This summer, amid the sea of pomp and pageantry accompanying the year-long celebration of Samuel de Champlain's 1609 exploration of the lake and surrounding land, Champlain College will serve as an academic island centered on reviewing and studying four centuries of Franco-American presence in the region.

With its commanding views of Lake Champlain from its historic hillside Burlington setting, the Champlain campus seems the perfect setting for an 200 or more scholars to gathers for an international symposium  - "When the French Were Here." - that is expected to draw up to 200 scholars for four days of reflection, study and sharing of knowledge.

For four days, beginning July 2, scholars, historians, educators and the public will have a chance to share knowledge as more than a dozen academic papers are presented and keynote speakers explore four centuries of history since Champlain and his Algonquin guides entered the lake in a fleet of 24 canoes.

It is a celebration, after all, so alongside the serious conference activities, there will be the Samuel de Champlain's "Order of Good Cheer" Renaissance-themed dinner; a July 3^rd fireworks cruise on Lake Champlain, and various excursions to visit important historic landmarks in the region.

The keynote speakers in Champlain College's Alumni Auditorium are:

•  Dr. David Hackett Fischer, Pulitizer Prize-winning historian whose latest book, "Champlain's Dreams," offers a definitive biography of the 17th-century French explorer. Thursday, July 2 at 2 p.m.

• Dr. Eric Thierry, expert in travel literature at the University of Paris, Friday, July 3 at 11 a.m.

•  Dr. Raymonde Litalien, honorary archivist of Canada, Saturday, July 4 at 2 p.m.

Plenary Keynote speeches, July 2 at 2 pm; July 3 at 11 am; July 4 at 2 p.m. are free and open to the public. A limited number of free tickets are available through www.flynntix.org. A small service fee will be charged.   

The driving force behind the conference are two Champlain professors, Willard Sterne Randall and Dr. Nancy Nahra. The couple share a passion for history (and an office in Aiken Hall), having researched and lectured on the history of the Lake Champlain region and its inhabitants over the last decade.

For 22 summers, they have traveled to France, often with an eye toward searching out primary sources of information on the life of Samuel de Champlain. During the last two summers they reviewed Champlain's memoirs, examined his many maps and detailed sketches of people that he saw during his journeys, and visited his childhood home of Brouage, a medieval village on the coast of France.

 "The lake is so much a part of what we are here in our region," Nahra said. "And through it, Samuel de Champlain's history collides with our own."

Champlain College President David F. Finney agrees that the opportunity presented by the 400^th anniversary celebration was one that shouldn't be missed by the college. "It seemed to me we just couldn't let this go by. We are Champlain. The lake is Champlain, and he's the guy," Finney said. "This allows us to celebrate tradition and it will illustrate to the world that Champlain College is a serious academic place. It also reinforces the strong ties that we have to the community."

A highlight of the Quadricentennial, Finney expects, will be the official unveiling on July 4th at 3:30 p.m. of a bronze statue of Samuel de Champlain by well-known Vermont sculptor Jim Sardonis of Randolph, Vt. Longtime Champlain College supporter Dr. Jack Heise commissioned the work to be located on the Aiken Green.

 "Linking a highly developed civilization to a place rich in resources, Samuel de Champlain demonstrated an energetic optimism that still marks the culture of people who found rewards and satisfaction in a vigorous lifestyle where we live and work today," Sterne said.

The resulting academic resources gathered during the conference will be edited by Nahra and Sterne and then published for further scholarly review and distributed widely to libraries and available online.           

To learn more:

www.champlainquadricentennial.com

or www.celebratechamplain.org