Celebration of Academic Excellence Set for April 19

BUFFALO, N.Y. – State University of New York Chancellor John R. Ryan will be on hand when the University at Buffalo recognizes outstanding student and faculty achievement during the third annual Celebration of Academic Excellence, to be held April 19 in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Ryan will deliver the keynote address during UB's annual event honoring scholarly, research and creative excellence.

While the event offers an opportunity to recognize faculty and staff, it also places a special emphasis on undergraduate student accomplishments, notes Michael Ryan, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education.

"The Celebration of Academic Excellence includes an exhibition and recognition of undergraduate student projects across all disciplines," Ryan says. "Approximately 100 poster presentations will be on display in the atrium of the

Center for the Arts, and artistic performances by undergraduate students are also part of the program.

"Highlighting undergraduate research reflects one of the distinctive opportunities of an undergraduate education at UB," he adds. "I hope that all faculty and students from across campus will take the opportunity to see the posters that are on display in the atrium, talk to the students and attend the program."

Posters will be on display in the atrium beginning at 1:30 p.m. Student presenters were chosen to participate based on input from the deans, who were asked to identify and select outstanding undergraduate research and creative projects from their respective areas.

The formal celebration will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Mainstage. In addition to Ryan, speakers will include President John B. Simpson and Satish K. Tripathi, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

The Genkin Philharmonic, an eight-piece, electro-acoustic chamber ensemble directed by Jon R. Nelson, assistant professor in the Department of Music, and featuring some of the finest students in the department, will perform several compositions by avant-garde composer and musician Frank Zappa.

Also performing will be students from the Department of Theatre and Dance, who will present "Gendered Familiarities," a selection from the Young Choreographers Showcase concert to be held April 27-29.

A highlight of the program will be a screening of a video retrospective of the visit to UB last September of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, as well as the rededication of UB's alma mater.

The words to the alma mater have been rewritten for "contemporary use," according to Jennifer Wantz, assistant director of student activities. The song was composed in 1903, and the original lyrics were not "politically correct," Wantz says. The new lyrics, which, she says, reflect pride, tradition and UB's mission of academic excellence, were rewritten by student groups meeting over the course of several years and have been approved by the past two or three Student Association presidents, as well as the UB Alumni Association.

"The music is the same; the lyrics have just been updated so it's less of a barroom song and more of an alma mater," Wantz says.

The song will be performed by six student musicians from UB athletic bands and two student singers.

The Celebration of Academic Excellence will recognize UB's newly named SUNY Distinguished Professors, the recipients of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence, the new UB Distinguished Professors, and the recipients of the Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching Awards and the Undergraduate Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creativity.

Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education, will receive the UB President's Medal. The President's Medal, first presented in 1990, recognizes "outstanding scholarly or artistic achievements, humanitarian acts, contributions of time or treasure, exemplary leadership or any other major contribution to the development of the University at Buffalo and the quality of life in the UB community."

Dunnett was instrumental in securing the visit to UB of the Dalai Lama.

A reception will follow the ceremony.

Members of the university community wishing to attend the Celebration of Excellence should R.S.V.P. online at http://www.ubevents.org/event/celebrate07 by April 16. For more details about the event, go to http://www.celebrate.buffalo.edu.