Family Weekend at Centre Sept. 29-30

RELEASED: Oct. 28, 2006

DANVILLE, KY—Each year the Centre Parents Association welcomes hundreds of visitors to its annual Family Weekend. This special event is a wonderful opportunity for families to experience Centre and to share time with their student. Siblings, grandparents, favorite aunts—the whole family—are welcome! Those interested should call the office of parent programs at (859) 238-5208 for more information.

Below is a schedule of the weekend's festivities.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Information for participants:
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
AWAKE. Aegon Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts Center. Exhibit of drawings and paintings by Emil Robinson, Centre alumnus of the class of 2003, open to the public at no charge.

10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
CENTRE BOOKSTORE. No trip to Centre is complete without a visit to our bookstore, located downtown in the former Hub building—at the corner of Main and Third Streets. Enjoy coffee and snacks in the Hub Café which is located right next door.

Noon - 5 p.m.
REGISTRATION – Downstairs Lobby Old Centre. Parents please sign in. You may pick up free football tickets here as well as other tickets and information.

APPOINTMENTS WITH FACULTY AND ADVISORS. ATTEND CLASSES. Faculty and/or advisor appointments are a traditional part of Family Weekend and give you the opportunity to become better acquainted with members of the faculty and administration. We ask that you arrange these appointments in advance through your student. We also invite and encourage you to attend classes throughout the day. Your son or daughter should get permission from the instructor in advance.

5 - 7 p.m.
DINING AT COWAN. Enjoy dinner in Cowan Dining Commons with your student. No reservations necessary; pay at the door.

7 - 9 p.m.
The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Weisiger Theatre, Norton Center. DramaCentre presents a play by Naomi Wallace, directed by Centre drama professor Patrick Kagan-Moore. NOTE: SUITABLE FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. Tickets for adults—$6; group discount, senior citizen, & student rate—$4. Centre students free. Phone (877) Hit-Show (448-7469) for more information.

9:30 - 10:30 p.m.
COMEDY CENTRE. Combs Student Activities Center. The Student Activities Council presents nationally touring comedian Johnny Walker. Good clean fun, suitable for all ages. No admission charge; snacks provided; everyone welcome!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

8:30 - 10 a.m.
PRESIDENT’S KICK-OFF BREAKFAST AT COWAN DINING HALL. President John Roush and his wife, Susie, along with the Centre Parents Association, invite you to begin your day with breakfast in the tent next to Cowan Dining Commons. No charge, but please make a reservation.

8:30 - 10 a.m.
REGISTRATION. Cowan Dining Hall. All football tickets, other tickets, campus maps and additional information will be available at the registration table.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
AWAKE. Aegon Gallery in the Jones Visual Arts Center. Exhibit of drawings and paintings by Emil Robinson, Centre alumnus of the class of 2003, open to the public at no charge,

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
CENTRE BOOKSTORE. Last chance to shop for a Centre souvenir—t-shirts, mugs, hats, and other gift items—at the Centre bookstore located downtown at Third and Main Streets! Enjoy coffee, pastries and sandwiches in the Hub Café.

10 - 10:30 a.m.
TOUR OF CAMPUS. The admission office is hosting tours of the campus for any interested siblings and friends. Meet at the Horky House. The tours are led by Centre students. Please make a reservation for the tour by calling 800-423-6236.

ACADEMIC SAMPLERS. These “mini-versions” of classroom lectures offer an excellent opportunity to hear informative and entertaining lectures by popular Centre professors. You don’t want to miss them!

9 -10:15 a.m.
Why Computers (and lots of other things) Drive Us Nuts! Olin 123. All of us have been frustrated by trying to find things on a website, or to set an unfamiliar alarm clock, or to program a VCR or … The list goes on and many times the problem is the “user interface” or perhaps a surplus of features that we really don’t need and that come with a thick user manual or a gigantic help file. This talk will explore these issues and some of the efforts that are being made to address the problem. Led by Christine Shannon, Margaret V. Haggin Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics.

Bionics: Seeking Design Inspiration from Nature. Crounse 301. Bionics—engineering design inspired from living organisms. For example, Daimler-Chrysler engineers came up with one minivan design from studying the structure and movements of the boxfish, just one of many examples. The professor’s personal favorites are those cases involving designers and engineers using fish as models for automobiles. Led by Michael Barton, Professor of Biology.

The New Religious America Enters the Old Religious Market. Crounse 313. The United States has become the world's most religiously diverse nation. Part of what attracts people from all the world's religions is that they are free to practice their faith here—free according to the law, and free according to the actual culture of America. But all religions, old and new, have to adapt to the free market in religion. Religious competition is as American as apple pie. It has required all faiths, even those of the nation's founders, to adapt to unfamiliar conditions of freedom. The net result of this vigorous religious competition is that the United States is the most vibrantly religious industrialized nation in the world. The way that America has adapted to the peaceful competition of Western religions in the past gives us a model—and a hope—for showing the world how to have peaceful competition of all the world's religions in the future. Class led by William (Beau) Weston, NEH Associate Professor of Sociology

The Physical Science of Volcanoes in New Zealand. Olin 124. Come hear about one of the exciting study abroad opportunities at Centre. The ultimate class outside, this is a course taught about volcanoes on volcanoes. This sampler will cover some of the unique volcanological features of New Zealand and how much fun you can have studying them in person. Class led by Joe Workman, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chief Health Professions Advisor.

10:30 a.m. - Noon
What in the World isn't Chemistry? Olin 124. This class will explore chemistry with (almost) all of your senses! Demonstrations will be presented that promise to be engaging, entertaining and educational! Led by Jeff Fieberg, Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

From Jewish Village to Christian Pilgrim Site: The Ongoing Archaeological Excavations of Khirbet Cana (Cana of the Galilee) in Israel. Crounse 301. Discussion will focus on a village site that Dr. McCollough and other scholars have been excavating since 1999. Among the most important finds, are a large public building dated to the early first century C.E. and having all the features of a synagogue. This would be the only first century synagogue ever uncovered in the Galilee. They have also exposed a large cave that was transformed in the fourth century C.E. into a pilgrim's center for Christian pilgrims coming to the site of the water-to-wine miracle (Jn 2: 1- 11). The interior of the cave is plastered and covered with painted crosses. Tom McCollough, Rodes Professor of Religion

Stem Cells and Cloning: Just the Facts. Olin 123. This class will be a lively discussion of embryonic and adult stem cells and of the therapeutic potentials of these cells in a variety of different diseases. We also will consider the science (vs. the science fiction) behind cloning. The link between stem cells and cloning will be discussed. Led by Steve Asmus, Associate Professor of Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.

What Is History? Crounse 313. "Nothing capable of being memorized is history." That line by the philosopher and historian R.G. Collingwood captures the confusion many Centre students first feel when they compare their college history classes with what they learned in high school. This class will explore that confusion by examining what historians mean when they speak and write about "history." In particular, the focus will be on a set of relationships that are central to the discipline: the relationship between fact and interpretation, the connections between the past and the present, and the rapport between science and history. Come discover why Oscar Wilde said: "[A]ny fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it." Led by Steve Beaudoin, Associate Professor of History.

11 a.m.
MINI CONCERT. Weisiger Theatre. A popular tradition during Family Weekend—the Centre choral and instrumental ensembles will perform under the direction of the music faculty.

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
LUNCH ON THE LAWN. Join us for a festive picnic lunch outside Cowan Dining Commons. Your box lunch will be waiting for you and we encourage you to take them to the football stadium or you may eat outside at Cowan under the tent. Drinks will be available at Cowan and on the football field. Remember to order lunch for your student, too!

1:30 p.m.
FOOTBALL. The Centre Colonels vs. Sewanee.

SATURDAY EVENING

5 - 7 p.m.
The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek. Weisiger Theatre, Norton Center. DramaCentre presents a play by Naomi Wallace, directed by Centre drama professor Patrick Kagan-Moore. NOTE: SUITABLE FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. Tickets for adults - $6; group discount, senior citizen, & student rate - $4. Centre students free. Phone (877) Hit-Show (448-7469) for more information.

5:30 - 7 p.m.
COMBS CENTER FAMILY CELEBRATION. Bring the whole family to the Combs Center for food, fun and student talent. Students and members of the Centre community will provide musical entertainment and dinner will be served at buffet stations on the second floor. Reservations needed.

8 p.m.
Blood Sweat & Tears with Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night. Newlin Hall, Norton Center for the Arts. Two legendary acts come together for one legendary show! Blood, Sweat & Tears, the band that fused horns, jazz and rock in the late ‘60s and ‘70s present their hits, along with Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, who will present many of that band’s hit songs. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of nostalgia and great music! For more information or TO ORDER TICKETS, please call the Norton Center Box Office at 1-877-HIT-SHOW or (859) 236-4692 AFTER August 10th.

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.