Under the Arch

NEWSWEEK EDITOR TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT MAY COMMENCEMENT

Gannon will award some 528 degrees at its Spring Commencement exercises, to be held Saturday, May 6 at Tullio Arena.

The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

The graduates will include 22 students receiving associate’s degrees, 333 students receiving bachelor’s degrees, 155 students receiving master’s degrees, and 17 students receiving doctoral degrees. One student will graduate with a post master’s certificate.

Thirty-two students will graduate summa cum laude, 72 magna cum laude, and 52 will graduate cum laude. Four students will graduate with academic honors.

Gannon’s ROTC will hold a separate commissioning ceremony at 8:30 a.m. in room 219 of the Waldron Campus Center.

Graduates and their families can attend a Baccalaureate Mass at 10 a.m. at Saint Peter Cathedral. A reception will follow from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Waldron Center.

More about the Keynote Speaker

Kenneth L. Woodward, an editor at Newsweek magazine, will deliver the keynote address and will be awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Gannon President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.

Woodward served as religion editor at Newsweek for 38 years and has reported from seven continents on a variety of subjects, such as the moral dimensions of current affairs, the role of virtue in politics, human rights, and religious traditions. Currently, he is a contributing editor with the magazine.

Woodward has authored 750 articles for Newsweek, including nearly 100 cover stories. Woodward also has written articles, essays, and book reviews for other publications including: The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, America, The Christian Century, The Tablet (London), and The Notre Dame Journal of Law.

He is also a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Protestantism and to the new Encyclopedia of The History of Ideas. One of his articles, a critique of the critics of Mel Gibson’s controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ,” was chosen for inclusion in the 2005 edition of The Best American Spiritual Writing.

In 2006, Woodward was given the Robert F. Griffin Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Writing from the University of Notre Dame, and he is also a winner of the National Magazine Award, which is the magazine publishers’ equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for newspaper journalists. Woodward is the author of numerous books including: Grandparents/Grandchildren: The Vital Connection; Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn’t and Why; and most recently, The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Woodward has been a Fellow of the National Humanities Center and Regents’ Lecturer in Religion at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and holds four honorary degrees.

Woodward has appeared as a commentator on numerous broadcasts including: Nightline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, 20/20, and The Lehrer Report.

Woodward earned a bachelor’s degree in English, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame and has completed post-graduate work at the University of Michigan Law School, the University of Iowa, and the University of Strasbourg, France.

A native of Rocky River, Ohio, he and his wife, Betty, a 1958 graduate of St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, reside in Briarcliff Manor, New York. They have three children.

OUR EVENTS

Friday, May 5 – Graduate Student Commencement Reception and Awards: A brief program and the presentation of Outstanding Graduate Student Awards will be followed by a reception. The program will begin at 5 p.m. in the Yehl Room.
Saturday, May 6 – May Commencement: To be held at 2 p.m. at Tullio Arena. Kenneth L. Woodward, an editor at Newsweek magazine, will deliver the keynote address and will be awarded an honorary doctoral degree. ROTC will hold a commissioning ceremony at 8:30 a.m. in room 219 of the Waldron Center. The Baccalaureate Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Saint Peter Cathedral. A reception will follow from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Waldron Center.
Monday, May 15 – Gannon Faculty and Staff Community Meeting: Scheduled for 3 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.

THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE

Monday, May 1 – President’s Dinner with Honors Program graduates. Tuesday, May 2 – President’s Council meeting. Thursday, May 4 – Faculty Senate meeting; Student Hour. Friday, May 5 – Graduate School Commencement reception; Commencement speaker dinner. Saturday, May 6 – ROTC Commissioning Ceremony; Baccalaureate Mass; Commencement reception; Commencement brunch; Commencement ceremony.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Faye Fromknecht. Amy Buechel. Kevin Connaroe. Mary Richmond. Daniel Halter. Charles Ramsey. Patricia Oligeri. Kimberly Blount. Michael Panza. Kenneth Berlin. Michele Healy. Rick Iacobucci. Michael Bucholtz. Sharon Krahe. Michael Bane. James LaScola. Delayne Shah. Dorothy Wassel. Rev. Robert Susa. Phillip Gasper. Fred Beil. Thomas Wager. Rebecca Curtis. Thomas Kennedy. Rachid Abouabid. Ned Lottie. Denise Winschel. Michelle Homan. Diane Hardner. Richard Altmire. Dawn Denning.

HEARD ON CAMPUS

Special thanks to Gannon colleagues for their continued assistance with media interviews. Anne O’Neill-Klemensic, instructor, business administration and director of the advertising communications marketing program, did an interview with the Erie Times-News on changeable message signs, i.e., high-tech ad billboards.
Prayers are requested for Mary Jo Geertson, records assistant, Registrar’s office, as she continues to recover from surgery. Prayers also are requested for Sam Orlando of North Kingsville, Ohio, grandfather of student Nick Orlando Jr. Also father of alumni Dr. Rich Orlando ’76, Nick Orlando ’82, and Francesca Orlando Lehman ’92.
Thank-you for attending the annual Founders’ Day Awards Convocation. At this year’s ceremony over 59 deserving students received awards for Academic Excellence, Leadership and Service. We wish to thank the faculty, staff and administrators for your continued support and participation in this event. If you have any comments or suggestions for next year’s ceremony, please contact the Student Development Office at ext. 5618 or email loader001 or hogan005.
Baccalaureate Mass singers are welcomed for the Mass on Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. in St. Peter Cathedral. You must attend practice on May 4 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral.
Just a reminder that at the conclusion of the academic year, Under the Arch will revert to its summer schedule of being published every other week. Under the Arch can be accessed from the right side of the my.gannon portal, under the employee category.