APPLETON, WIS. — Three community leaders, two faculty members and a student will join Lawrence University President Jill Beck in opening the college’s 159th academic year Thursday, Sept. 25 with a unique matriculation address that will help launch a new campus-wide initiative designed to focus attention and education on environmental, cultural and social sustainability.
The address, “A Sustainable Lawrence: Five Interlocking Perspectives” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, is free and open to the public.
Jeff Clark, associate professor of geology and chair of Lawrence’s environmental studies department, opens the five-part program with the address “Green Roots: The Sustainable Lawrence Initiative.”
Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of The Boldt Company, presents “The New Lawrence Campus Center — Sustainable and LEED.” The Boldt Company is the construction manager of Lawrence’s $35 million, 107,000-square-foot campus center slated for completion next spring.
Community leaders Margaret Carroll and Pat Schinabeck, both members of the College Avenue Bridge Design Committee, will share the podium in delivering “A Landscape Collaboration: College-Neighborhood-Community.” Carroll, a 1961 Lawrence graduate who spent 29years on the college’s Board of Trustees, has worked with LEAVEN and served as an election inspector. Schinabeck is a former Appleton alderperson and member of the Appleton Redevelopment Authority.
Marty Finkler, professor of economics and John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System, whose research interests include the economic growth and development of China, presents “Water: Local and Global Connections.”
James Duncan-Welke ’09, current president of the Lawrence Community Council and a 2005 graduate of Appleton North High School, delivers the address “Engaging in Sustainable Lawrence.” He also served as Lawrence’s student representative on the College Avenue Bridge Design Committee.
The annual matriculation address also opens Lawrence’s 2008-09 convocation series. This year’s series speakers include:
• Frank Rich, author and New York Times op-ed columnist, “The Post-Bush Era Begins,” Dec. 2.
• Edith Widder, biologist and internationally recognized deep-sea explorer, “Eye in the Sea: What Does Deep Sea Exploration Tell Us About Marine Conservation?,” Feb. 3.
• Jennifer Baumgardner, author, activist,and documentary producer, “Climate Change We Can Live With: The Ecology of Justice,” May 19.
All convocations are held at 11:10 a.m. in Lawrence Memorial Chapel and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.lawrence.edu/news/convos/.
