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Academic Convocation will recognize achievement

Feb. 21, 2007

KALAMAZOO--An awards ceremony and remarks by President Diether H. Haenicke and Provost Janet I. Pisaneschi will be among the highlights when Western Michigan University holds its Academic Convocation at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall.

The event, which will mark WMU's 50th anniversary as a university, is also a return to WMU's long campus tradition of convening in February to celebrate achievement and look ahead to the future. During the celebration, award presentations will be made to the winners of WMU's awards for Distinguished Teaching, Drs. Irma M. Lopez and Suhashni "Sushi" Datta-Sandhu; Emerging Faculty Scholars, Drs. Mitch Kachun, Carla M. Koretsky and Dr. Kirk T. Korista; and Distinguished Service, David Rozelle.

This year's convocation will revolve around the observance late this month of the 50th anniversary of WMU being named Michigan's fourth university. On Feb. 26, 1957, Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams signed a bill into law designating what was then Western Michigan College as Michigan's fourth public university. The designation came less than a year after Wayne State University became a university and less then two years after Michigan State University was designated Michigan's second university. The University of Michigan was established in 1817, before Michigan was a state.

While Michigan's higher education system has grown to 15 public universities, WMU remains the state's fourth largest university and one of only five state institutions recognized nationally by the Carnegie Institution for the Advancement of Teaching as research universities with high levels of research activity. The fifth is Michigan Technological University, which attained university status in 1964.

Related articles
Lopez, Datta-Sandhu honored for teaching excellence
Three lauded as "Emerging Scholars"
Rozelle honored for outstanding service

Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

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