Under the Arch

NASA CHIEF TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT MAY COMMENCEMENT

The Honorable Sean O’Keefe, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will be the keynote speaker at Gannon University’s Spring Commencement Ceremony.

O’Keefe also will be awarded an honorary degree during the ceremony, scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Tullio Arena, 809 French Street.

O'Keefe joined the administration of President George W. Bush on the latter’s inauguration day and served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and as deputy assistant to the President, overseeing the preparation, management, and administration of the federal budget and government wide-management initiatives across the Executive Branch.

President Bush nominated and appointed O’Keefe as NASA’s 10^th Administrator. The appointment, made on Dec. 21, 2001, was confirmed by the United States Senate.

As NASA administrator, O’Keefe leads and manages the organization’s resources as it seeks to advance exploration and discovery in aeronautics and space technologies.

Prior to joining the Bush Administration, O’Keefe was the Louis A. Bantle professor of business and government policy at Syracuse University, an endowed chair position in the university’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He also served as the Director of National Security Studies, a partnership between Syracuse and Johns Hopkins University, for delivery of executive education programs for senior military and civilian Department of Defense managers. Appointed to these positions in 1996, he was previously professor of business administration and assistant to the senior vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at Pennsylvania State University.

Appointed secretary of the Navy in July 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, O’Keefe had served as comptroller/CFO of the Department of Defense since 1989. Before joining Defense Secretary Dick Cheney’s Pentagon management team in these capacities, he served on the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations staff for eight years, and was staff director of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

His public service began in 1978 upon his selection as a presidential management intern.

O’Keefe is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and has chaired an Academy panel on investigative practices. He was a visiting scholar at the Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a member of the Naval Postgraduate School’s civil-military relations seminar team for emerging democracies.

He also has conducted seminars for the Strategic Studies Group at Oxford University and served on the national security panel to devise the 1988 Republican platform. He was a member of the 1985 Kennedy School of Government program for national security executives at Harvard University.

In 1993, President Bush and Cheney presented him the Distinguished Public Service Award. He was also the recipient of the Department of the Navy's Public Service Award in December 2000. O’Keefe was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Syracuse University Chancellor's Award for Public Service.

He is the author of several journal articles, contributing author of “Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future,” released in October 2000, and in 1998, he co-authored “The Defense Industry in the Post-Cold War Era: Corporate Strategies and Public Policy Perspectives.”

O’Keefe earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Loyola University in New Orleans and a master’s in public administration in 1978 from The Maxwell School.

His wife, Laura, and children, Lindsey, Jonathan, and Kevin, reside in northern Virginia.

OUR EVENTS

Friday, April 9 – Gannon University Erie Chamber Orchestra: This concert will feature soloist Laura Nelson (alp horn). Offered at 7:30 p.m. at the Central High auditorium, 3325 Cherry Street.
Thursday, April 15 – Community Mass: 11 a.m. in the Chapel.
Saturday, April 17 – Gannon University Distinguished Alumni Dinner: Ten individuals will be honored. A reception for the honorees will be held in Gannon’s Old Main, and the dinner will be held in the Yehl Room. Also: Family Fun Day: Scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. at Horan Apartments (formerly Franklin Terrace). Gannon nursing students and faculty will administer a number of free health-related screenings. Call ext. 5520 for more information. Also: Financial Aid Workshop: Provides an overview of the entire financial aid process. Offered at 10 a.m. in Palumbo 1200.
Sunday, April 18 – Spring Open House: Registration will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the lobby of Waldron. A number of activities will be offered for students and their families. Also: Founder's Day Student Awards Convocation: 3:30 p.m. at the Avalon Hotel, 16 West Tenth Street. Admission by ticket only.
Wednesday, April 21 – APB Speaker Series: Featuring David Stollman on “Buy in or Get Out!” As a consultant, Stollman has helped nearly 200 Greek systems nationally increase their memberships. Offered at 7:30 p.m. in Zurn 104. Sponsored by APB.
Thursday, April 22 – English Awards Night: Will include a poetry reading by Adam Zagajewski, a Polish poet, novelist, and essayist. Also, winners of the 2003-04 High School and University Writing Contests will be announced. Offered at 7:30 p.m. in the Yehl Room.
“Our Events” is intended to serve as a random sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

OUR FOLKS

Prayer request/update:

Prayers were requested March 31 for Dr. Robert Vales, retired English Professor, who is in the hospital recovering from surgery.
Prayers were requested April 1 for Jay Buchanan, ’48 alum and recipient of a 1985 Distinguished Alumni Award. Jay was scheduled to have surgery April 2.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Deborah Anderson. Patricia Zybowski. Donald Tronetti. Maj. Darrell Burger. John Rouch. Lyndia Lee. Joseph Steele. Sharon Crisman. Bonnie Hamwi. Brenda Wilson. Derick Jackson. Elizabeth Skladanowski. Stephen Wagner. Joy Armbruster. Linda Kobler. Michael Wellington. Bill Eilola. Timothy Downs. Rick Diz. Kim Coddington. Suzanne O’Connell. Carolyn Knox. Amy Weller. Stephanie Taylor. Marguerite Millis. DeWayne Sokol. Linda Komorek. David Nordquest. Theodore Brown. Eszter Muranyi. Patricia McMahon. Beverly Thompson. Griz Zimmermann.

THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE

Monday, April 5 – Meetings with Arizona alumni (April 5-6). Tuesday, April 6 – Circles of Distinction Dinner.

DID YOU KNOW?

Gannon's Schuster Theatre will show “Dirty Blonde” from Wednesday-Sunday, April 21-25. The performance is directed by Shawn Clerkin. Monday-Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m. Call ext. 7494 for reservations.
Gannon will hold its second Relay for Life April 16-17 at Gannon University Field. The entry fee is $100 per team; teams must have at least eight members (and as many as 15). Individuals wishing to participate should register by April 7. For more information or to register, call ext. 7268.
Because of the university's closure on Monday, April 12 (day after Easter), Under the Arch will not be published that day. Under the Arch will resume normal publication on Monday, April 19.
About $1,800 was raised from the university's recent 30-hour Famine, easily surpassing the goal of $1,500. The funds will be donated to World Vision, a Christian, humanitarian organization that serves the poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries, including the United States. Each student who participated was encouraged to raise $30 in pledges, or $1 for every hour of the famine. More than 60 students participated.
Gannon University will celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week through April 7. Gannon colleagues, organizations, and departments can go out of their way to brighten someone else's day. You can also stop by the Waldron Center and make a Kindness Card for a friend, co-worker, student, faculty, or staff member (sponsored by P.R.O.M.I.S.E.).
The Gannon University Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the International Honorary Association for Professional Counseling, will hold an inaugural initiation ceremony and recognition dinner on April 17. Thirty-two master's students in the community counseling program, counseling alumni, and professional counselors in the community will be inducted as Chi Sigma Iota members.
Worth Publishers on March 26 threw a pizza party for students of Charlie Bennett, assistant professor, finance program. Bennett's students reviewed two chapters from Paul Krugman’s and Robin Wells’ forthcoming text in Economics.