‘Great teacher’ to speak at inaugural Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture Series

‘Great teacher’ to speak at inaugural Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture SeriesFebruary 03, 2003Michele M. Jachimmmjachim@syr.edu

Richard J. Light will be the featured speaker for the first Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. Light’s lecture, “Making the Most of College,” is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, as is the reception that will follow.

Light’s honors and accolades include recognition as ‘one of America’s great teachers’ by Vanderbilt University and receipt of the Harvard University Press’ Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for his acclaimed book on education and society, “Making the Most of College-Students Speak Their Minds.” Light is the Walter H. Gale professor of education at Harvard University, where he teaches statistics and research design with respect to challenging problems in American education. He has authored or co-authored seven books, including Summing it Up (Harvard University Press, 1984), By Design (Harvard University Press, 1990), and Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds (Harvard University Press, 2001). Light has served as president of the American Evaluation Association, and a member of the Board of the American Association of Higher Education, and of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. An expert in assessment, higher education curricula, and reform issues, Light holds several positions on national boards and panels, including the Panel on Youth for the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for Higher Education.

“We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Richard Light on campus to help our continuous quest for knowledge about helping students maximize their learning experiences here at Syracuse University,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “His selection symbolizes an on-going commitment by the Division of Student Affairs to a student development philosophy focused on student learning and academic success that Dr. Willie embraced and advocated during his tenure here.”

The distinguished lecture, sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, is named after Charles V. Willie, the vice president of student affairs at Syracuse University from 1972 to 1974. Before his appointment as vice president, Willie was affiliated with Syracuse University as a graduate student, professor, and chairman of the Department of Sociology. The grandson of slaves and a classmate of Martin Luther King Jr., at Morehouse College, Willie is the author of more than 100 articles and 25 books on issues of race, education, and urban communities.

He is currently the Charles William Elliot Professor of Education Emeritus at the Harvard University School of Education. Willie’s colleagues at Syracuse University describe him as a true champion for the needs of all students, and as a gentleman with the utmost integrity and compassion who encourages and inspires others by setting high standards and living by those standards.

For more information contact the Office of the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs at 443-4357 or via e-mail at mjcuster@syr.edu.