COMMENCEMENT SEASON: THE CLASS OF 2013JWU's commencement season gets underway Thursday evening, May 16 when the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) showcases the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School ceremony. Then, on Sat, May 18 there are two ceremonies for the undergraduates at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Here are the facts and numbers at-a-glance:Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School, Thu, May 16 at 7 pm, Providence Performing Arts Center Speaker: Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, J.D., circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Providence, R.I., will receive an honorary Doctorate in Criminal Justice Management.The Hospitality College and College of Culinary Arts, Sat, May 18 at 9 am, Dunkin' Donuts Center Speaker: Brian J. Foye, president of Seasons 52 of Darden Restaurants, Orlando, Fla., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Restaurant, Food & Beverage Management. Alain Ducasse, president and co-founder of Alain Ducasse Enterprise, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, will receive an honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts.
College of Business and School of Technology, Sat, May 18 at 3 pm, Dunkin' Donuts Center Speaker: Steven L. Spinner, president and chief executive officer of United Natural Foods Inc., Providence, R.I., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship. Ashbel T. Wall II, J.D., director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Cranston, R.I., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Criminal Justice. OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE North Miami Campus, Saturday, May 18 at 10 am, Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention CenterSpeaker: John Howard Kunkel IV, founder and chief executive officer of 50 Eggs Inc., Miami, Fla., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship.Denver Campus, Saturday, May 18 at 10 am (MST), Colorado Convention Center, Exhibit Hall CSpeaker: Chuck S. Morris, president and chief executive officer of AEG Live, Rocky Mountains, Denver, Colo., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Sports/Entertainment/Event Management. Stephen Bartolin Jr., president and chief executive offers of The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Travel Tourism & Hospitality Management.Charlotte Campus, Saturday, May 18 at 10 am, Time Warner Cable Arena Speaker: Jerome J. Richardson, founder/chief executive officer of the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte, N.C., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Sports/Entertainment/Event Management. Speaker: Susan H Spicer, chef/owner of Bayona Restaurant, New Orleans, L.A., will receive an honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts.COMMENCEMENT BY THE NUMBERS
Total degrees awarded by Colleges:
JWU COMMENCEMENT NATIONWIDE
VIDEO WISHES TO CLASS OF 2013See JWU's commencement video "It's Your Day," produced by Student Communications. It offers good luck, words of encouragement and congratulations to the Class of 2013! Participants included faculty and administration. And, be sure to enjoy the bloopers outtakes afterwards.
JWU SUMMER READING LISTWhether you are traveling, staying at home, or going to the beach this summer, most likely you will be reading something of interest. Books inspire intellectual growth. Inventive, creative writing can make us laugh, cry, yearn for the past and fantasize about the future.We thought it would be informative – and fun – to learn what JWU staff and faculty will be reading this summer. Before you download your reading selections to your Nook/Kindle/iPad or your favorite tablet, check-out the Downcity university library in The Yena Center. Dean Rosie Harper will create a display with most of the books listed. If you are on campus this summer, plan to stop by. Make sure you have your JWU ID ready in case one of the titles piques your interest.What They'll Be Reading:Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell is the top choice from both Tarah Warner, nutritionist analyst, Campus Dining, and Jamie Marcoux, assistant athletic director.From Robert Fink, assistant dean, The Hospitality College; The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Artic Adventure by Martin Sandler; The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling; and, The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Donna Thomsen, chair of the English Department, will be reading Khaled Hosseini’s new novel And the Mountains Echoed. It is due out on May 21; she has already pre-purchased it on her Kindle.A classic that everyone can use is Getting Things Done by David Allen, according to Graduate School Assistant Professor Tim Howes. Amazon.com says that Allen "shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country."Rosita Hopper, dean of libraries, suggests The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. In spare prose (translated from Japanese), it is a simple yet poignant account of the bond that develops between a single mother, her 10-year old son, and the elderly math professor for whom the narrator works as a housekeeper. Hopper was very moved by the book, in part because of her familiarity with Alzheimer’s patients, but also because there is much inspiration for anyone who cares about the art of teaching.Kathryn Parchesco, department chair, Engineering Studies, and associate professor, says we should check out The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg. Barnes and Noble.com lists it as a chilling new thriller from the author who will succeed Stieg Larsson as the latest Swedish mystery writer.Joanne Galenski, assistant dean, College of Business, says she is hoping to get to read 11/22/63 by Stephen King, a different kind of thriller by one of New England’s most popular writers.
Cathy Sengel, JWU Magazine editor, suggests The Maytrees by Annie Dillard. It’s a tale of love and loss set on the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown. But don’t mistake this for a beach-read: Dillard’s writing has been compared to that of Henry David Thoreau.Angela Renaud, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, says Defending Jacob by Willliam Landay is a legal and psychological thriller. It tells the story of a district attorney’s fourteen year old son who is accused of killing a classmate.And that closes the book on the JWU recommended reading list for the Summer of '13.PEACE DIALOGUE How can we promote peacefulness when what we do in everyday life, such as yelling at our husbands for not putting out the trash, can be viewed as offensive or violent? This premise prompted Rosie Hopper, dean of libraries, to start a monthly discussion group called a “Peace Dialogue” to engage students, staff and faculty about nonviolence. As participant Erika Gearing pointed out, “This [discussion] is face to face here. It is not a social site [like Twitter]. There is real interaction.”
Based on readings that were prepared ahead of time, Hopper noted that shock value is a form of violence that most of us don’t even notice. Through the constant bombardment of images and information, we have become desensitized. To counter this, we can change our ways to promote non-violence. This can be as simple as not honking the horn and gesturing the next time a car cuts you off during your morning commute.
Peace Dialogue’s next topic will be: “Mass Media and Ethics: Freedom of Expression and Social Responsibility” at the Downcity library, second floor library conference room in The Yena Center, on Wednesday, June 19 from noon till 1pm. This discussion will be facilitated by School of Arts & Sciences faculty members Christopher Westgate, Ph.D., & Jon S. Oberacker, Ph.D. Namaste.