Winter Convocation to Bring Special Events in January
Thursday, December 20, 2018
The University of the South’s Winter Convocation will be held at 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 18, in All Saints’ Chapel. Honorary degrees will be presented and new members will be inducted into the Order of the Gown. The Rt. Rev. Robert Skirving will be installed as chancellor of the University.
Ellen Lehman, the founding president of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, will give the Convocation address and will receive an honorary degree. Honorary degrees also will be conferred upon François Clemmons, a professionally trained operatic tenor and founder of the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble; the Rt. Rev. Brian Cole, bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee; internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon; and Alice Parker, a renowned composer, conductor, and teacher.
The Rt. Rev. Robert Skirving, bishop of the Diocese of East Carolina, in October was elected the 25th chancellor of the University of the South. He will be installed during the Convocation.
Special events around Convocation include a screening of the film Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a recent documentary about the life and guiding philosophy of Fred Rogers, the host and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It will be followed by a conversation with François Clemmons, known for his role of Officer Clemmons, the friendly police officer on the show. The screening will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Guerry Auditorium.
On Thursday, Jan. 17, poet and professor Paul Muldoon will give a reading at 4 p.m. in Convocation Hall. To conclude the week’s events, François Clemmons will present a concert at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, also in Convocation Hall.