Fairfield University’s John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences will host a month-long symposium in March exploring the life and work of Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning. Registration is requested for each event.

The interdisciplinary series is presented by the Humanities Institute, Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, and the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies’ Kanarek Center for Palliative Care, with support from Joe and Robin Bennett Kanarek ’96.

The symposium will connect Frankl’s work to contemporary challenges in psychology, medicine, ethics, leadership, and society. Through lectures, performance, and interfaith dialogue, scholars, medical professionals, religious leaders, artists, and students will explore the enduring relevance of his ideas and the search for meaning in today’s world.

Event Schedule

• Monday, March 2, 6 p.m. — Alexander Batthyány, director of the Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna, will lecture on “Why Frankl Matters Today: Rediscovering Meaning in an Age of Disorientation” at the Dolan School of Business Event Hall, with a 5:30 p.m. reception.
• Monday, March 2, 7:30 p.m. — Writer and actor Christopher Domig, artistic director of Sea Dog Theater, will present “Man’s Search for Meaning” — An Immersive Theatrical Experience at Media Center Studio A.
• Thursday, March 19, 5 p.m. — Roundtable discussion “The Many Legacies of Viktor Frankl” featuring William Breitbart, M.D., Rabbi Darren Levine, Christopher Domig, and Eileen O’Shea at the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing, Rooms 103–104.
• Sunday, March 29, 3 p.m. — Closing keynote with David Brooks on “How to Know a Person” at the Quick Center for the Arts.

The symposium invites the Fairfield community to reflect on Frankl’s legacy and the pursuit of meaning across personal, professional, and societal contexts.