Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that the commencement speaker at our Spring 2010 Bachelor, Master and Specialist Commencement Ceremony will be internationally acclaimed journalist Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour has worked for CNN since 1983, and since becoming an international correspondent in 1990 she has distinguished herself for her insightful coverage of major crises from hotspots around the globe. Most recently, Amanpour has been CNN's chief international correspondent, and in the fall she will move to ABC News as the new anchor of "This Week."
Amanpour's numerous honors and recognitions include a Television Academy Honor, nine Emmys, four George Foster Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow award, and in 2007 she was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Ms. Amanpour's remarks are certain to be enlightening. Please join us for her address and to recognize and congratulate the graduates at the ceremony on May 15 at 2 p.m. in the Georgia Dome.
It is also with pleasure that I announce that Hugh Hudson, professor and chair of the Department of History, will be the speaker at our Ph. D. Commencement and Hooding Ceremony. The ceremony also will be on May 15, at 9 a.m. in our Rialto Center for the Arts. We look forward to Professor Hudson's words of wisdom and inspiration as we honor the newest recipients of our highest degrees.
I thank the many members of the Georgia State community who attended Monday's dedication and ribbon-cutting at the Parker H. Petit Science Center. We hosted more than 200 guests, including representatives from local, state and federal government as well as the Board of Regents. This state-of-the-art facility provides GSU with much needed teaching and research spaces for advancing our programs in the health and life sciences. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the dream of this world class facility on our campus a reality, and to those of you who went the extra mile to make the dedication ceremony most special.
I was pleased to spend time at last week's Undergraduate Research Conference at the Student Center. The quality of the works presented, as well as the enthusiasm of the students involved, was most impressive.
Each day I say see numerous reasons to take pride in the faculty, staff and students of Georgia State University. Today I am delighted to extend kudos to Patrick Boot, Krisztina Katai, Mariya Skovardanov, George Connaughton and Chris Klein for shining the light of achievement on GSU with their second-place team finish in Americas Regional competition of the Global Investment Research Challenge held March 18 in New York. This team of three undergraduates (Boot, Katai, and Skovardanov) and two masters students (Connaughton and Klein) excelled in competition against students from the finest universities in America. Well done, and thank you for distinguishing your university on the national stage.
Sincerely,
Mark P. Becker
President
GSU honored at state capitol
The Senate and House of Representatives of the state Legislature declared Tuesday Georgia State University Day. About 35-40 representatives of Georgia State, led by President Mark P. Becker and including Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick, walked over to the Gold Dome to meet and greet the members and participate in the reading of the resolutions.
GSU hosts Italian Film Festival
Georgia State University is hosting the 4th annual Italian Film Festival on campus through April 4, featuring films, documentaries and shorts that are free and open to the public.
Robin Y. Huff, senior lecturer in German and French in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, received a Fulbright Grant to attend a summer seminar in Germany. The seminar will focus on how demographic developments in Germany are challenging its social security system, employment trends and political development.
Chemistry professor Shahab A. Shamsi received a $25,000 supplement from Mercer University to study the analysis of caffeine and its metabolite formation in saliva samples.
Send "Kudos!" to newsletter@gsu.edu.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chandler Brown.