Contact: Sue Carter, MSU Sesquicentennial director, (517) 432-7362, sucarter@msu.edu; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu

8/31/2005

EAST LANSING, Mich.  As Michigan State University takes a leadership role in framing the course of land-grant universities of the 21st century, challenges that face these and other institutions of higher learning will be addressed at a campus academic convocation.

MSU's Sesquicentennial Convocation set for Sept. 8 and 9, following the theme of framing a new way of thinking about common issues in view of global implications, will bring to the discussion the following challenges:

• Creating a more civil society
• Transforming society through transformed education
• Challenging the inventive mind: Problem solving in the 21st century

“MSU's Sesquicentennial Convocation is an opportunity to highlight the strengths of the institution and initiate discussions about the challenges facing land-grant universities of the 21st century,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “We are proud to have many distinguished journalists, business leaders, educators and alumni coming to help us frame a new way of thinking about universal issues and their global implications.”

The two-day event will be held at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. The presidential sesquicentennial address will be at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, in the Big Ten Room.

Convocation speakers include Juan Williams of National Public Radio; Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Shirley Barnes, former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar; and numerous members of the MSU faculty.

Among the sessions is a panel discussion on “Media Coverage of Victims and Violence.” Other sessions include experts speaking on various topics, including academics and sports, and neurological science.

For additional information on the convocation, visit the Web at www.s150.msu.edu/events.php