Convocation
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Whitman College's annual Convocation ceremony is a calling together of everyone on campus — students, faculty and staff — to mark the beginning of the next academic cycle, and to welcome the incoming class of first-year students into our community.
Convocation will be Monday, August 30 at 4 p.m. All Whitman students, faculty and staff are invited to join the livestreamed celebration kicking off the 2021-22 Academic Year. The ceremony will be livestreamed on this webpage.
Watch parties for first year students will take place in their OWL groups, while faculty, staff and returning students may gather to view livestreams in the Reid Campus Center Ballroom or residence hall lounges as well as watching from their personal computers.
Speakers include Tejashree Jadhav (Power and Privilege co-chair), Salma Anguiano (ASWC president), and Kurt Hoffman introducing the 2021-22 Academic Theme. The Convocation address, "Breath," will be delivered by Lauren Osborne (associate professor of religion).
2021 Convocation Program
Processional
Kraig Scott, Professor of Music, Walla Walla University, organist
Welcome and Introductions
Kendra Golden, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
One Thousand Five Hundred Whitties
Tejashree Jadhav ’24, Power and Privilege Co-Chair
Change Is Necessary
Salma Anguiano ’22, President of the Associated Students of Whitman College
Musical Interlude: Heimkehr and Zueignung, Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Leisha Casimiro ’22, mezzo-soprano
Jackie Wood, Senior Lecturer of Music, piano
lyrical translations below
2021-2022 Academic Theme: "Climate Reckonings, Climate Justice"
Kurt Hoffman, Professor of Physics
Introduction of Convocation Speaker
Kendra Golden, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Convocation Address: “Breath”
Lauren E. Osborne, Associate Professor of Religion, Whitman College
Musical Interlude: Let the Life I’ve Lived Speak for Me, Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947)
Leisha Casimiro ’22, mezzo-soprano
Jackie Wood, Senior Lecturer of Music, piano
Opening of the Academic Year
Kathleen M. Murray, President
Recessional
Kraig Scott, organist
Platform Party
Sharon Alker, Mary A. Denny Professor of English and General Studies and Chair of Division II
Salma Anguiano ’22, President of the Associated Students of Whitman College
Shampa Biswas, Judge and Mrs.Timothy A. Paul Chair of Political Science, Professor of Politics and Chair of Division I
Kendra Golden, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Biology
Rebecca Roman Hanrahan, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Faculty
Kurt Hoffman, Professor of Physics
Tejashree Jadhav ’24, Power and Privilege Co-Chair
John Johnson, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Kazi Joshua, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Helen Kim, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Sociology
Kathleen M. Murray, President
Albert W. Schueller, Mina Schwabacher Professor of Mathematics and Chair of Division III
Lauren E. Osborne, Associate Professor of Religion
American Sign Language Interpreter
Cori Jones
Whitman College Faculty Milestones
Effective with the 2021-2022 Academic Year
Promotion to Professor
Timothy H. Parker, Professor of Biology
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor
Eunice L. Blavascunas, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies
Rachel L. George, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Krista H. Gulbransen, Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Culture Studies
Britney L. Moss, Associate Professor of Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Lyman P. Persico, Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies
Alvaro Santana-Acuña, Associate Professor of Sociology
Promotion to Senior Rank (non-tenure-track)
Wencui Zhao, Senior Lecturer of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Chinese
More About Convocation
Music Translations
Heimkehr (A.F. von Schack)
“Homeward”
The tree boughs are waving softly
Swiftly toward the shore moves the boat,
Back to its nest flies the dove,
My heart returns home to you.
Too long on a bright day,
Surrounded by life’s turmoil
On its fluttering wings,
It has been straying.
But now the sun departs,
And calm descends upon the grove,
And it feels that near you is peace,
Near you alone is rest.
Zueignung (Hermann von Gilm)
“Devotion”
Ah, you know it, dear soul,
That, far from you, I languish,
Love causes hearts to ache,
To you my thanks!
Once, drinking to freedom,
I raised the amethyst cup,
And you blessed the drink,
To you my thanks!
You exorcised the evil spirits in it,
So that I, as never before,
Cleansed and freed, sank upon your breast,
To you my thanks!
About Academic Regalia
Academic regalia worn at collegiate ceremonies such as Convocation and Commencement serves two purposes: it lends dignity and color to such occasions and reveals types of academic achievement through different styles of gowns and hoods and varying colors.
The regalia you see today is based on what was worn at universities in the 14th and 15th centuries, especially at Oxford and Cambridge. Late 19th century changes included the assignment of specific colors to signify academic disciplines. Modern academic dress in the United States has remained essentially unchanged since 1895, when it was standardized by the Intercollegiate Code.
Differing styles of gowns represent bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The bachelor’s gown has a long pointed sleeve, the master’s has a long closed sleeve with a slit for the arm at the elbow, and doctoral robes have full, bell-shaped sleeves with three velvet bands matching the velvet facing of the gown opening. The velvet on the doctoral gown can be colored to represent a specific discipline, and the gown itself can be black or a color chosen by the institution.
Hoods drape down the back of the gowns and are most commonly used to reflect master’s and doctoral degrees. They are lined in the official color of the institution which conferred the degree, with a chevron used for a second color if needed. The colored velvet binding indicates the academic area to which the degree pertains. For example, white for liberal arts, pink for music, yellow for science, purple for law, red for theology, green for medicine and blue for philosophy.
Caps, all with tassels, can be either the familiar square mortarboard or a rounded or multi-angular floppy style.
About Cordiner Hall
Cordiner Hall, a 1,400-seat concert auditorium, bears the name of the late Ralph Jarron Cordiner, a 1922 Whitman graduate who was president and CEO of the General Electric Company from 1950 to 1963. Cordiner Hall features a 3,000-pipe custom-built organ made by the Holtkamp Organ Company and a 9-foot Steinway Model D grand piano.