The Fallon-Marshall Lecture Series

The Fallon-Marshall Lecture was established by philanthropist Ms. Mary Marshall in 1994 as a discussion forum for issues in the humanities and social sciences. Marshall named the lecture for her close friend and former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Daniel Fallon. Upon Ms. Marshall's death, the College renamed the lecture series the Fallon-Marshall Lecture. Each year proposals are accepted from faculty in the liberal arts and the Planning and Resources Committee selects one for presentation.

For more information, contact Fallon-Marshall@tamu.edu.

2008 Lecture

Kamphoefner chosen as the Fallon-Marshall lecturer for 2008

Walter D. Kamphoefner, professor of history, has been selected to deliver the 2008 Fallon-Marshall Lecture in the College of Liberal Arts on Wednesday, April 23, at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center. The lecture is titled “What’s New about the Newest Immigration? A Historian’s Perspective,” and recounts the process of negotiation and mutual accommodation in the integration of immigrants into American society over the past two centuries.

A theme at the center of Kamphoefner’s lecture is the highly romanticized view of the melting pot. He believes the incorporation of immigrants into American society was a much slower and messier process than what the public remembers.

“For instance, earlier efforts to meet immigrants halfway—such as through bilingual public education—are too easily overlooked,” said Kamphoefner.

Kamphoefner’s research on immigration has focused primarily on German immigrants. His books and articles on the subject have been printed in four languages and distributed on three continents.

Kamphoefner received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He came to Texas A&M; University in 1988, where he is now a professor of history and graduate director. His particular areas of interest include 19th century U.S. American immigration, urbanization and quantitative methods.

Previous Fallon-Marshall Lectures