MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College President Laurie L. Patton will be the featured speaker at the annual meeting and dinner of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Patton became 17th president of Middlebury on July 1, 2015. She joined Middlebury after serving for four years as dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and as the Robert F. Durden Professor of Religion. At Duke, she oversaw 36 academic departments and programs in arts and sciences for the school.
Patton earned her BA from Harvard University in 1983 and her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1991. She is an authority on South Asian history, culture and religion and is the author or editor of nine books and more than 50 articles in the field. Patton has lectured widely on interfaith issues and religion and public life, and she has consulted with White House offices on faith-based initiatives, as well as on civic engagement.
The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History was chartered in 1882 and has a long-standing association with Middlebury College, whose students, faculty and staff have been members of the museum and have benefitted from the museum’s extensive archives and collections covering the history of Middlebury, Addison County and the mid-Lake Champlain region. The two institutions have long been community partners.
The Henry Sheldon Museum’s annual dinner will take place at the Kirk Alumni Center at Middlebury College. The evening begins with the annual meeting at 5:45 p.m., followed by dinner and President Patton’s presentation. Tickets are $50 per person. Advance reservations are required by Oct. 27. Reservations can be made by calling the Sheldon at 802-388-2117 or online at www.HenrySheldonMusuem.org.