarium show, observatory tours, or stargazing with the 32-inch Schottland Telescope. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of the event and at the door. Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more at owu.edu/Perkins.
4:15 p.m. April 8: Poets Aza Pace and Julia Kolchinsky read their poetry and have a conversation, in the Milligan Room inside Slocum Hall, 75 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Pace, Ph.D., is a visiting assistant professor of English at Ohio Wesleyan, and Kolchinsky, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Denison University. Pace will read from "Her Terrible Splendor," a collection of poems that "transports the Greek witch-goddess Circe from her mythical island of Aeaea to modern-day East Texas," where Pace was raised. The book won the 2024 Emma Howell Rising Poet Prize. Kolchinsky will read from "Parallax," a collection of linked lyric essays about parenting her neurodiverse child under the shadow of the war in Ukraine, her birthplace. The book was a finalist for the Miller Williams Prize. The poets sign books after their talk. Learn more about the poets at www.azapace.com and www.juliakolchinsky.com. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/English.
7:30 p.m. April 8: Mike Hamra, chairman and CEO of Hamra Enterprises, a family-owned franchisee operating nearly 200 Wendy's, Panera Bread, Noodles & Co., and Caribou Coffee locations, presents Ohio Wesleyan's 2024-2025 Heisler Business Ethics Lecture, in the Benes Rooms inside Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. A 1991 OWU graduate, Hamra began his career as a telecommunications attorney in Washington, D.C. He joined Hamra Enterprises in 2001, which today operates across 11 states with over 7,400 employees. The annual Heisler Lecture is sponsored by The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/Woltemade.
8 p.m. April 8: Ohio Wesleyan Chamber Orchestra, conducted by OWU instructor Deborah Barrett Price, M.M., M.A., in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
7:30 p.m. April 10-12 and April 18-19: "The Spitfire Grill," with music and book by James Valcq and lyrics and book by Fred Alley, on the Main Stage in Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. The heartfelt musical is based on the 1996 film by Lee David Zlotoff. Inspired by an old travel book, feisty parolee Percy Talbott follows her dreams and winds up working at Hannah's Spitfire Grill in a small Wisconsin town. The restaurant is for sale, but with no buyers, Talbott suggests raffling it off. The OWU production features musical direction from Jennifer Whitehead, DMA, associate professor of music, and stage direction from Lusie Cuskey, Ph.D., assistant professor of theatre. Admission is free, but reservations are required by visiting owu.edu/PerformingArts beginning two weeks before the show debuts. For questions, call the box office at (740) 368-3855.
Noon-4 p.m. April 12: Oboe Oh-Wooo at OWU: Mastering the Fundamentals Oboe Recital and Master Class with Nermis Mieses, DMA, associate professor of Oboe at Michigan State University, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Mieses has earned top prizes at the prestigious Barbirolli International Oboe Competition, the First International Oboe Competition in Santa Catarina, Brazil, and the Matthew Ruggiero International Woodwind Competition. Learn more at www.nermismieses.com. Cost is $30 per person (cash at the door), and registration is required before April 7 at owu.edu/oboe. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
April 12-May 10: "Human Generated," the annual Fine Arts graduating senior showcase, and "Urban Rhythms: A Reflection of the Cultural Influences, History, and Community that Shape my Artistic Journey," an exhibition by graffiti artist Lance Johnson, at Ohio Wesleyan's Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The exhibits will open with a public reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 12. "Human Generated" features juried artworks created by the OWU Class of 2025, who will graduate May 10. Johnson's "Urban Rhythms" features paintings inspired by the reflections of OWU students participating in the university's first-year seminar, "How to Change Your World." Johnson's work mixes text and images in messages of hope and change tied to the seminar's current theme, "Mobility, Migration, and Belonging." Learn more at owu.edu/FineArts. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Ross is handicap-accessible, and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/Ross for more information.
3 p.m. April 13: Ohio Wesleyan composition and senior recital featuring students of OWU lecturer EunSeok Park, DMA, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
4:10 p.m. April 15: Ohio Wesleyan senior Josephine Stark, a Biochemistry major, presents "Characterization of Trypanosoma Brucei MCP1 Protein: A Project in Translational Quality Control Mechanisms," in Room 163 of Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, 90 S. Henry St., Delaware. Visit Stark's Research Group website. This event is part of OWU's ongoing Science Lecture Series. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/BiologySeminarSeries.
8 p.m. April 15: Ohio Wesleyan student recital, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
4:15 p.m. April 16: Zack Long, Ph.D., Ohio Wesleyan's Ben T. Spencer Associate Professor of English, presents "The Fruit of Yon Celestial Tree: Trauma, Mythology, and Typology in Shakespeare's 'Pericles,'" in Room 312 of the R.W. Corns Building, 78 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Long specializes in the literature and culture of the English Renaissance, especially Shakespeare. His research interests include memory studies, trauma theory, and the early modern ideas about the mind-body. A question-and-answer session will follow his reading. Long's presentation is Ohio Wesleyan's Benjamin T. Spencer Lecture, sponsored by the Department of English. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/English.
4:10-6 p.m. April 17: OWU's annual Student Symposium, featuring presentations that showcase the 2024-2025 research and creative work of Ohio Wesleyan students, in Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/StudentSymposium.
8 p.m. April 17: Ohio Wesleyan Symphonic Wind Ensemble performance, conducted by Richard Edwards, Ph.D., professor of music, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
8 p.m. April 22: Ohio Wesleyan Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble performance, conducted by instructor Kevin Turner, M.M.Ed., in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
8 p.m. April 25: Terpsicorps 24/25 student dance concert, on the Main Stage in Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
3 p.m. April 26: Ohio Wesleyan senior recital featuring Emily Clausing, voice, and Maja Todorovic, composition, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
9 p.m. May 2, 9, 16, and 30: Friday night guest nights, at Perkins Observatory, 3199 Columbus Pike (U.S. 23), Delaware. Content varies based on weather conditions but may include a planetarium show, observatory tours, or stargazing with the 32-inch Schottland Telescope. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of the event and at the door. (May 9 will be OWU Families Night, with $5 admission for Ohio Wesleyan students and family members. The observatory will be closed May 23 in observance of Memorial Day.) Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more at owu.edu/Perkins.
7 p.m. May 9: Baccalaureate, a 60-minute celebration planned by graduating seniors to celebrate their OWU spiritual and educational journeys, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/chaplain.
1 p.m. May 10: Ohio Wesleyan's 181st commencement ceremony celebrating the OWU Class of 2025, outdoors on the Rock Quad in front of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The ceremony will be streamed live online at owu.edu/stream. Admission is free. (If moved indoors for inclement weather, seating is limited, and tickets are required.) Learn more at owu.edu/commencement.
3 p.m. May 11: Delaware Youth Wind Symphony concert, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The symphony includes members of high school band programs who want to perform concert band music with other talented students. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
May 16-June 29: "From Struggle to Strength," an exhibition by Tariq Tarey, a documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Columbus, at Ohio Wesleyan's Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The exhibit tells the compelling stories of refugees who have resettled in Ohio and built new lives here. The Ross will have special hours for Ohio Wesleyan's Reunion Weekend and the Delaware Arts Festival. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 16-18. Summer hours will be announced. The Ross is handicap-accessible, and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/Ross for more information.
All Ohio Wesleyan public event information is subject to change. For the latest updates, visit owu.edu/calendar. For more Battling Bishop athletics events, visit battlingbishops.com.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.