Convocation Schedule

All full-time students enrolled at Centre for the full academic year are required to earn a total of 12 convocation credits. All convocations earn 1 credit except Founders Day and Honors Night, which earn 2 credits each.

To receive convocation credit, each student must have their ID card swiped, be seated before the program begins, remain present throughout the full program, and swipe their own ID card immediately following the event.

For the entire convocation policy, refer to the Student Handbook. For up-to-date changes in the Convocation Calendar, please see Notesworthy online. Students may access their convocation attendance record at anytime through CentreNet. If you have questions, please contact Megan Noltemeyer at 238-5341 or megan.noltemeyer@centre.edu.

Please note that seating may be limited for some events. It is wise to arrive early to all convocations to ensure that your ID card is swiped and you have a seat. If all seats are taken, students will not be allowed to enter the convocation event.

Seating capacities:

• Combs Center/Warehouse (approximately 200)

• Danville High School — Gravely Hall (660)

• Evans Lively Room — Old Carnegie (90)

• Newlin Hall (orchestra 250; grand tier 1180)

• Vahlkamp Theatre (170)

• Weisiger Theatre (350)

• Young Hall — Room 113 (188)

2012 Fall Term Convocations

*Events that have an admission charge to the public are marked with an asterisk. Students are not charged for these convos.

Opening Convocation
Sunday, August 26 — 7 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Centre students, faculty, and staff gather to celebrate the start of a new academic year. Harold Holzer, a prominent Lincoln scholar, will be the featured speaker. He has published more than 40 books having to do with Lincoln and appeared on countless television programs on our 16th President. As a Vice President of the Metropolitan Museum in New York who has curated sculpture exhibits, he has an interest in how Lincoln has been depicted in sculpture and is particularly interested in the Centre Lincoln, which will be unveiled following the Convocation.

First-Year Book Author Nick Carr
Tuesday, September 11 — 8 p.m. (Danville High School, Gravely Hall)
Nick Carr, author of the first-year book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, will be on campus to discuss his writings. The book discusses the personal and cultural consequences of technology and computer usage and examines the role of media and technology on intellectual history. Mr. Carr is a celebrated writer who holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A., in English and American Literature and Language, from Harvard University. He has been a columnist for The Guardian in London and has written for The Atlantic, New York Times, and Wired.

The Competing Myths of Appalachia vs. The Reality of American English Dialects
Thursday, September 13 — 7:30 p.m. (Vahlkamp Theatre)
Myths concerning Appalachia and its dialects features often portray a backwards people while other dialect features supposedly reflect their quaint, bucolic life. This lecture, given by Kirk Hazen, explores the language variation patterns of English in Appalachia through these language myths. Although not always comforting for people who hold tenaciously to these ideas, the reality of language variation reveals patterns that are geographically and socially diverse yet completely in-line with other varieties of English. The end result is that English in Appalachia is not the freak show that people would like, but it is also not an archaic variety trapped in fairy land.

Drawing the Line: Cartooning an Absurd Political Universe
Monday, September 17 — 7:30 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
Joel Pett, Editorial Cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize winner from the Lexington Herald Leader, will lead a discussion of political cartoons in Kentucky and US politics, illustrated with examples and discussion of the goals of the cartoonist. The talk will illuminate the role that political cartoons play in local and national politics with emphasis on Kentucky politics and the 2012 presidential election.

The Psychology Behind Better Child Development
Tuesday, September 18 — 7:30 p.m. (Vahlkamp Theatre)
The psychology behind better child development will introduce students to local leadership opportunities in the field of psychology. The Executive Director from Court Appointed Special Advocates will give a presentation explaining C.A.S.A's goals and the ways that students can help C.A.S.A achieve these goals. A Therapist from Sunrise Children's Services and the Marketing Director from Wilderness Trace will also be presenting. This convocation will explore how each individual organization works to improve the lives of children who have been abused, have learning disabilities, or are experiencing developmental issues.

Free Speech and the Regulation of Campaign Finance
Thursday, September 20 — 8 pm. (Vahlkamp Theatre)
A debate on the question of whether campaign or issue advertising paid for by individuals or corporations is speech protected by the First Amendment. The question presents the fundamental tension between the values of free speech on the one hand and fairness of the electoral process on the other.

Forum on Environmental Issues
Tuesday, September 25 — 7 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
A forum of leaders from prominent Kentucky environmental and conservation organizations. We will provide speakers with a list of 5-10 important global, national, and regional issues. During the convocation, each speaker will give their response to two or three of the issues.

Contesting Paul: Early Christian Debates on Marriage and Celibacy
Thursday, September 27 — 7:30 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
David Hunter is the Cottrill-Rolfes Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Kentucky. He is a scholar of early Christianity, and has recently published his research on the reception of Paul, and the concept of marriage in early Christianity. His work has examined the practice of marriage amongst the early priesthood in Christianity, and the development of the practice of celibacy.

*After Orpheus
Thursday thru Saturday, September 27-29 — 8 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
An original, devised piece, which will be returning to Centre following its opening at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival.

The Lion in the Path
Tuesday, October 2 — 7:30 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
Early in October of 2000, just before Centre's first Vice-Presidential Debate, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., delivered the first Press Distinguished Lecture. Almost exactly twelve years later, just before Centre's second Vice-Presidential Debate, the distinguished New York Times columnist and PBS/NPR Commentator David Brooks will give the twelfth Press Distinguished Lecture.

Centre Environmental Issues Debate
Wednesday, October 3 — 7 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
In anticipation of Centre’s Vice Presidential Debate on 10.11.12, Centre Democrats and Centre Republicans will be hosting and participating in a debate of their own. Responding to the Centre Environmental Issues Forum held the previous week, this debate will specifically focus on the environmental issues that we as Americans and global citizens face today. From the controversial Keystone Pipeline Project to the BP oil spill, environmental issues reach much further than one might think: it involves geopolitical relations, labor markets, ecological impacts, and many other topics. Both of these organizations recognize the necessity of bringing the environment to the forefront of the political dialogue here on Centre’s campus, as such subject matter has barely been brought up on a national level. Thomas Becker (Public Relations Chair for the Centre College Republicans) and Nathan Shuler (Secretary for the Centre College Democrats) will be representing their respective organizations and ideologies in what is promised to be a civil and lively discussion.

Trey Talks Politics
Thursday, October 4 — 7:30 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
Trey Grayson, Director of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and distinguished Kentucky politician, will discuss the changing political views and tendencies of the Millennial generation and encourage active engagement in the 2012 election.

Immigration: Push and Pull
Monday, October 22 — 7:30 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
Itzel Atzin Polo Mendieta comes to Centre from Mexico, where she works with the Institute for Social and Cultural Practice and Research. A 22-year-old organizer for Los Otros DREAMERS, a group of Mexican youth who were deported back to Mexico or who returned voluntarily, she will speak about “push and pull factors” contributing to immigration. The program highlights the fight of Mexican youth for educational rights and draws attention to how corporations profit from deportation.

Horseback Riding, Chariots, and Ancient Warfare
Tuesday, October 23 — 7:30 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Early Horseback Riding, Chariots, and Ancient Warfare will tie many types of evidence together (archaeological, literary, linguistics, artistic, etc.) to study the early Indo-European peoples in Western Asia and beyond. Join David Anthony, Professor of Archaeology at Hartwick College, as he discusses the earliest horseback riding and the consequences for the development of warfare in the ancient world.

Shooting Beauty
Thursday, October 25 — 7:30 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
Shooting Beauty is a documentary that tells the inspirational story of a photographer, Courtney Bent, whose career takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a hidden world of beauty at a center for people with significant disabilities. Daniel Noltemeyer will be speaking about the international organization, Best Buddies, as well as promoting awareness about what it means to have an intellectual or developmental disability.

Autism Rights, Human Rights: The Legality of Autism
Friday, November 2 — 7 p.m. (Young Hall, Room 113)
Lorri Unumb is a leading autism rights lawyer for Autism Speaks. She comes to Centre to share her experiences advocating for autism insurance reform and other autism-related legal issues. Families devastated by this debilitating social, behavioral and cognitive disorder are often unable to afford critical interventions, a situation compounded by many insurance policies explicit exclusion of autism coverage. Ms. Unumb, a working mother of three children, one with autism, is leading the national effort to secure insurance coverage for children on the autism spectrum. With the passing of House Bill 159, Unumb’s efforts helped make Kentucky the 17th state in the nation to enact autism insurance reform.

A Reading and Conversation with Silas House
Monday, November 5 — 7:30 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Silas House, acclaimed novelist, essayist, playwright, and social activist, will be the Humana/Library Speaker for 2012-2013. He is the nationally best-selling author of five novels, including Clay’s Quilt (2001), A Parchment of Leaves (2003), The Coal Tattoo (2005), Eli the Good (2009) and Same Sun Here (with Neela Vaswani, 2012), a book of creative non-fiction. He is also the author of Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal (with Jason Howard, 2009), and three plays. He currently serves as the NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies at Berea College and on the faculty of Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing. House has won such awards as the NAV/New York Public Library’s Storyline Prize, the Fellowship of Southern Writer’s Award for Special Achievement, the Intellectual Freedom Prize from the Kentucky English Teacher’s Council, Appalachian Writer of the Year (twice), and many others. House’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Newsday, Oxford American, Narrative, and many other publications. A native of Eastern Kentucky, he now lives in Berea, Kentucky. House will present a reading and convocation. A reception and book signing in the Norton Center Foyer will follow the convocation.

House will also be available for conversation with students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday, November 6, during common hour (11:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.) in the Grissom Reading Room in Doherty Library.

On Tuesday, November 6, House will present a reading at the Boyle County Public Library from 4 p.m.—5 p.m.

*The Cherry Orchard
Wednesday thru Saturday, November 7-10 — 8 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
On a Russian estate at the beginning of the twentieth century, change is in the air as the aristocratic inhabitants of the main house go about blithely living their superficial lives, ignoring potentially catastrophic events on the horizon. With The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov is at his most astute in revealing the folly of human nature when faced with potentially tragic circumstances.

Musicians Showcase
Sunday, November 11 — 3 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Centre student musicians will showcase their talents in this annual convocation.

Kuxa'an K'aaylay/A living past: Mayan social memory and prophetic intertextuality
Monday, November 12 — 7:30 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
With December 2012 fast approaching, there has been increased interest in certain ancient Mayan writings and calendar predictions. Will December 21, 2012 be the end of the world? Ramsey Tracy will talk about why this date was chosen and several interpretations of the calendar and the prophesies. Through her interviews with many elderly Yucatecan Mayans, Dr. Tracy has analyzed the concept of time in storytelling and will share what modern Mayans think about the end of the world predictions. She will discuss how studying modern Mayan perspectives can help us understand the ancient Maya Calendar.

Faces of Homelessness
Tuesday, November 13 — 7:30 p.m. (Vahlkamp Theatre)
An exploration of the realities of homelessness through a multimedia presentation from the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington DC and the personal stories of two homeless individuals—one from Washington and one from Louisville. A speaker from the National Coalition will discuss underlying causes of homelessness and suggested solutions to this chronic social problem.

*The King's Singers & Sean Curran Company
Friday, November 16 — 8 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Connecting dance and music in a visceral language of movement and sound, Sean Curran Company in collaboration with The King’s Singers present Solstice. With a newly-commissioned score by Joby Talbot that uses the six vocalist as an abstract, orchestral chorus, the work takes inspiration from ancient architectural landmarks, ritual and mysticism.

Fall Orchestra Concert
Sunday, November 18 — 3 p.m. (Newlin Hall)
Members of Centre's Orchestra showcase their talents in this fall performance.

*Lise de la Salle, piano recital
Tuesday, November 27 — 7:30 p.m. (Weisiger Theatre)
At age 24, Lise de la Salle has been playing piano for twenty years and gave her first public concert, which was broadcast live by Radio France, when she was just nine. She has awed critics with her artistry and mesmerized audiences throughout the United States and Europe ever since. Recognized as “a talent in a million” (Gramaphone), de la Salle has appeared for recitals and as a soloist with orchestras in Paris, London, Copenhagen, Luxemburg, Salzburg, New York (Carnegie Hall), St. Paul, and Miami, among others.