Distinguished Professor and Author to Speak at Nazareth

October 9, 2009

Nazareth College is proud to present distinguished professor and entrepreneur Marc Morial and bestselling author Sharon Flake, as lecturers at the Helen C. and Walter Cooper Institute on Urban Education. Morial will present a keynote lecture titled, Closing the Gap: Privilege, Power and the Implications of Poverty, on Thursday, October 15, 2009 in the Shults Center Forum located on the Nazareth College campus, 4245 East Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14618. The lecture will take place at 6:00 p.m. with a panel response to follow at 7:00 p.m. Flake will present a lecture and reading at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 16, 2009 also in the Shults Center Forum. These events are free and open to the public. For more information call the office of multicultural affairs at (585) 389-2073.

Born in New Orleans, Morial has led a distinguished professional career that has spanned 25 years. His many roles include entrepreneur, lawyer, professor, legislator, New Orleans mayor, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and CEO of the National Urban League. He has performed these roles with excellence and is one of the most accomplished servant-leaders in the nation. Morial’s father was the first African-American mayor of New Orleans making politics an important part of his life. Following in his father’s footsteps, Morial has tried to build on what his father worked so hard to accomplish, insisting that 35% of the city’s contracts go to black-owned companies. During his tenure, Morial also helped return the NBA franchise to New Orleans by leading negotiations that relocated the Charlotte Hornets. Morial received a bachelor’s in economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from Georgetown University.

Flake is the bestselling author of six books, including The Skin I’m In (1998). She is the winner of multiple Coretta Scott King Honor awards and is one of the most authentic voices in young adult fiction. Flake originally went to school to become a pediatrician, but soon changed to an English major. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English and spent 18 years working for the college. She is now a full-time author and has gone on to write many books. Her other publications include, The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street (2007), Bang! (2005), Who am I Without Him? Short Stories about Boys and the Girls in Their Lives (2004), Begging for Change (2003), and Money Hungry (2002).

These events are co-sponsored by Nazareth College’s office of multicultural affairs, School of Education, Marie Callahan Reading Clinic, Sara Varhus, vice president of academic affairs and NYSACE PDK Chapter 1080.

The purpose of conducting the Helen C. and Walter Cooper Institute on Urban Education is to contribute to the development of academic equity and excellence. Preparing students to teach all children requires increasing their knowledge base and guiding them to develop the capacity to change school practices that fail to equitably engage all students, families, and communities.

Founded in 1924, Nazareth College is a coeducational college with undergraduate and graduate studies in the liberal arts and sciences and professional programs in health and human services, education, and management. The College is located on 150 scenic acres near Rochester, New York, and currently enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students. Nazareth has a strong commitment to experience-based learning and civic engagement. In the past decade, Nazareth has produced 18 Fulbright recipients and two Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships. For more information on the College, visit www.naz.edu.

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