EUGENE, Ore. -- (Sept. 21, 2009) -- At the University of Oregon, convocation marks the start of the academic year and welcomes students to the scholarly world of the university. This year's event will inaugurate another newcomer, UO President Richard Lariviere, as the keynote speaker at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at Hayward Field.
Starting a new tradition, the 2009 Convocation will begin with a grand parade at 3 p.m. The university marshals, Alan Dickman, biology professor, and Michael Dreiling, sociology professor, will lead the academic procession and carry the university mace and the university banner. Dickman and Dreiling were selected because they were honored in the spring as recipients of the Thomas F. Herman Faculty Achievement Award for Distinguished Teaching. David Dusseau, business management professor, was also honored with the award. The parade will include the Eugene Fire Pipes & Drums, new and current faculty, incoming freshmen, returning students and others. The parade will travel down 15th Avenue from Gerlinger Hall lawn to Hayward Field.
The event will include many aspects associated with commencement exercises, including faculty wearing their academic regalia, banners to identify the academic schools and colleges, and music associated with the university such as the Oregon pledge song and the "Mighty Oregon" fight song.
A tradition of UO Convocation is to present an award to an outstanding Oregon high school teacher nominated by incoming UO freshmen. This year's award goes to Stephen Corkett, a history teacher at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham.
Convocation is free and open to the public. Following the ceremony, the assembly of faculty and students will parade back to the Gerlinger Hall where University Housing will host a picnic dinner for more than 3,000 students and faculty on the lawn.
Dr. Lariviere became the university's president on July 1. He is a renowned scholar in Religious History, specializing in languages, histories, religions and culture of India.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Link: 2009 Convocation, http://www.uoregon.edu/~ustudies/US_Pages/US_Convocation.html
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