Convocation

Every year, the Convocation Committee identifies a theme around which a series of campus events will occur. Those events are highlighted by a keynote lecture which presents a major scholar of national reputation to the campus community. Other events include roundtables, lectures, film screenings, and other gatherings of students, faculty, staff, and community which engage participants with a unique interpretation of the theme. Recent keynote lecturers have included actress and author Rita Moreno, who addressed the theme "Creativity and Perseverance"; ethnographer and author Wade Davis, whose photographs and findings challenged the campus to consider the "Diversity of the Human Spirit"; and Bill Nye "The Science Guy," who discussed "The Joy of Discovery." Other speakers have included anthropologist Richard Leakey, author Dr. Maya Angelou, musician Sarah Caldwell, biologists Dr. James Watson and Dr. Ruth Hubbard, philosopher Dr. Robert Nozick, historian Dr. Christopher Lasch, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, population geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells, and civil and children’s rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman.