SUU's Fall 2004 Convocations Schedule Set

Published: September 09, 2004 | Author: Renee Ballenger | Read Time: 4 minutes

Southern Utah University President Steven D. Bennion will launch the University’s Fall 2004 Convocations series on Thursday, September 16 with a discussion on the genius of the nation’s founding fathers.

Other speakers in the series will highlight atomic testing and American politics; Latino migration to the United States; the misunderstanding of Tourette’s syndrome; genetic predisposition to cancer; spirituality in the theatre; dairy products in dieting; leadership in space; and character attacks and the American political campaign.

Unless otherwise noted, all Convocations will take place on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. in the Auditorium. They are free and open to the public. Convocations can be taken for college credit. For more information, call 586-8082. The speakers for the Fall schedule, are as follows:

September 16
The Genius and Legacy of Our Founding Fathers, SUU President Steven D. Bennion

Because of his interests in political history, President Bennion has continued the tradition of teaching that his grandfather—Milton Bennion--began as the first president of Branch Normal School, which evolved into SUU. In the past, President Bennion has shared his knowledge and experience by teaching an American National Government course.

September 23
The Mushroom Cloud as an American Symbol, Dina Titus

Professor Dina Titus teaches political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and serves as a Nevada State Senator from Clark County. Professor Titus researches nuclear testing in Nevada and its effects on the region.

September 30
New Latino Diaspora in the United States: Community and Symbolic Impacts in the Old South, Dr. Victor Zuniga

Dr. Victor Zuniga is Dean of the School of Education and Humanities at the University of Monterrey in Mexico. Dr. Zuniga specializes in the study of Mexican citizens’ relocation to the United States and has published more than 60 books on the topic in Mexico, the United States and France.

October 7
Seeing the World as Others See It, Reggie Murphy

Reggie Murphy is the Director of Research Services for the Newspaper Division for Gannett News Services, which owns and operates USA Today and other publications. He manages research projects geared toward increasing readership, advertising, circulation and marketing.

October 14
Twitching Towards Understanding: Tourette’s, the Misunderstood Syndrome, Peter Jensen

Peter Jensen, a 29-year-old student at SUU, was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome when he was 11 years old. Jensen’s case is considered one of the most severe cases of the disease; he is a current candidate for a new surgery dealing with Tourette’s. Jensen is currently researching the syndrome and wants to disband Hollywood’s depiction of the condition.

October 21
Genetic Predisposition to Cancer, Saundra Buys

Dr. Saundra Buys, a Cedar City native, is co-director of the Family Cancer Assessment Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City and the Medical Director of the High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic. Buys is currently studying the effectiveness of screening for various types of cancer and the genetic causes of breast cancer.

October 28
Spirituality in the Theatre, John Pielmeier

John Pielmeier is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been featured on-and- off-Broadway and also filmed for television. His plays include Agnes of God, Voices in the Dark, Haunted Lives and Courage. Choices of the Heart and Sins of the Father are among his touted television movies.

November 4
Brighten the Light, The Korean American Dance Group

This recognized dance group, a recipient of the Utah Governor’s Heritage Award, will demonstrate fan dance, drum dance, scarf dance and other energetic numbers -- proving it is one of the best ethnic performance groups in Utah.

November 11
Can Dairy Really Make You Thin? Dr. Michael Zemel

Dr. Michael Zemel has written more than 135 publications investigating the role of cell calcium regulation in obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension. He is currently researching the regulation of obesity by dietary calcium and dairy products.

November 18
Mach 25 Leadership, Col. Richard Searfoss

Col. Richard Searfoss, who was commander of the STS-90 Neurolab Space Shuttle Mission, will share his leadership experiences from the unique assignment, which was the most complex science research space flight ever.

December 9
The Politics of Personal Destruction: Character Attacks and the American Political Campaign, Professor Steven Roberds as part of the The Grace A. Tanner Distinguished Faculty Lecture program

SUU Professor Steven Roberds, who teaches about elections and voting, constitutional law, ethics and politics, research methodologies and more, researches the effects of scandals on elections and political careers. Roberds has gathered, coded and analyzed data on all U.S. House and Senate elections from 1974 to 2002 to determine if and how scandals hurt candidates. He also researches the Internet, pornography and obscenity laws.

--SUU--

Related Links
http://www.suu.edu/ad/pr/convo/

Contact Information:

435-586-5400
Contact the Office of Marketing Communication

This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.