MACON – Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host a panel discussion, titled “Perspectives on the Russia/Ukraine Conflict,” March 1 at 5 p.m. in the Presidents Dining Room inside the University Center on the Macon campus.

Dr. Wallace Daniel

Distinguished University Professor of History Dr. Wallace Daniel will speak on “Russia and Ukraine: The Big Picture,” followed by Professor and Chair of Political Science Dr. Chris Grant on “Ukraine at War” and Professor of Law and Business Dr. James L. Hunt on “Economic and Business Consequences of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.” A question-and-answer session will follow.

The event is free and open to the public. Limited seating will be available for in-person attendance, and a livestream will be provided on the University’s YouTube channel.

Dr. Daniel is a leading scholar of Russian history, particularly the era of Catherine the Great and the Russian merchants as well as contemporary Russian civil society, intelligentsia, and the Russian Orthodox Church and its struggles to regain its cultural heritage and identity.

Dr. Chris Grant

He has written a biography of Father Aleksandr Men, arguably Russia’s most prominent Orthodox priest in the second half of the 20th century and has completed a translation of the memoirs of two Russian women in the catacombs, which was released in early 2021.

Dr. Grant specializes in electoral politics and European politics. He was participating in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in Kyiv, Ukraine, this academic year before evacuating to Poland at the direction of the U.S. Department of State in January.

As part of his Fulbright Award, Dr. Grant was teaching at Kyiv Mohyla Academy while also researching the emergence of civil society in Ukraine as a former Soviet republic. He previously completed a Fulbright to the former Soviet republic of Moldova and has led multiple Mercer On Mission and study abroad trips to the former Soviet Union.

Dr. James L. Hunt

Dr. Hunt teaches in both Mercer’s School of Law and School of Business and has expertise in the areas of business law, legal history and business history.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, he received a Fulbright Award to Ukraine to teach at Kyiv Mohyla Academy and pursue research related to historical and business perspectives of the role of law in national development.

About the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences serves as the academic cornerstone of one of America’s oldest and most distinctive institutions of higher learning. The oldest and largest of Mercer’s 12 schools and colleges, it is a diverse and vibrant community, enrolling more than 1,900 students, dedicated to learning and service through the practice of intellectual curiosity, respectful dialogue and responsible citizenry. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers majors in more than 30 areas of study, including more than a dozen pre-professional academic tracks, with classes taught by an outstanding faculty of scholars. In 2015, Mercer was awarded a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society that recognizes exceptional achievement in the arts and sciences. For more information, visit liberalarts.mercer.edu.