R·I·T ' NEWS & EVENTS Vol
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! . ; R·I·T ' NEWS & EVENTS Vol. 20, No. 15 April 20, 1989 Gordon Parks to Receive RIT Honorary Degree 20th century, he has also made his mark as a poet, musician, filmmaker, and writer." "At the beginning, my problems stemmed from racism in America and poverty and my need to be somebody," Parks has said. "I never finished high school-that's why I have attempted to do so many things. If one failed me, there was always something else I could tum to." Only the third honorary degree recipient at RIT, Parks is familiar to RIT audiences as he gave the William A. Reedy Memorial Lecture in Photography here in 1981. He will be awarded the degree in an 11 a.m. ceremony in the courtyard adjoining the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Building. Born in 1912 in Fort Scott, Kans., Parks left home at 16 and Ii ved in both Min neapolis and Chicago, where he worked as a piano player, busboy, train porter, and Borinquen Dance Theater professional basketball player. He first became interested in photography in the 1930s and decided to make it his full-time Concert of Freedom Songs career. After serving as a Julius Rosenwald Fellow in the Farm Security Administra To Focus on Oppression tion and as a war correspondent, he joined Noted Life photographer Gordon Parks, the Standard Oil Company as a documen An evening of music, dance, and poetry To the Children of Azania, four Afri whose long career also includes film direct tary photographer. dedicated to three groups facing oppression can resource persons who are RIT students, ing and writing, will be honored with an In 1949, he became a photographer for in the world today will be offered in a will present African language songs and RIT honorary degree on May 11 as the Life, where he remained until 1972. He "Freedom Songs" concert at RIT. The reflections on apartheid. ''Azania" is the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences also did fashion photography for Vogue concert, to be held at 9 p.m., April 29, in name chosen by native South Africans for celebrates the 150th anniversary of magazine and was a founder of Essence, a Webb Auditorium, will focus attention on their country. Two members of the group photography. magazine for black women. He is the the plight of blacks in South Africa, are Azanians; two are Kenyans. "From time to time, a person is so crea author of four volumes of poetry and photo oppressed people in Latin American coun The Borinquen Dance Theatre, a tive that he transcends his chosen special graphs, including Choice ofWeapons, for tries, and Jews in the Soviet Union. well-known Rochester troupe, will per ty," said Dr. E.C. Mclrvine, dean of the which he received the Notable Book Award The goal of "Freedom Songs" is to form works with themes of Latin American College of Graphic Arts and Photography. from the American Library Association. "demonstrate the importance of different struggle. "Such a person is Gordon Parks. One of Films he directed include The Learning groups working together in the creation of Folksinger Andy Rehfeld will protest the most influential photographers of the Tree, Shaft, and Leadbelly. a fair and just world," according to M. Ehi the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union. Ayewoh, director, Office of Minority Poet and RIT student Arthur Brown Student Affairs (OMSA). will read from his works protesting South Though "Freedom Songs" highlights African oppression. three specific groups, the event's organiz "Freedom Songs" is free and open to the ers stress that they're aware of the public. NASA Leader to Speak oppressed groups in many areas of the Ultimately, the event's organizers hope world: "We must learn to transcend our "Freedom Songs" will "encourage people own concerns and develop a common to think in global terms about world oppres human cry," says Simeon Kolko, director, sion," says Nancy Padilla, OMSA coor Hillel Foundation. dinator of student programs. The evening's program is made up Sponsors of the event include OMSA, entirely of performers with local connec the Black Awareness Coordinating Com tions, who will encourage their audience mittee, Hispanic Student Association, to remember the words of Dr. Martin Hillel Foundation, Temple Beth Am, Luther King: "Injustice anywhere is a Ibero-American Investors Corp., Urban threat to justice everywhere." Concert League of Rochester, and Puerto Rican performers are the following: Youth Development and Resource Center, Inc. It Pays to Persist at RIT A recent study conducted at Rochester According to the study, students und·er Institute of Technology showed that the take collegiate study with the expectation Artist's rendering of NASA's Hubble Space Station and relay stations on Earth earnings of graduates from RIT are signifi that completion of a bachelor's degree will cantly greater than those of students who accrue a variety of benefits otherwise When the space shuttle Challenger and, because NASA has said that in the did not persist to graduation. difficult to obtain without such an exploded just over three years ago, 21st century "mankind will most likely According to the study, graduates who experience. America was forced to rethink its space witness the first human footprint on the entered RIT as freshmen earned salaries "The reasons for withdrawal from a program. The man who assumed leader surface of Mars," about manned missions 66 percent higher than those of their class college vary, but the impact of not complet ship of NASA soon after the Challenger to Earth's closest planetary neighbor. mates who did not complete their degrees ing a degree on future earnings is consider tragedy will discuss rejuvenated plans for Fletcher is the first person to head the at RIT. Transfer students who graduated able," states the study. several NASA projects-including the nation's civilian space agency on two earned 44 percent more than their transfer The effect of withdrawal on earnings shuttle-at 7:30 p.m., April 27, in Ingle separate occasions. He was the fourth counterparts who withdrew. was studied by analyzing the 1985 earnings Auditorium. The speech is part of the NASA chief from April 1971 to May 1977 "The difference is even more significant of 14,349 students who entered RIT Congressman Frank Horton Speaker and became the seventh head of the agency when one considers the cumulative effect between 1975 and 1982. It compared earn Series. in May 1986. A research scientist, Fletcher over a lifetime, possibly amounting to ings of RIT graduates with those of stu Dr. James C. Fletcher stepped down also has served as president of the Univer hundreds of thousands of dollars of dents who did not persist at RIT but may from his post as N ASP: s chief adminis sity of Utah and as William K. Whiteford increased earnings," says the study's have transferred to another institution, trator one week ago. During the past three Professor of Energy Resources and authors, Dr. Gerard G. Walter, director of delayed their pursuit of baccalaureate years, he has overseen the agency's Technology at the University of Pittsburgh the Office of Postsecondary Career Studies study, or dropped out of higher education. rebuilding process, which resulted in the and has headed his own consulting firm, and Institutional Research for NTID, and "Clearly, it is in a student's best interest launch of the space shuttle Discovery in James C. Fletcher & Associates. Nancy Neville, director of the Office of to persist at RIT. The advantage in earning September 1988. His talk is sponsored by Student Direc Enrollment and Career Research. Continued on page 3 During his talk at RIT, Fletcher will torate Special Events. speak about the U.S. space station's future 2 NEWS & EVENTS April 20, 1989 Years of Service to RIT Co0101ended 40Years Noting that every RIT employee makes a 30Years significant contribution to the life of stu dents and the outstanding success of the Institute, Dr. Rose addressed employees who were recognized for their length of service to the Institute. Employees with 25 years at RIT were presented prints of Eric Earl Fuller Bellman's illustration of the Tojo Garden; those with 30, 35, and 40 years were given plaques. William Batcheller Joseph Brown Jr. Dr. E.C. Mclrvine, dean of the College of Graphic Arts & Photography, delivered the keynote address. David Ca/man Lester Fuller George Hedden James Reynolds Joyce Lewis, Antonetti Liberti, Mary Ann MacAulay, Cynthia Mann, James Manning, Lucille Marcera, Douglas May, Doris McConnell, William McKee, Doris McNeil, Igor Mihajlov, Dian Miller, CynthiaMularz, William Newell, Janet Olivieri, Kathleen Ozminkowski, Linda Palmer, John Patchin, Myra Bennett Pelz, Sarah Perkins, Carol Richardson, Michael Rizzolo, Victoria Robinson, John Roman, Gladys Ta ylor Judy Witzel Richard 2.akia M. Richard Rose, Goldie Ross, Donna Rubin, Donna Russell, Jane Ryan, Vincent 25Years Samar, Jorge Samper, Kathleen Scherer, Peter Schragle, Wendy Schulmerich, Wanita Schwartz, Paul Seidel, Joellen Shaffer, John Sherrick, Parvesh Singh, Kathleen Smith, Richard Smith, Marilyn Spampinato, Angela Spano, Michael Spencer, Michael Stinson, Elaine Tandy, Betty Thompson, Jeanette Tydings, Ann VanGinkel, Richard Walton, Lena White, Michael White, Lynn Willoughby, Ray Reno Antonietti Kathleen Chajchuk Robert Gilman Woerner, Freddie Woods, Willard Yates SYears Vaudeen Abel, Robb Adams, Kathleen Aman, Pasquale Amico, Dorothy Baldassare, Cynthia Barrett, Linda Bement, Patricia Billies, Scott Blondell, Ann Bonadio, Carole Boudreau, Sandra Broccolli-Colwel, Margaret Brophy, Sylvia Brunswick, Martha Burris, Sharon Cagle, Thomas Callaghan, Carole Carlson, Barbara Camey, Janet Casper, Ronald Hilton Ruth Lunt Roger Remington Susan Catherwood, Lon Chase, Catherine Ciardi , Karen Combs, Mary Ann Connor, Carol Convertino, Denise Cyrkin, Kathy DeLorme, Isabelle Digioia, Helen Dobesh, William Eisner, Lynne Erne, Arlene Evangelista, Joyce Felton, Judith Ferrari, Yvonne Fish, Laura Freeman, Robert French, Robert Glitch, Dorothy Guinan, Birgit Hafner, Janet Helmuth, Jane Hodges, Mary Hope, Kelley Isaac, Connie Izzo, Janet Jackling, Daryl 35years Johnson, Susan Joseph, Linda Kanaley, Joseph Fitzpatrick George Reno Jr.