Convocation Calendar for 2009-2010

All full-time students enrolled at Centre for the full academic year are required to earn a total of 12 convocation credits. To receive convocation credit, students 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 on-line. Students may access their convocation attendance record at anytime through CentreNet. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Mary Gulley at 238-5223 or at gulley@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 may not be allowed to enter the convocation event. Seating capacities:
Evans Lively Room of Old Carnegie – approximately 90        
Young 101 – 188        
Vahlkamp Theatre – 170        
Weisiger Theatre – 350        
Newlin Hall – orchestra 250; grand tier 1180

Fall 2009 Convocations
All convocations are 1 credit except for Opening Convo, which is 2 credits.

Diversity: Finding Common Ground and Embracing Differences
October 6, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Elaine Penn, who has been a college coach, athlete and musician, weaves discussion, stories, audience participation and music into her programs. In this presentation, students are challenged to examine their own biases and understand how these affect their relationships with others. The program shows how diversity issues still exist and can be motivated by differences such as race, religion, sexual orientation and gender. Participants learn meaningful ways to eliminate stereotypes, eradicate prejudice and find the common ground that links us all.

Film and Immigration Discussion
October 7, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
The Hispanic Society will screen the 2009 Sundance feature length film (1 and a half hour) called “Without a Name/Sin Nombre,” about a Honduran teen who reunited with her father, which is an opportunity for her to realize her dream of life in the U.S. After the film, Cori Hash, director of the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic in Lexington, will conduct a 30 minute discussion about current issues of immigration including expected changes during the Obama administration.

Modern Masters of Figurative Painting: Alan Feltus & Lani Irwin
October 8, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Feltus and Irwin are important American painters, who are married and have lived in Assisi, Italy, since 1974. Irwin is the McMillan-Stewart Chair in Painting at the Maryland Institute of Art for the 2009-2010 academic year. Feltus is preparing a show which will open at Forum Gallery in New York city in April. They have international reputations and their works are in major museum collections. This lecture will include digital projection of the artists’ works.

Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology
October 20, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Dr. Stanley Hedeen, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Xavier University will discuss the Big Bone Lick paleontological site in Northern Kentucky. Dr. Hedeen has recently published a book on the topic. Big Bone Lick, site of an ancient saline spring, has been known among the archaeological and paleontological communities for over 250 years; it is one of the world’s premier sites for the recovery of Pleistocene Epoch fossils, and its abundance of salt has drawn animals, including humans, there for millennia. Consequently, it has enormous historical and scientific significance.

The Science and Politics of Climate Change
October 22, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Terry Cook, Director of the Kentucky Nature Conservancy, will speak on the most contentious environmental issue we have ever seen. The climate debate extends from whether or not climate is changing to how much and how fast. These scientific uncertainties are magnified in the media and halls of Congress where legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is currently being debated. The arguments are intense because the stakes are high. This talk will explore what is known about climate change and the way this information is being used to inform the current policy debate.

*Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
October 23 & 24, 8 p.m., Weisiger Theatre
Purcell’s masterpiece is an hour-long opera featuring Centre students and a small orchestra. The story is based on the tragic story of Dido’s love for and betrayal by Aeneas that Virgil tells in Book IV of the Aeneid. Beautiful music, dances, and witches’ machinations transform Virgil’s tragic tale.

Roy Ray Lecture: “The Politics of Global Competitiveness: China’s Investment and Development Aid in Africa”
October 26, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Dr. Kelechi Kalu, Professor of African American & African Studies and Director of the Center for African Studies at The Ohio State University, will speak on the increased growth in trade and investment between China and African countries in the last 10 years. Dr. Kalu specializes in international politics, conflict and conflict resolution, and Third World development studies, with emphasis on Africa. He notes that most of the growth is in the natural resources sector of African economics, especially in China’s import of crude petroleum from Sudan, Angola and Nigeria. The core question is: What are the likely effects of China’s interest in Africa’s raw materials on political stability, sustainable democratization and conflict resolution in different countries on the continent?

Humana Library Lecture: James McBride on “The Color of Water”
November 3, 7 p.m., Newlin Hall
Mr. McBride, author, musician, and songwriter, will bring his unique talents to Newlin Hall for an evening of readings and discussion, focusing on his compelling winning memoir, The Color of Water: Meditations on Identity.

*The Wizard of Oz (Norton Center event)
November 5, 8 p.m., Newlin Hall
Based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, this magical production is filled with breathtaking special effects that sweep you away from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas.

*To Kill a Mockingbird (Norton Center event)
November 9, 8 p.m., Newlin Hall
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel is treasured as the most widely read book dealing with race in America. This expertly crafted adaptation for the stage by Christopher Sergel continues to compel audiences worldwide with its warmth, wit, and wisdom.

Humana Lecture: David Quammen on Darwin
November 12, 7 p.m., Newlin Hall
The author of the First-Year book, “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin,” discusses the book, which considers how a shy, flawed and brilliant man struggled with the implications of work that causes controversy to this day. Mr. Quammen, a Rhodes Scholar and graduate of Yale, has written several works of fiction and non-fiction, including articles in National Geographic, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, and Outside. A native of Cincinnati, he now lives in Montana.

Musicians Showcase
November 13, 7:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Grant 114
A special concert featuring student performers as soloists and in chamber groups.

Arms of Hope
November 16, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Alhadi Bushara, a refugee from Darfur, will speak on his experience in Sudan and the plight of refugees. Fleeing armed conflict in his homeland, Mr. Bushara lived with his family in a refugee camp in Ghana for five years before coming to the United States. Here, he was welcomed with open arms by Kentucky Refugee Ministries. He and his family now live in Louisville where he is a leader of the resettled Sudanese community. The evening will also bring into context issues related to resettling victims of war crimes.

*Drama Centre: Anton in Show Business
November 18 through 21, 8 p.m., Weisiger Theatre
This play by Jane Martin takes you backstage in a hysterical look into the world of theatre.Anton in Show Business tells the story of three struggling actors and an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov’s The Three Sisters in San Antonio, Texas.

Is This Water Sanitary? A Look at Water Quality in Coal Mining Regions of Kentucky
November 22, 7 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
A discussion by Deborah Bledsoe and Casey Sterr, directors of the Appalachia Science in the Public Interest group, of how coal mining in South Central Kentucky is affecting water quality. This talk will focus on research the group conducted this summer in the Upper Cumberland River Watershed.

*Orquestra de Guitar de Barcelona (Norton Center event)
December 3, 8 p.m., Newlin Hall
Twenty-five of Spain’s most gifted guitarists bring the rich tradition of the music of Spain in a glorious evening of music.

Completed Convos

Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: When Nature and History Collide
September 14, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin will present a synopsis of an interesting historical account that he describes in detail in his new book, Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: When Nature and History Collide which is a tale of both natural history and American history. What started out in the Revolutionary War era as an international dispute over natural history quickly took on important political overtones.

The Constitution: A Living Document?
September 17, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Two Centre graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers in law will debate on the question of whether judges should interpret the Constitution according to the intent of those who framed it in 1787, or in light of contemporary values and realities. The participants will be John David Dyche (Class of ‘82), a Louisville attorney who writes a regular political column for the Louisville Courier-Journal and serves as an election commentator for KET, and Ryan Keith (Class of ‘96), a Louisville lawyer who is executive director of the Office of Legal Services.

Spanish in the Medical Field
September 30, 7:30 p.m., Vahlkamp Theatre
Dr. Thomas F. Whayne will talk on his experiences as a cardiologist working with the Spanish speaking community in Kentucky and his professional trips to Latin America. The talk will also focus on how learning Spanish has shaped Dr. Whayne’s research and career as a doctor and professor at the University of Kentucky.

*Drama Centre: Master Harold . . . and the Boys
September 30 through October 3, 8 p.m., Weisiger Theatre
Set in South Africa in the early 1950s during the era of apartheid rule, this production concerns an afternoon in the life of Harold, the 15-year-old son of the lower middle class tea room owner, and Willie and Sam, the middle-aged African men that work for his father.