About Families Alive

The Families Alive Tanner Lecture Series has been sponsored by the Department of Child and Family Studies at Weber State University since 1984. The purpose of the lecture series is to highlight and disseminate research and practical information on family relationships, human development and child development. 

The current format of the Families Alive Tanner Lecture Series is to host eight lectures each academic year, or four per semester. The lectures are open to the general public, free of charge, and no pre-registration is required.

The speakers and topics are selected by the chair of the lecture series in consultation with department faculty. All lectures will be available online in video format 1-2 weeks after the lecture on our archive webpage. 

University students may earn credit in FAM 4920: Short Courses, Workshops, Institutes, and Special Programs each semester by attending or viewing each lecture and completing two assignments associated with each lecture.

This course may be repeated to earn up to 3 credit hours over the course of three semesters (1 credit per semester).

The Families Alive Tanner Lecture Series is sponsored primarily by an endowment from the OC Tanner Corporation. Many donors have provided support for this lecture series and conference over several years and wish to remain anonymous.

The Lecture Series also receives sponsorship from the Utah Marriage Commission to offer lectures that focus on topics relevant to their mission. We are grateful for the generous support from all of our donors and sponsors. 

The current Chair of the Families Alive Tanner Lecture Series is Paul Schvaneveldt, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies. 

Share suggestions for future speakers by filling out our Suggest a Speaker form, and direct any questions to Paul Schvaneveldt at pschvaneveldt@weber.edu.