Cochran to speak at King commemoration

    The influence of the media on race relations will be the topic of the keynote address to be presented by nationally known defense attorney Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. at the 24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration on Feb. 16.
    Cochran, whose high-profile clients have included O.J. Simpson, Reginald Denny and Michael Jackson, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.
    A graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and Loyola Law School, Cochran founded the firm of Cochran, Atkins & Evans in 1965.
    He became the first African American to be named one of three deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles in 1977.
    He returned to private practice in 1981, and was named Lawyer of the Year by The National Law Journal in 1995.
    The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration will be presented by UB and the James Fenton Lecture Foundation. It is sponsored by the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists.
    Free tickets are available at the Center for the Arts box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Tickets also may be obtained at the office of the Student Association, a contributing program sponsor.

Stephanopoulos to speak March 22

    George Stephanopoulos, ABC news political analyst, author and former top aide and communications director in the Clinton administration, will speak at 8 p.m. March 22 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts.
     The lecture will be the third in the 13th annual Distinguished Speakers Series presented by UB and the Don Davis Auto World Lectureship Fund.
     For more than a decade, Stephanopoulos has been a major player in strategies and events that shaped history on Capitol Hill and in the White House.
    He is a visiting professor of political science at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, contributor to Newsweek magazine and author of "All Too Human: A Political Education."
    Lecture tickets are available at the Center for the Arts box office and through TicketMaster locations by calling 852-5000. For information call 645-ARTS.

Brooks-Bertram to speak at meeting of Emeritus Center

    Peggy Brooks-Bertram, associate for faculty development and graduate fellowship programs in the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Urban Affairs, will speak at a meeting of the Emeritus Center at 2 p.m. Tuesday in 102 Goodyear Hall on the South Campus.
    An adjunct assistant professor of African American Studies, Brooks-Bertram will discuss "The Wonderful Ethiopians of the Cushite Empire" by Drusilla Dunjee Houston.
    The program is open to members of the UB community.
    For more information, call the Emeritus Center at 829-2271.

Retirement Planning Seminar to be held on March 3

    The Office of Human Resource Services-State Personnel will hold the sixth semiannual Retirement Planning Seminar for state employees age 50 and older.
    The seminar, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 3 in the Center for Tomorrow on the North Campus, will include presentations by representatives from The New York State Employees' Retirement System, TIAA-CREF, Aetna Investment Services, METLIFE, VALIC, The Copeland Companies, Dean Witter, the Social Security Administration and Human Resource Services.
    All eligible employees will receive an announcement and registration form through campus mail. Reservation forms will be accepted no earlier than beginning of business on Feb. 14. Reservations can be sent to the Office of Special Events, Conference Operations by fax, 645-3869, or by mail, Fargo Quad, Building 3, North Campus.
    Seating will be limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Spouses and partners are welcome. Employees who have attended a retirement-planning seminars in the past three years will not be eligible to attend. Because this seminar will be held during normal work hours, participants will not be expected to use time accruals, although they should clear their participation with their supervisor prior to making a reservation.
    Reservation inquiries can be directed to Conference Operations at 645-2705.

Moog, Inc. gives $125,000 for engineering fellowship

    Moog, Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of precision controls for aerospace, defense and industrial applications, has given $125,000 to UB for a graduate fellowship in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
    The Moog Fellowship will provide $5,000 a year as an additional stipend for a graduate student who is a teaching or research assistant in systems engineering, electrical engineering or engineering design.
    Richard A. Aubrecht, vice chairman of the board and vice president of planning and technology at Moog, said the company is donating to the university for several reasons.
    "UB provides a good source of educated engineers and potential employees. The university's engineering students and professors are researching a variety of topics, many of which are important to future products and development at Moog."
    "Finally," Aubrecht said, "Moog is headquartered here in Western New York and we recognize the importance of supporting institutions like UB that are a critical part of the community and the culture." He noted that more than 60 UB engineering alumni work at Moog.
    "For years we have enjoyed a good working partnership with Moog and this is the next step in our relationship with a company that we consider to be a community and engineering leader," said Mark H. Karwan, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
    "In addition to supporting a fellowship, Moog executives like CEO Bob Brady understand the value of partnerships, participating in activities like Industry/University Day, as well as chairing the Buffalo Niagara Partnership."
    Karwan said that over the past 20 years, UB faculty members have collaborated on research projects with Moog engineers, and have taught classes and seminars on-site for the company.
    "Moog executives like Dick Aubrecht have reciprocated by serving on the SEAS Dean's Council and offering an industry perspective on engineering education, and now by offering this fellowship," he added.

Graduate endows lecture series

    A late UB graduate and his wife have donated $25,000 to the Graduate School of Education to establish the Willower Family Lecture Series.
    Donald J. Willower, who earned three degrees from UB-bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy and a doctorate in educational administration-and his wife, Catherine F. Willower, want their endowment gift to add to the intellectual climate of the university while enhancing the reputation of its education school.
    Willower, who died Jan. 21, was a distinguished professor of education at Pennsylvania State University. He had published widely and lectured nationally and internationally on educational administration and school leadership. The recipient of numerous professional awards, Willower in 1989 received a Distinguished Alumni Award from GSE.
    "UB's Educational Administration Program is honored to have one of its most distinguished alumni, Dr. Donald Willower, endow an invited lectureship," said Stephen L. Jacobson, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy and director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education.
    "In addition to allowing us to invite an outstanding scholar to campus, having an academic of Don's stature attach his name to this lectureship will enhance our program's national and international prestige and provide us a unique opportunity to showcase the high quality of our faculty and student body."
    In addition to providing intellectual stimulation, Willower wanted to recognize his family's long-standing association with the university and to honor his major professors, the late Marvin Farber of the Department of Philosophy, Robert S. Fisk and the late George E. Holloway of the Graduate Program in Educational Administration.
    The family's UB legacy spans two generations: Willower's father, the late John E. Willower, graduated from UB with a Ph.G. in pharmacy in 1921; Willower's first wife, the late Jeanette Raines, graduated from UB with a bachelor's degree in 1950, and his brother, Paul, received a bachelor's degree in 1966.

Fraser to speak in CAS lecture

    Is it possible in today's world to rethink the politics of recognition so that economic issues can be resolved without losing cultural identity?
    Nancy Fraser, the third speaker in "The University and the World" lecture series, will argue the question at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Center for the Arts Screening Room on the North Campus.
    Presented by the College of Arts and Sciences and Dean Kerry S. Grant, the series highlights prominent scholars from different fields who discuss issues of broad intellectual interest and public concern.
    Fraser is Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Politics and Philosophy in the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research.
    She is co-editor of the journal Constellations and author of several books, including "Justice Interruptus: Critical Reflections on the Post-socialist Condition" and "Unruly Practices: Power, Discourse and Gender in Contemporary Social Theory." Her latest book, which will be published later this year, is "Adding Insult to Injury: Social Justice and the Politics of Recognition."

Zodiaque to perform spring concert

    The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the spring concert of Zodiaque Dance Company titled "Aquarian Age" Feb. 10-13 and 17-20 in the Center for the Arts Drama Theatre on the North Campus. Saturday and weekday performances will begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances will begin at 2 p.m.
    "Aquarian Age" will feature pieces ranging from light and classic contemporary to narrative and abstract, and its theme will focus on the celebration of mankind's quest for balance of mind, body and soul as the world enters a new millennium.
    Tickets are $10 and $5 for students and are available at the CFA Box Office. For more information, call 645-ARTS.

GBYO to perform

    The Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra will perform at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 in Slee Concert Hall on the North Campus under the baton of its music director, Gerard Floriano.
    Gregory Staas, winner of the Buffalo Youth Orchestra Senior Concerto Competition, will perform the Dragonetti Double Bass Concerto. Other works to be performed include Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet," Williams' "Star Wars Medley" and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5.
    Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for seniors and children.
    For further information, call 645-2921.

PIC to offer sessions

    The experimental Print Imaging Center (ePIC) will offer workshops in monotype and screen printing, as well as community printshop and collaborative printing sessions, throughout the semester. All sessions are open to the public.
    Monotype will be held from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 9, 16, and 23. The fee is $60 for students and ePIC members, and $90 for others. Screen printing will be held from 4-7 p.m. March 1, 15, 22, 29 and April 5 and 12. The fee is $120 for students and ePIC members, and $180 for others. Sessions will be held in the printmaking areas in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.
    Open figure-drawing sessions will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. in 208 Center for the Arts on Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24; March 2, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20, 27, and May 4. Sessions, which are $5 each, are open to the public.
    For more information, call Jeff Sherven at 645-6878.

IREWG seeks abstracts

    The Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender will hold a Graduate Student Symposium on Gender March 25 in 330 Student Union. The symposium is titled "What is gender as we end the 20th and enter the 21st century?"
    The institute is accepting 200-300 word abstracts for the conference, particularly those stemming from the biological sciences and the arts, as well as those considering race, the relationship between genders, and between generations of feminists. Submissions are welcome from all disciplines within the arts, sciences and humanities.
    Abstracts, which will be accepted until Feb. 11, should be forwarded to IREWG via fax, mail or email to rmmorrow@acsu.buffalo.edu. For more information, contact Rebecca Morrow at 829-3451.

Nursing to offer 3 new advanced certificate programs

    The School of Nursing will offer three new advanced certificate programs beginning this summer and fall.
    The programs, offered in response to needs expressed by the local health-care community, will provide training as psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner or acute-care nurse practitioner. Open to nurses who hold master's degrees as nurse practitioners, the programs will begin in fall 2000.
    UB also will offer a post-baccalaureate program in patient-case management, which will be conducted on campus for the first time this summer and then offered through the Internet.
    Certification as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner qualifies nurses to conduct psychiatric assessments and prescribe medication.
    "This community has an acute shortage of mental-health professionals, especially in the schools," said Mecca Cranley, dean of the nursing school. "There is a need for practitioners knowledgeable about the biological basis for mental illness, rather than the traditional counselor."
    Cranley said hospitals have expressed a need for critical-care nurse practitioners because resident physicians who historically performed this work now are doing much of their training outside of the hospital. Because of the need for specialists in this relatively new nursing field, UB is considering offering it as a full master's degree program, Cranley said.
    The post-baccalaureate certification program in case management will train nurses to monitor health-care usage for insurance companies; to work in senior-living communities coordinating health services and prescriptions for seniors seeing multiple physicians, or to work in hospitals monitoring charts to make sure tests and other procedures are performed as directed.