Higher education retention expert and Syracuse University Distinguished Professor Vincent Tinto to deliver fifth annual Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture April 8

Higher education retention expert and Syracuse University Distinguished Professor Vincent Tinto to deliver fifth annual Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture April 8April 03, 2008Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

“Access Without Support is Not Opportunity” is the theme of this year’s Charles V. Willie Distinguished Lecture, which will be held Tuesday, April 8, at 4 p.m. in Rooms 304 A, B and C of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. The lecture will be delivered by Vincent Tinto, distinguished professor and chair of the Higher Education Program in Syracuse University’s School of Education.

An expert on access and support for college students, Tinto holds a Ph.D. in education and sociology from the University of Chicago. He has researched and written extensively on higher education, particularly on student retention and the impact of learning communities on student growth and attainment. He has consulted widely with federal and state agencies, and with independent research firms, foundations and two-and four-year institutions on higher education on a broad range of higher educational issues. Tinto serves on the editorial boards of several journals and with various organizations and professional associations concerned with higher education. He chaired the national panel responsible for awarding $5 million to establish the first national center for research on teaching and learning in higher education and is currently engaged in a national effort to increase access to college.

The Division of Student Affairs founded the lecture series in 2003. It is named for Charles V. Willie, SU’s first African American professor, who served as vice president of student affairs from 1972-74. Willie taught sociology at SU from 1950-74. The purpose of the series is to invite leading scholars in the field of higher education to share their expertise with the University and broader communities. Willie returned to the SU campus in 2006 as the series’ featured speaker.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. For more information or to R.S.V.P. for the event, contact Kelly Lux at 443-9153 or kalux@syr.edu.