Academics

Dear Lawrence Community,

I write to solicit your nominations for the 2022-2023  Lawrence Convocation Series and the 2023 Commencement Ceremony. Over the years the Convocation Series has featured a wide range of distinguished speakers, including writers, artists, activists, scientists, scholars, and journalists. TheCommencement Speaker customarily receives an honorary degree from Lawrence in recognition of their accomplishments.

Please email me (allison.m.fleshman@lawrence.edu) the names of people you would like to see deliver a Convocation and/or receive an honorary degree at Commencement. Any additional information you would like to include about them will also be appreciated.

Information about this year’s Convocation Series can be found here.  

A list of past convocation speakers can be found here.

And a list of past commencement speakers can be found here.

Thank You! 

Allison Fleshman, Chair of the Public Events Committee 

Associate Professor and Chair of Physics, Megan Pickett, and her student Avery Greene ’24 celebrate Lawrence’s connection to the Night Sky.  Pickett and Greene are compiling a written and oral history of Lawrentians “Celestial Histories” as part of their summer research.  They are looking for stories, traditions, and important moments from all Lawrentians related to personal encounters with the night sky.  Their work will lead to an archive and website that paints another portrait of who we are as a community.  To volunteer, use:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1AOl3lwOFWaB2HW8O1ZbYiu6yuZy_1MRSKJTN7GOLqkICMg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3FZqex0p7TN201D08ToYjJNQzZt8yfMsDGuDMrYN-XriJ9rbHu08LrZkY

You can choose between a written survey or an interview.  Look for future LU community events in which we can all share the night sky through the coming term!

A Povolny Lecture Series event featuring Lt. General William Troy will be held 4:30 to 6 p.m. April 22 in the Wriston Art Center, with Honor the Pledge protocols in place.

Troy will present “Three Challenges for the U.S. Military: The Rising Importance of Soft Power; Urbanization; and The State of Civil-Military Relations.” The lecture is open to Lawrence students, faculty, and staff.

The Povolny Lecture Series, named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny and presented by the Government Department, promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Troy was an Army officer for 38 years; he rose to the rank of lieutenant general (three-star) and went on to become a CEO in the private sector. While in the Army, Troy had two tours in combat, four tours in the Pentagon, and tours in Germany, the U.K., and the United States. He commanded groups ranging from a platoon of a few dozen soldiers to units with thousands of soldiers and multiple installations.

After serving in the military, Troy was named CEO of the American Society for Quality, a nonprofit professional association with 68,000 members around the world. He frequently appeared as a keynote speaker on leadership topics in Europe, China, India, Mexico, and the U.S.

If interested in attending the Wriston event, contact Claudena Skran at claudena.skran@lawrence.edu

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) has decided to offer a weekly academic accountability group for students who want to stay motivated and make progress towards their academic goals this term.

The group will meet Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) at https://lawrence.zoom.us/my/julieh for the rest of this term.

This group is open to all Lawrence students! You don’t have to share a major or academic interest to attend. It’s an incredibly simple and effective tool to help you do your best with the rest of the term. 

Faculty and staff, we are sure you have students you think could benefit from this type of work. Please encourage your students to participate!

We encourage all students to consider this opportunity to optimize their planning and success as we approach the end of the term. The pandemic and winter have been quite difficult for some of our students to navigate, especially with motivation. Julie Haurykiewicz, Associate Dean of Academic Success, will be there to answer any questions.  

Why should I join a group like this?
–Get peer support
–Get and give encouragement
–Stay motivated
–Extra social connection
–Accountability, naturally

Are you interested? Great! Show up by yourself or bring a friend Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST https://lawrence.zoom.us/my/julieh.

Endorsement Julie received from a faculty member after one of her students attended the first meeting: “What seemed to impact the student the most was hearing from other students who were similarly stressed and overwhelmed and seeing that (a) he wasn’t alone, and (b) he could and should do something about it.”

If you have any questions, please contact cas@lawrence.edu.

One of the recommendations from the Task Force on Emotional Wellbeing, a group of students, faculty, and staff united to investigate the factors negatively impacting emotional well-being on campus, was to create common unscheduled time for faculty and students in the middle of the day. After considering several options, the faculty voted to adopt a new daily schedule.  

See the new schedule (PDF). 

The new schedule will begin in Fall 2021. We encourage students, faculty, and staff to make note of the updated schedule and how it might impact your schedule or classroom availability. 

The Registrar’s office is working with departments to update the 2021-22 course catalog accordingly, and the course schedule for academic year 2021-22 will be available in spring term with updated class periods. If students have any questions regarding their schedule, please reach out to your advisor or individual faculty members.