Announcements
Posted: Thursday, April 29, 2010Academic Convocation 2010–2011
From the Interim Provost
Faculty and staff are cordially invited to participate in our 23rd annual Academic Convocation on Thursday, September 16, at 12:15 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Convocation is an important tradition on our campus; we celebrate learning and excellence in commencing a new academic year and recognize colleagues who are recipients of SUNY and Buffalo State awards.
This year’s convocation address will be given by Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Soon after her release from nearly 100 days in hiding, Ilibagiza secured a job with the United Nations. In 1998, she immigrated to the United States, where she continued her work with the U.N.
In March 2006, she published Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (Hay House), which quickly became a New York Times bestseller. She has appeared in numerous media outlets, including 60 Minutes, CNN, EWTN, the Al Jazeera Network, the New York Times, USA Today, and Newsday, and was recently featured in Michael Collopy’s Architects of Peace project, which has honored such legendary figures as Mother Teresa, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama.
Ilibagiza’s horrific but inspiring personal journey was the model for the Buffalo State Theater Department’s production of the Anne Frank Project, produced in 2006 and directed by Drew Kahn, professor and chair of the Theater Department. Her visit to campus will coincide with the Anne Frank Project 2010, and her address to the campus community, which will reflect on what it means to be a citizen of the world, will also help us recognize and celebrate Constitution Day, which falls on September 17.
More information on Ilibagiza can be found atwww.immaculee.com, andwww.theannefrankproject.com.
As in the past, we look forward to your participation in the academic processional. A response form can be found on the Academic Affairs Web site. If you plan to participate, please complete the form and return it to the Academic and Student Affairs Office, Cleveland Hall 519, by Tuesday, August 31. If you need academic attire, rentals are available through the Barnes and Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore.
All respondents will be contacted with directions for the formation of the academic procession. A reception immediately following the convocation is planned. Please contact Carolyn Martino, assistant to the provost, 878-5903, with questions regarding this event.
