Oct. 11-14 will be filled with more than 200 programs, including lectures, panels, performances, exhibits, and campus activities, as part of the University of Rochester's Meliora Weekend. Class reunions, homecoming, and family weekend are all combined for one festive fall celebration of the University for about 7,000 registered guests, including alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends.
A full schedule of the weekend can be found at www.rochester.edu/melioraweekend/.
Among the Meliora Weekend program highlights are:
- Veteran journalist Barbara Walters will deliver the Meliora Weekend keynote to a sold-out audience. Walters is correspondent for ABC News, the host of The Barbara Walters Specials, and creator, co-host, and executive producer of The View. Walters has interviewed every U.S. president and first lady since Richard Nixon, along with many world figures. In December 2011, she conducted an exclusive interview with Syria's embattled president, Bashir al Assad, in Damascus. (11 a.m.-noon, Saturday at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre)
- Election 2012: What's at Stake? This presidential election—coming on the heels of the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on health care reform—will have historic implications for the direction of policy. Gerald Gamm, associate professor of political science and history, and David Primo, associate professor of political science and business administration, will speak to a sold-out audience about the election and its implications. (2-3 p.m., Saturday at Hubbell Auditorium in Hutchison Hall)
- Presidential Symposium: "The Humanities, Artistic Expression, and the Digital Age: Innovation and Opportunities." University Trustee Hugo Sonnenschein '61, president emeritus and distinguished service professor at the University of Chicago, will moderate a panel on arts in the digital age. Panelists include Tod Machover, Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music and Media at the MIT Media Lab, and director of the lab's Hyperinstruments and Opera of the Future Groups; Katherine Hayles, professor and director of graduate studies in literature at Duke University; and Stanley Fish, Davidson-Kahn Distinguished University Professor of Humanities and Law at Florida International University. (2-3:30 p.m., Saturday at Strong Auditorium on River Campus)
- Miller's Court: Intercollegiate Athletics—Who Are They Playing For? Major intercollegiate sports are big business, with television contracts, conference realignments, recruiting violations, academic compromises, and disciplinary issues dominating the headlines. Noted NYU law professor and television host Arthur Miller '56, '08 leads a lively panel of experts who will share thoughts on questions surrounding these issues. Panelists include Harry Carson, former New York Giants football player and current sports broadcaster; Dana Jacobson, former sports anchor for ESPN; Michael D. Maloney '97, professor of orthopedics at the University of Rochester and team physician for the Rochester Red Wings and area college sports teams; Jody Lavin Patrick '82, former women's varsity basketball coach at UMass, Cornell University and Georgetown University; Greg Roy '78, track and field/cross country head coach at the University of Connecticut; and George VanderZwaag, director of athletics at the University of Rochester. (3:30-4:30 p.m., Saturday at Hubbell Auditorium in Hutchison Hall)
- Protecting America: A View from the Commander, Naval Special Warfare (SEALs): Rear Adm. Sean A. Pybus '79, a career Naval Special Warfare SEAL officer, will share his perspective on the contributions of the U.S. Navy and the Navy SEALs in the complex national security environment. His sold-out talk will focus on the qualities and roles of America's Special Operations Forces and address challenges for the future. A Q-and-A session will follow his remarks. (3:30-5 p.m., Saturday at Hoyt Hall)
The weekend festivities carry the name of Meliora, the University's motto meaning "ever better." Adding to the student spirit of the weekend, sophomore Bonnie Nortz will be "yarn bomb" decorating six trees in Dandelion Square. And the Student Alumni Ambassadors volunteer group will be installing chain-link fence art into the fence surrounding Fauver Stadium.
Note to editors: For more details on Meliora events or JPEG images, contact (585) 275-4128 or smiller@ur.rochester.edu.
Meliora Weekend runs concurrently with Eastman Weekend, which features a signature selection of concerts, lectures, exhibits, and more.