CSC Conference On Forgiveness

Chadron State College Social Work senior students are hosting an in-person/online conference dealing with forgiveness today. Registration is free.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Everett Worthington, Professor Emeritus with Virginia Commonwealth University. His research and writing focus on forgiveness of others and self, religion, and spirituality, and issues related to marriage and family.

Worthington began studying forgiveness scientifically in 1990. Since then, he has been a leader in the field of forgiveness research. From 1998 to 2005, he directed A Campaign for Forgiveness Research, a nonprofit organization.

CSC’s President Randy Rhine and Dr. Jim Powell, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Nebraska State College System Chancellor Paul D. Turman will also greet conference attendees. Other speakers include Tanner Sherlock, Charles Lieske, Shawn Banzhaf, and Edison Red Nest III.

Sherlock is a Nebraska native and graduate of Chadron State College. Sherlock and his wife, Courtney, live in Chadron where they are in their ninth year with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, a worldwide Christian Fellowship on college campuses. He has been the Director of Chi Alpha at CSC for seven years, where he mentors and advises college students through weekly services and small group ministries. He has been a licensed pastor since 2013.

Lieske is the Executive Director at Mediation West in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and managing partner with Victorine Originals Partnership, and general manager of Fox Den Rentals in Seward, Nebraska. He was a member of the Seward City Council 2012-15 and Executive Director of the Seward Area Chamber of Commerce 2013-15.

Banzhaf has been a part of the Pat Tillman Veteran Center at Arizona State University since 2015 and serves as the Assistant Director of Student Success for the center serving more than 10,000 military-affiliated students. He is also completing his graduate work in Sociology at ASU. Banzhaf is the creator of the 5 Ls: A Practical Guide for Helping Loved Ones Heal After Trauma. He has trained more than 1,000 individuals using this method.

Red Nest III is the executive director of Native Futures in Alliance, Nebraska. He is an Oglala Sioux tribal member, father of 10, and entrepreneur. Native Futures opened in 2013 with an emphasis on serving the Native American population in the Panhandle. His organization works with Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, District 12 probation, Nebraska Appleseed, the Santee Sioux tribe, and the juvenile pretrial diversion program for Box Butte County.

The lunch panel discussion, moderated by Dean of Professional Studies and Applied Sciences Dr. Alaric Williams, will include CSC Associate Professor of Counseling Dr. Tara Wilson, Chadron Police Chief Rick Hickstein, Public Defender Becca Chasek, Sarah Hageman with Chadron Community Hospital’s hospice program, and Mandy Price, a mental health provider.

Students presenting the conference, under the direction of Program Director and Assistant Professor of Social Work Sara Grant are: Arianna Anderson of Newcastle, Wyo., Kimberly Barent of Rockville, Neb., Emma Bolyard of Brighton, Colo., Andrew Corbine of Box Elder, S.D., Erica Dardanes of Brush, Colo., Jamie Koenig of Chambers, Neb., and Ruth Mencia of Grand Island, Neb.

Schedule

8-8:15 a.m.                        ROTC Color Guard Presentation of Colors and National Anthem

8:15-8:20 a.m.                   Welcome from Senior Class leader, Kimberly Barent

8:20-8:30 a.m.                   Josh Galarza video

8:30- 8:50 a.m.                  Presentation: Dr. Jim Powell and Dr. Randy Rhine

9-10 a.m.                          Tanner Sherlock: Spirituality

9-11:30 a.m.                      Keynote speaker Everett Worthington: REACH Process

11:30 a.m.-Noon                Lunch (150 meals provided by BHECN)

Noon-1:30 p.m.                  Panel discussion

1:30-2:30 p.m.                   Charles Lieske: Restorative Justice

2:30-3:30 p.m.                   Shawn Banzhaf: Forgiving Yourself

3:30-4:30 p.m.                   Edison Red Nest III: Cultural Forgiveness

4:30-4:40 p.m.                   Closing remarks by Chancellor Paul Turman

4:40-4:50 p.m.                   Student closing by Jamie Koenig

4:50-5 p.m.                        Retiring of Colors

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