LOCAL NEWS

America's media mirror

Veteran journalist and author Juan Williams is coming to campus on Nov. 13 as part of the Diversity Lecture Series.

Juan Williams, political analyst for National Public Radio and Fox News and the author of the nonfiction bestseller Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, will give a talk, ''Eyes on Image: The Changing Reflections in America's Media Mirror,'' at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Kennedy Union Ballroom at the University of Dayton.

Part of the Diversity Lecture Series, the talk is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Call the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-2545 or order online at www.udayton.edu/~ku/tickets. Organizers recommend that patrons arrive early for seating in the ballroom. A live feed will be available in the Science Center Auditorium. A book signing will follow the talk in the Torch Lounge in Kennedy Union.

Williams is one of America's leading political writers and thinkers. He is a senior correspondent for NPR's ''Morning Edition,'' a political analyst for Fox News and a regular panelist for Fox News Sunday. In addition to prize-winning columns and editorial writing for The Washington Post, he has written six books. With the 2006 release of Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America -- and What We Can Do About It, Williams ignited debate with his analysis of black leadership in the U.S. Among other acclaimed works, he wrote the non-fiction bestseller, Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, the companion to the TV series; Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary; My Soul Looks Back in Wonder -- Voices of the Civil Rights Experience; This Far by Faith: Stories from the African American Religious Experience; and I'll Find a Way or Make One -- a Tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

For more than two decades at The Washington Post, Williams served as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist and White House reporter. Williams has received an Emmy Award for television documentary writing and has won widespread critical acclaim for a series of documentaries, including ''Politics -- The New Black Power.''

In a 2003 interview that aired on ''Front and Center,'' a television program about the practices, issues, ethics and politics of journalism, Williams likened modern-day journalism to comfort food. ''People are seeking to have their own opinions and perspectives confirmed when they turn on the television, turn on the radio or open the paper. They don't want to hear a broadcast. They want a narrowcast. They want something that speaks to their own preconceptions,'' he said. ''That, to me, is a real loss. …Journalism should be about shedding light."

Williams is part of an all-star line-up of acclaimed artists and journalists -- including filmmaker Spike Lee and Grammy Award-winning gospel musician Kirk Franklin -- tackling ''The Responsibility of Media in a Global Society'' during the University of Dayton's 2007-2008 Diversity Lecture Series.

The University of Dayton's Diversity Lecture Series is part of a larger strategic plan to increase inclusion and diversity on campus and prepare students, faculty, staff and the Dayton community for success in a global society. Past speakers have included Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Clarence Page, Nikki Giovanni, Azar Nafisi and Johnnetta B. Cole.

The Diversity Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the offices of the president and provost, with the support of such community partners as The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ); Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; United Way of the Greater Dayton Area; Victoria Theatre Association; Markey's Audio Visual; Dayton Daily News; WDTN-TV; and WDAO-1210 AM.

Contact Lynnette Heard, executive director of the office of the president, at 937-229-4122.

Post-Katrina race, class and history

Activists and scholars will visit the University of Dayton to examine a variety of issues about the past, present and future of New Orleans, its people and their culture Oct. 16-18 during the 15th annual Humanities Symposium.

“Race, Class and History: New Orleans Post Katrina,” will bring to campus issues of recovery that many members of the UD community have already seen first hand. More than 200 students, faculty and staff have volunteered on Katrina relief projects. Another group of students will bring to the symposium their fresh experience working in New Orleans Oct. 7-10, in a project organized by UD’s Center for Social Concern.

All lectures will be held in Sears Recital Hall in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center on campus and are free and open to the public. The schedule includes:

Ansel Augustine, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Augustine, coordinator of black youth and young adult ministry, Archdiocese of New Orleans, opens the series. Augustine, whose home was destroyed by Katrina, will speak on “Faith after the Storm.”

Jed Horne, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Horne is the Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author of Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City. The former metro editor of the New Orleans Times Picayune will speak about his book, which the Washington Post credits with providing “new insights into how a ferocious storm, governmental ineptitude and racially tinged inequities conspired to permanently jeopardize one of the nation's cultural gems.” Edward Haas, history department chair at Wright State University and former director of the Louisiana Historical Center, will provide a counterpoint to Horne’s remarks. Haas’s research has compared federal response to Katrina with Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

Gregory Squires, 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18.
Squires is the chair of the George Washington University sociology department and editor of There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class and Hurricane Katrina. His collection of scholarly articles covers topics such as contemporary metropolitan planning, the roles of business and the media, and how the hurricane disproportionately impacted female-headed households.

“There’s no other city dearer to my heart than New Orleans,” said symposium coordinator John Heitmann, UD’s Alumni Chair in the Humanities. “For me, it is one of the most important cities in the world culturally, socially, and economically, and its future is an incredibly critical question.”

Heitmann, a historian who has written extensively on Louisiana, said he expects the symposium speakers, with their range of perspectives and experiences, to bring to light how much remains to be done in New Orleans beyond the physical rebuilding.

“How that rebuilding will be done, will tell us much about our nation and its future,” he said.

For Humanities Symposium information, call 937-229-3490.

Blues and news from New Orleans

The music of a resilient New Orleans comes to the University of Dayton when Delta blues harmonica player J.D. Hill takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 in Sears Recital Hall at the 15th annual Humanities Symposium.

Hill, who received one of the first homes in Habitat for Humanity's New Orleans Musicians' Village after Hurricane Katrina, will be accompanied by guitarist Kenny Holladay.

After their performance in Sears Hall, which includes "Babe You Don't Have to Go," "Ain't Got a Home" and "Highway 39," they'll move on to ArtStreet, where they'll jam with music professor Willie Morris III, Eric Suttman and UD students.

Hill comes to campus as part of the 15th annual Humanities Symposium, “Race, Class and History: New Orleans Post Katrina," and will be joined on stage by the Rev. Inman Houston, director of the Habitat for Humanity Musicians’ Village.

Houston, a pastor at the First Baptist Church of New Orleans, will speak about the role of faith communities in reconstructing New Orleans and about Musicians Village, a 70-home project for low-income musicians and those displaced by the hurricane.

Hill, who performed for President Bush when he visited Musicians’ Village in 2006, has been featured in Rolling Stone, recently filmed a commercial with Harry Connick Jr. for Lincoln Continental and will appear in an episode of This Old House on PBS.

For more information call 937-229-3490 or go to http://universityofdayton.blogs.com/newsinfo/2007/08/race-class-and-.html.

An active campus

Upcoming events focus on race, politics, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq, law, and violence and health awareness.

FIRST U.S.-BORN MEMBER OF AN AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT TO SPEAK — University of Dayton graduate Kristina Kerscher Keneally will discuss Catholics, Protestants and Australian politics at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, in UD’s Science Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Keneally is the first U.S.-born member of the New South Wales parliament, the country's first and oldest state legislature. She currently is Minister for Aging and Disability, a department that administers social services to more than a million people.

PRESIDENTIAL PERFORMER WILL DISCUSS HURRICANE KATRINA — Musician J.D. Hill, who performed for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush when he received the first house in New Orleans’ Musicians’ Village, will discuss the role of faith communities in reconstructing New Orleans. The Rev. Inman Houston, director of the Habitat for Humanity Musicians’ Village, will join Hill at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, in UD’s Sears Recital Hall. The event, which is part of the 15th annual Humanities Symposium, is free and open to the public. This year’s title is “Race, Class and History: New Orleans Post-Katrina.” For more information, call 937-229-3490.

LAW SCHOOL TO CELEBRATE RED MASS SEPT. 22 —The UD School of Law and Catholic judges of the Dayton area will celebrate a Red Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at UD’s Immaculate Conception Chapel. The Rev. Chris Wittmann, S.M., director of UD Campus Ministry, will celebrate the Mass, which is open to the public. It’s the second year UD has hosted the Mass that legal professionals and academics nationwide hold annually to request guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice. Red Masses usually coincide with the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court on the first Monday in October. Members of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court and other government officials have a Red Mass annually in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. Service and justice are key components of the School of Law’s award-winning Lawyer as Problem Solver curriculum. The program helps students apply their legal knowledge to help solve problems for their clients, communities and the world. UD ensures students will have those skills by requiring an externship — a semester of work with a licensed attorney. UD law school officials believe UD is just one of a handful of schools that requires an externship for graduation.

STOP HATE WEEK: BUILD A STRONGER UD; SEPT. 24-28 — In its third year, Stop Hate Week is designed to create awareness of bias, bigotry and hate throughout society. The week also provides information about the availability of UD’s Web site as a safe place to report incidents of bias and hate that occur on campus. Events, which are free and open to the public, include movies with themes surrounding gender, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity — Race Is The Place and People Like Us — panel discussions, talks and an art exhibition. The art exhibit “HATE: Artistic Expressions by Students” runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day in Kennedy Union’s Torch Lounge. Students will view and discuss Race Is The Place from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, on the first floor of the Roesch Library. An intercultural speed meet is 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Kennedy Union field. The speed meet is billed as an opportunity to meet international friends and enjoy international food. Students will view and discuss People Like Us, a film about social class issues in the U.S., 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Sears Recital Hall. Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, will deliver the week’s keynote address, “Race is Not a Card: Confronting the Reality of Racism and White Denial in the U.S.” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. This presentation examines the way in which racism, especially subtle and institutionalized forms, continue to plague life in the United States.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION EXPERT KICKS OFF UD DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS SERIES — Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston and frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, will kick off the University of Dayton’s Distinguished Speakers Series at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in UD’s Kennedy Union. The talk is free and open to the public. Dines, who is a regular guest on Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and National Public Radio, has worked with Hollywood studios to help create progressive images of women on national television. She also lectures on pop culture and teenage sexuality to high schools and community groups, and has written numerous articles on pornography, media images of women and representations of race in pop culture. The UD Women’s Center, UD’s women's and gender studies program and UD’s department of sociology, anthropology and social work will co-sponsor Dines’ appearance.

11TH ANNUAL CONCERT AT UD WILL BENEFIT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH — Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will hold its FREEFAHL — Forever Reminding and Educating Every Female About Healthy Living — concert 2-11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, at the University of Dayton’s Art Street Amphitheater. Tickets are $7 and available through the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-3333. Tickets will be sold in Marycrest and Virginia Kettering residence halls on UD’s campus. The event is open to the public. Free hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chips and drinks also will be available. Featured artists include Kristen Key, Wake Hollywood, Welwyn, Julie Roth, Pat Kelly, James Wade, 5 cents a shot and From Midnight On. Entertainment includes a dunk tank and cornhole games. All proceeds go to breast cancer education and awareness. Luminaries will be available for purchase the day of the event in memory of those who have been affected by the illness. Last year, this event raised more than $5,000. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Mandi Fetters at fetterme@notes.udayton.edu or 330-697-8327.

For more information, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391. TV cameras are welcome at the Red Mass, but we request that videographers shoot from their shoulders and not use tripods.

Distinguished Speaker Series set

A frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, an internationally known biologist and a former Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief highlight this year’s series. Events are free and open to the public.

A frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, an internationally known biologist and a former Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief highlight this year’s University of Dayton Distinguished Speakers Series.

Distinguished Speakers Series events are free and open to the public.

Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston, kicks off the series at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the Kennedy Union ballroom with “Sex(ism), Love and Identity in a Pornographic Culture.”

Dines, who is a regular guest on Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and National Public Radio, has worked with Hollywood studios to help create progressive images of women on national television.

The UD Women’s Center, UD’s women's and gender studies program and UD’s department of sociology, anthropology and social work will co-sponsor Dines’ appearance.

European Research Council President Fotis Kafatos speaks at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, in Science Center 114.

Kafatos helped develop cDNA synthesis and cloning, and invented the dot-blot, the precursor of DNA microarrays. Active in efforts to promote research and scientific education in the developing world, his current work is on malaria research.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a Washington Post national editor who served as Baghdad bureau chief at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, will discuss “Iraq’s Elusive Peace: A Reporter’s View from Inside the Green Zone” at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. His book, Imperial Life Inside the Emerald City, also details those experiences.

Before his Baghdad assignment, Chandrasekaran was The Washington Post's Cairo bureau chief, Southeast Asia correspondent and helped cover the war in Afghanistan. He now heads The Washington Post's Continuous News department, which provides breaking news stories to the paper's Web site, http://www.washingtonpost.com.

For more information on the Distinguished Speakers Series or to request an interview with a speaker, please contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.

Voice for the voiceless

PBS and NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa kicks off the 2007-2008 Diversity Lecture series at the University of Dayton on Sept. 7.

Growing up as a Mexican immigrant in the South Side of Chicago, Maria Hinojosa didn't think she had a voice.

Today, this award-winning journalist and author not only has found her voice but also gives ''the voiceless a voice." She's the senior correspondent for the Emmy Award-winning PBS newsmagazine show Now and anchors National Public Radio's Latino USA, a weekly national program reporting on news and culture in the Latino community. She also hosts a PBS talk show out of Boston called ''Maria Hinojosa: One on One,'' which features Latino newsmakers. She just returned from Africa, India and Guatemala, where she conducted interviews for a one-hour documentary on child brides that will air in October on Now.

Hinojosa will kick off the University of Dayton's 2007-2008 Diversity Lecture Series with a free talk, ''Stories from the Frontlines of Modern Journalism: From Katrina to Child Brides to Iraqi Refugees and Immigrant Rights,'' at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, in Boll Theatre in Kennedy Union. It's free and open to the public.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month at the University of Dayton, Hinojosa also will give a breakfast keynote address at the 2007 Midwest Latino Symposium at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, in the Kennedy Union West Ballroom. The cost for the all-day conference, which focuses on ''Heritage and Identity: Honoring our Roots to Build a Stronger Future,'' is $5 for students and $10 for faculty, staff and the general public. For more information, see campus.udayton.edu/~latino

In her acclaimed 1999 memoir, Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son, Hinojosa described herself as "a Latin gringa. This crazy mixture of Azteca-New Yorker, salsa-dancing, goddess-worshipping, hard-hitting journalist, Ivy League-educated, Chicago-raised, barrio-living woman. …Even though I grew up as seeing myself as different from everyone around me, I suddenly realized I wanted what everyone else had. I wanted to be a full, well-rounded, accomplished woman. And though I had achieved a lot in my life, I couldn't get away from the Mexican yardstick for measuring womanhood -- becoming a mother."

The book is a tribute to womanhood and her personal experiences as a Mexican-American career woman living in New York. Her 1995 book Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa, is based on her award-winning NPR report. Currently, she is working on a new book about how corporate media is leading society away from the values of journalists.

Hinojosa's career also covers eight years as a New York-based correspondent for CNN, where she covered urban affairs. Before joining CNN, Hinojosa spent six years at National Public Radio as a general assignment correspondent. During this time, she also hosted Visiones, a public-affairs talk show on WNBC-TV in New York. She previously worked for WNYC-TV as the host of New York Hotline and served as a producer and researcher for CBS This Morning.

Hinojosa has garnered several awards and honors, including the Ruben Salazar Award from the National Council of La Raza, an award given annually to an individual who has dedicated his or her life to promoting a positive portrayal of Latino historical, political, economic and cultural contributors to U.S. society.

She has been nominated for two Emmys, and listed three times as one of the country's 100 “Most Influential Latinos” by Hispanic Business Magazine. She received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for her NPR story “Manhood Behind Bars,” the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Radio Award and the New York Society of Professional Journalists Deadline Award for her NPR report “Kids and Guns.” Her story “Crews” garnered her Top Story of the Year Award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She also won an Associated Press Award for her coverage of Nelson Mandela for WNYC Radio, and in 2004 was honored with a “Crossing Borders” award from the Feminist Press. Working Mother Magazine also named her one of its “25 Most Influential Working Mothers in America.”

The Diversity Lecture Series is one part of a larger strategic plan to increase inclusion and diversity on campus and prepare students, faculty, staff and the Dayton community for success in a global society. Past speakers have included Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Clarence Page, Nikki Giovanni, Azar Nafisi and Johnnetta B. Cole. The series is co-sponsored by the offices of the president and provost, with the support of such community partners as The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Victoria Theatre Association, Markey's Audio Visual, Dayton Daily News, WDTN-TV and WDAO-1210 AM.

All-star line-up

Filmmaker Spike Lee and Grammy Award-winning musician Kirk Franklin headline 2007-2008 Diversity Lecture Series.

An all-star line-up of acclaimed artists and journalists — including filmmaker Spike Lee and Grammy Award-winning gospel musician Kirk Franklin — will tackle ''The Responsibility of Media in a Global Society'' during the University of Dayton's 2007-2008 Diversity Lecture Series.

The season includes:

• Maria Hinojosa, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 7, Boll Theatre, University of Dayton. Free and open to the public. Part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Award-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa is managing editor and host of Latino USA, a weekly program on NPR. She also is the senior correspondent for the Emmy Award-winning PBS Newsmagazine NOW. Previously, she spent eight years at CNN, where she covered urban affairs. She's been nominated for two Emmys and listed three times as one of the 100 most influential Latinos in the United States by Hispanic Business Magazine. She wrote Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa and Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son, a motherhood memoir about raising a Latino child in a multicultural society.

• Juan Williams, 8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, Kennedy Union Ballroom, University of Dayton. Free and open to the public.

Juan Williams is one of America’s leading political writers and thinkers. He is a senior correspondent for NPR's ''Morning Edition,'' a political analyst for Fox News and a regular panelist for Fox News Sunday. In addition to prize-winning columns and editorial writing for The Washington Post, he has written six books. With the 2006 release of Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America — and What We Can Do About It, Williams ignited debate with his analysis of black leadership in the U.S. Among other acclaimed works, he wrote the non-fiction bestseller, Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965, the companion to the TV series.

• Kirk Franklin, Jan. 21-22. A Partnership with the Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 21, Dayton Convention Center, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Holiday Celebration and Presidential Banquet. For ticket information, call 937-268-0051. 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22, Thomas J. Frericks Athletic and Convocation Center, University of Dayton, Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast. For ticket information, call 937-229-2545.

Songwriter and musician Kirk Franklin has changed the landscape of contemporary gospel music. His latest album, Hero, won two 2007 Grammy Awards. Since his 1993 debut, he has won three Grammys, 33 Stellar and nine Dove Awards. His music blends gospel, hip hop and R&B. He has collaborated with some of the biggest names in gospel music as well as such mainstream artists as Bono and Mary J. Blige. In addition to his singing career, he founded Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, Inc., which includes a youth-outreach initiative, ad agency and production company.

• Spike Lee, 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18, Schuster Center, One West Second St. A Partnership with the Victoria Theatre Association. Tickets: $15, $20. For ticket information, call 937-228-3630 or 937-229-2545.

As a writer-director, actor, producer, author and philanthropist, Spike Lee has revolutionized the role of black talent in cinema. Widely regarded as today's premiere African American filmmaker, Lee is a forerunner in the do-it-yourself school of independent film. Recent critical and box office successes have included such films as The 25th Hour, The Original Kings of Comedy, Bamboozled and Summer of Sam. Lee's films, Girl 6, Get on the Bus, Do The Right Thing and Clockers display his ability to showcase a series of outspoken and provocative socio-political critiques that challenge cultural assumptions — not only about race but also class and gender identity.

The Diversity Lecture Series is one part of a larger strategic plan to increase inclusion and diversity on campus and prepare students, faculty, staff and the Dayton community for success in a global society. Past speakers have included Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Clarence Page, Nikki Giovanni, Azar Nafisi and Johnnetta B. Cole.

The University of Dayton's commitment to diversity is founded in its Catholic, Marianist heritage of social justice.

"The University of Dayton has an obligation to deliver what students need to know about their world,'' said Daniel J. Curran, president. "Students can no longer cling to the familiar and comfortable experiences of their past. We know that connecting with people very — or even slightly — different from ourselves stimulates the imagination. We learn to see the world through different eyes."

The Diversity Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the offices of the president and provost, with the support of such community partners as The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), Dayton Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Victoria Theatre Association, Markey's Audio Visual, Dayton Daily News, WDTN-TV and WDAO-1210 AM.

Contact Lynnette Heard, executive director of the office of the president, at 937-229-4122. Photos are available.

A higher research Stander-d

Bernard Kouchner, co-founder of Doctors Without Borders, will discuss public health, human rights and international political involvement at this year's Stander Symposium. The symposium highlights student research.

Doctors Without Borders co-founder and former president Bernard Kouchner will deliver the keynote address at the University of Dayton’s year-end student research symposium at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, in UD’s Frericks Convocation Center.

Kouchner, currently the professor of public health at France’s Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, will discuss public health, human rights and international political involvement. A medical doctor, he also continues to promote universal access to medical care and the fight against AIDS.

Kouchner, the first person to challenge the Red Cross’s stance of neutrality and silence in wars and massacres, also has served in separate posts as France’s minister of health, social integration and humanitarian affairs.

Kouchner’s talk is part of the annual Stander Symposium, which celebrates academic excellence. More than 60 student presentations — including panel discussions and visual arts displays — and 260 student posters highlight the symposium.

UD student Matthew Gordon’s findings — combining supplier and retailer information creates a more seamless supply chain, better inventory control and customer service — are among the Stander Symposium research presentations. Gordon’s research received the top prize at the Association for Operations Management international conference.

“To grow at global speed, you have to be willing to give up and share knowledge to advance above the competition,” said Gordon who will take a consulting job in Chicago after graduating in August from UD’s MBA program.

All of the presentations, which showcase UD’s hands-on learning opportunities, take place Wednesday, April 18, at various campus locations. Click here for a complete schedule.

The Stander Symposium starts at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in UD’s Immaculate Conception Chapel with a Red Mass, which traditionally calls upon the Holy Spirit for the gifts of wisdom, learning and creativity.

Later that evening, at 8 p.m. in the Victoria Theatre at 138 N. Main Street, UD music, visual arts, theater and dance students will hold a Celebration of the Arts. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Noble Carneys and Ebony Heritage Singers will perform as well. Herbert Martin, UD’s poet-in-residence, will host the event.

All Stander Symposium events are free and open to the public. Tickets, available through the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-2545, are required for Kouchner’s talk and the Celebration of the Arts.

The symposium, in its 19th year, is named for former UD provost Bro. Joseph W. Stander, S.M., to honor his spirit of collaboration and education through community in the Marianist tradition.

For more information, contact Kathleen Webb at 937-229-4263. For interviews, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.

Freedom talks

Subject of Supreme Court case on free speech in schools will speak at School of Law April 19.

Mary Beth Tinker and her Vietnam War-era U.S. Supreme Court case about free speech in schools have returned to the spotlight because of Joseph Frederick’s Supreme Court date regarding his “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” sign.

In 1965, the Des Moines School District suspended Tinker and classmates for wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. In 1969, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Tinker saying, “it can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

The Court will determine this summer whether the Juneau-Douglas, Alaska, school system rightfully suspended Frederick for his sign. Tinker will discuss how she navigated America’s judicial system at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the University of Dayton School of Law’s Keller Hall room 103.

Tinker’s “Freedom Talks” discussion is free and open to the public. The Ohio American Civil Liberties Union and the UD School of Law will sponsor Tinker’s appearance.

Tinker grew up in Iowa in a Quaker family and was active in civil rights and peace activities during the 1960s as an extension of their faith, according to her bio.

She currently lives in Missouri where she continues to be an advocate for children’s rights and social justice. Tinker travels the country talking about being engaged in civic life and speaking up on issues.

For interviews, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.

America at a crossroads

Three terrorism experts will speak at UD as part of the PBS “America at a Crossroads” series. PBS and its affiliates are hosting free, public panel discussions in several U.S. cities to complement the series that will air April 15-20.

Three terrorism experts will speak 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 13, in the University of Dayton’s Boll Theatre as part of the PBS “America at a Crossroads” series.

PBS and its affiliates are hosting free, public “America at a Crossroads” panel discussions in several U.S. cities to complement the series that will air April 15-20. Dayton’s ThinkTV will sponsor the UD panel discussion titled “Impact of the War on Terrorism.”

Speakers include:

Mark Ensalaco, associate political science professor and Roesch Chair in the Social Sciences at the University of Dayton: Ensalaco is the author of A History of Middle East Terrorism: From Black September to September 11. He teaches classes on political violence and terrorism. Reuters and the Associated Press, among others, have interviewed Ensalaco about various terrorism topics. His comments also have appeared in Forbes, The Washington Post, Guardian, Newsday, ABCNews.com and others. Voice of America, CNN Español, CNN Headline News, and FOX News have interviewed Ensalaco regarding a variety of other international issues.

Martha Crenshaw, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor of Global Issues and Democratic Thought, and professor of government at Wesleyan University: Crenshaw is a lead investigator with the U.S. Department-funded National Center for the Study of Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism. Her current research focuses on why the U.S. is the target of terrorism, the distinction between “old” and “new” terrorism and how campaigns of terrorism come to an end. Crenshaw chairs the American Political Science Association Task Force on Political Violence and Terrorism.

Donna Schlagheck, professor and chair of political science, Wright State University: Schlagheck specializes in U.S. foreign policy, terrorism, international politics and the United Nations. She also teaches classes on authoritarianism and wrote International Terrorism.

Ensalaco will discuss international law and whether the U.S. can abandon it when the enemy already has abandoned it. Crenshaw will examine President George W. Bush’s strategy. Schlagheck’s talk is “The Patriot Act: Too High a Price.”

For interviews, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.