The Last Lecture is a tradition at Merrimack, as well as many colleges and universities. that allows a faculty member to speak about any subject as if it were his or her final class.
“I’m really honored because the intellectual community here is really amazing and I feel being a part of that is wonderful,” Salemme said.
He plans to speak about photography and specifically, according to the title of his lecture, “How photography can be used to understand the universe.”
In past years, the honor of delivering the Last Lecture was bestowed on the recipient of the Edward G. Roddy Jr. Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. However, because of occasional scheduling conflicts such as sabbaticals and retirements for honorees, the Honors Student Council decided to accept nominations.
“Our Honors Student Council polled the entire college to find faculty nominees across campus,” said Lisa Cavallaro, the manager of the Honors Program. About 30 nominations were submitted.
Last Lectures are usually about 40 minutes followed by about 20 minutes of questions and answers. Recent lectures at Merrimack have been delivered by assistant professor Laura Hsu in 2016, associate professor Christina Hardway in 2015, associate professor Vance Poteat in 2014 and associate professor Marcia Walsh in 2013.
