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March 29, 2007
Presidential Lecture & Performance Series Offers Three Programs for April
From installation of one of the nation’s elite honors societies, to a performance from a top opera company and a lecture from a renowned self-made businessman, the series has something for everyone.
Written by John Davis
John Churchill, executive secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, will preside over installation and induction ceremonies.
Texas Tech’s Presidential Lecture & Performance Series will feature three major events for the campus and the community during the month of April.
From installation and induction ceremonies for the nation’s top honors society, to a performance from a top opera company and a lecture from a renowned self-made businessman, the series has something for everyone. Visit www.presidentialseries.ttu.edu for more information and a full schedule of events.
With Honors
Following the installation of Texas Tech’s new chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society, 93 students will be inducted into the society in ceremonies scheduled for 4 p.m. April 11 in the Allen Theatre in the Student Union Building on the Texas Tech campus. John Churchill, executive secretary of the society, will preside in ceremonies with Chancellor Kent Hance and President Jon Whitmore participating.
In continuous existence since its founding in 1776 and considered one of the nation's leading advocates for excellence in education, particularly in the liberal arts and sciences, Phi Beta Kappa has chapters at only 10 percent of U.S. universities. Only three public universities in the state of Texas have been granted the right to host chapters.
Texas Tech University was one of 34 institutions that applied for a chapter in the latest round of triennial consideration that began in 2003. Only six of the 34 were approved.
Mary Jane Hurst, a professor of English and faculty adviser to the president, served as leader for the initiative to secure a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. She says the honors society has high expectations in terms of student test scores, graduation rates and the breadth and depth of a university’s programs.
“The university’s new Phi Beta Kappa status assures prospective faculty affiliation with an institution whose commitment to excellence is proven and established,” Hurst says. “Further, permanent association with the very best in American education means every degree granted at Texas Tech University is enhanced in value.”
An Evening at the Opera
(L-R) Santa Fe Opera music collaborator and pianist Kirt Pavitt, baritone John Boehr, mezzo-soprano Lucia Cervoni, tenor Edwin Vega and soprano Deborah Selig.
On April 22 , the College of Visual & Performing Arts and the Presidential Performance & Lecture series will co-host the fourth annual visit from the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers as part of their annual Spring Opera Tour.
“It is gratifying to all of us at The Santa Fe Opera that our Spring Opera Tour is so popular,” says Richard Gaddes, general director for the opera.
The concert will feature soprano Deborah Selig, mezzo soprano Lucia Cervoni, tenor Edwin Vega and Baritone John Boehr. The quartet will perform arias and duets from “La traviata,” “Tales of Hoffman” and “The Barber of Seville.” Also, singers will perform show tunes from “The Fantasticks,” “Follies” and “Martha” to round out the program.
Santa Fe Opera casts are drawn from the world's most talented young singers. Many singers, whose names are now found on the rosters of the world's leading opera houses, began their careers in Santa Fe. They include Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Joyce DiDonato, William Burden, Kristine Jepson, Michelle DeYoung and Charles Castronovo.
The free community concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Allen Theatre on the Texas Tech campus. The performance is free, but reservations are requested. Call (806) 742-0706, ext. 401, to reserve seats.
Christopher Gardner is an avid motivational speaker, addressing the keys to self-empowerment, beating odds and breaking cycles.
Finding "Happyness"
Finally, the Rawls College of Business, the Office of Institutional Diversity and its Mentor Tech program together with the Presidential Lecture & Performance Series will co-host a lecture by Christopher Gardner, best-selling author and CEO of his own brokerage firm.
A series of circumstances in the 1980s left Gardner and his toddler son homeless in San Francisco. Without connections or a college degree, he landed an unpaid internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm. Without a financial cushion, Gardner and his son were evicted from their apartment and forced to sleep in shelters, bus stations, bathrooms or wherever they could find refuge for the night.
Gardner’s rags-to-riches autobiography “The Pursuit of Happyness” became a New York Times and Washington Post #1 bestseller and inspired a movie released by Columbia Pictures in 2006. Will Smith received Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations for his performance as Gardner. The role of Gardner's five-year-old son, Christopher, was played by Smith's real-life son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith.
“Christopher Gardner in many ways epitomizes the American dream,” says Cory Powell, associate director for the Mentor Tech program. “His life and accomplishments prove that hard work and perseverance pays off. We believe that he will be an inspiration to all that attend.”
Mentor Tech, also known as the Lauro Cavazos and Ophelia Powell Malone Mentoring Program, is a program that enhances the educational experience of students from underrepresented populations.
Gardner will speak at 2 p.m. April 26 in lecture hall 202 of the Rawls College of Business Building. A reception and book signing will follow.
Story produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing, 806-742-2136.