Ciceronian Society Day 2 - Updates

Published: Fri, 03/14/25

Good morning!

We hope you’re enjoying the Ciceronian Society conference so far and ready to go for Day 2!

Today is full of fascinating breakout sessions on so many great topics, but be sure to join us for our plenary session at 3:30pm.

If you’re up for it, consider joining us for Morning Prayer at 8am EST in the Appalachian Ballroom.

Storing Prize Presentation and Nominations for 2026

Last night we awarded the first ever Herbert J. Storing Prize to Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens for her book, Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery. What did you think?

The University Press of Kansas is offering a 30% discount and free domestic shipping on all orders of Cara’s book. Just use code 24JEFFERSON

Have a book in mind for the 2026 Prize? Click here to learn more about the prize and make a nomination.

Schedule Changes

There are some changes to the schedule today. Click here for an updated “Master Schedule”

Session 6b at 10:45am is now a roundtable on Ancient Rome and modern America, while the panel on The Mind of the Masterclass has moved to Saturday at 10:45am (session 10b).

Help us tell our story!

Throughout the event, there are two ways in which you can help the Ciceronian Society tell its story and give the “world” and our supporters a better sense of our personality.

Option #1 - Take pictures! - Help us capture the Ciceronian Society in action! Send them to info@ciceroniansociety.org

Option #2 - Video testimonials - Click here on your smartphone and follow the instructions. Record a brief video with feedback about the conference, what brought you to the conference or what brought you back. Has the Ciceronian Society helped you personally and/or professionally?

Food

Coffee, water, and tea are available each day of the conference. There’s a daily limit to the coffee and tea, but alternatives are available in the hotel if needed.

What’s for lunch?

Today, lunch is 12:15 - 1:30 pm in the Appalachian Ballroom. We’ll enjoy Hotel Madison’s Signature Salad Bar as well as some salmon.

We’ve done our best to be as Lent-friendly as possible!

What’s for dinner?

Today, we’ll break for dinner from 5pm - 8pm and where you go is at your discretion. It is not catered.

In addition to dining at the hotel, Bella Luna, Cuban Burger, Rocketown Kitchen, Capital Alehouse, and Clementine Cafe are all within walking distance.

Please note that we have done our best to accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies shared through the registration, and the hotel is aware of them.

Help with Sound

Are you someone who is relatively competent with a sound board? If so, we’d like to know. Email info@ciceroniansociety.org

We saved thousands of dollars by bringing in our own sound equipment for these rooms, including mics, speakers, projectors, podiums, etc. But that also means we are our own tech support.

None of this will be super complicated, but let us know if can help us troubleshoot as needed.

Sharing Rooms, Rides, &
Contact Info

Still looking for help sharing rooms and rides? Click here for a list of attendees who have permitted us to share their name and email and try and reach out to attendees you already know.

You’ll probably want to rent a car if you haven’t already. Uber and Lyft are available, but the distance to Dulles and Charlottesville Airports likely make that quite pricey.

If you’re willing to give folks a ride from one of the other hotels (not Hotel Madison), maybe wait around in the hotel lobby, and consider printing and holding up this sign and see if anyone takes you up on it!

If you get stuck at an airport or hotel and need help getting where you need to go, you can send a quick message to info@ciceroniansociety.org or call/text us at (734) 265-0149‬. We’ll do our best to help you if we can.

Once the conference gets going, you’ll hopefully make connections for ride sharing for the rest of the event.

Schedule
(Eastern Time Zone)

Click here to view the printed program

Click here to view the more up-to-date Master Schedule with more recent changes

Prayer Time

Anyone is welcome to join us at 8am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Appalachian Ballroom at Hotel Madison for an abridged version of Morning Prayer as found in the Book of Common Prayer (2019, ACNA). All are welcome.

Where are we meeting?

Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center

710 S Main St

Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Phone Number: (540) 564-0200

The Hotel’s garage parking is adjacent to the hotel and the entrance is located off MLK Jr Way. Overflow is off Mason drive.

The hotel is accessed via a covered walkway from the garage. The rate is $5 per day per car with unlimited in/out access. They lease spaces in that garage, and collect the fee from guests and track it separately due to these arrangements.

Hospitality Suite

Appalachian Ballroom

8pm - 11pm

(bar closes at 10)

Now that we’ve grown to the size we are, we’re no longer able to host a regular BYOB “hospitality suite” as in year’s past.

We will, however, have times of hospitality and informal conversation in the Appalachian Ballroom with adult beverages and snacks each night of the conference. Every registered attendee will receive one drink ticket redeemable for one beer or glass of wine any night. Otherwise, it is a cash bar with beer, wine, and liquor.