December 14, 2010
Dear colleagues,
As another productive semester comes to a close, I invite you to celebrate with our more than 2,500 graduating seniors at Georgia State University's 96th commencement ceremony tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. As previously announced, our keynote speaker is Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, whose message is sure to be inspiring to our graduates and others in attendance.
To celebrate the season, Laura and I invite you to a holiday drop-in this Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Center atrium. Please join us to enjoy food, music and fellowship as the semester comes to a close and the campus quiets down for our two week break. Click here to view a video invitation.
I am also pleased to invite you to a presentation by Oxford University faculty member Dr. Karl Gerth on Thursday, January 13. Dr. Gerth is a historian and an internationally recognized authority on Chinese consumerism. His latest book, "As China Goes, So Goes the World: How Chinese Consumers are Transforming Everything," has been described as "essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of China today." He holds a Ph D from Harvard University, is a professor of Chinese studies at Oxford University, and has received numerous research awards, including from the U.S. Fulbright Foundation, the British Academy, and the Japanese Ministry of Education. Dr. Gerth's presentation will be at 3 p.m. in Speakers Auditorium.
The end of this semester also marks the end of my second year as Georgia State University's seventh president. It is an honor to serve the university and all of the wonderful people associated with it, and I look forward to stimulating and exciting times ahead as we work together to make Georgia State the very best university that it can be.
Please note that this is my last e-newsletter for 2010, and that the e-newsletter will resume in mid-January.
Best wishes for peace, health, and happiness this holiday season and throughout the New Year.
Happy Holidays,
Mark P. Becker
President
In the news
Rialto Center receives grants
The Rialto Center for the Arts is celebrating the awarding of several recent grants. They include: $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the international series artists featured on the Rialto Series; $50,000 from the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation to support education outreach efforts and the Rialto Series; $100,000 from the Loridans Foundation for a dance initiative; $1,500 from the National Endowment for the Humanities through Unity Productions Foundation for a film screening and dialogue around "Prince Among Slaves: The Cultural Legacy of Enslaved Africans" as part of the foundation’s 20,000 Dialogues outreach program.
