Langenberg Lecture Welcomes Vartan Gregorian of Carnegie Corp., May 14

ADELPHI, Md. (May 9, 2008) - The University System of Maryland (USM) and University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), welcome speaker Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, for the annual Langenberg Lecture and Award ceremony, Wednesday, May 14, at 1:30 p.m. The lecture will be held in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, on the UMCP campus.

During the event, UMCP senior Laura C. Stevens, a double-major in secondary education and mathematics, will receive the Langenberg Award, given annually to a student who has demonstrated great promise in and commitment to a career in education.

Dr. Gregorian is president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a grant-making institution founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1911. Since assuming his role as president in 1997, Dr. Gregorian has consistently drawn attention to the importance of education for the individual and society. He describes teachers as the "foot soldiers of civilization." Dr. Gregorian was born in Tabriz, Iran, of Armenian parents, and came to the United States in 1956. He received a Ph.D. in history and humanities from Stanford University in 1964. In 1974, he became the founding dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, and later became its provost. He has served as president of the New York Public Library and Brown University. Dr. Gregorian serves on a number of distinguished boards and has received many governmental, civic, and academic honors. In 1998, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Clinton, and in 2004, he received the Medal of Freedom-the nation's highest civil award-from President Bush.

Established in honor of Donald N. Langenberg upon his retirement as USM's second chancellor, the Langenberg Lecture annually presents new perspectives on education in America. The lecture rotates among USM's member institutions.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP to the USM Office of Special Events at 301-445-8057 or events@usmd.edu.

For driving directions to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, visit: http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2007/c/visitors/directions.

Contact: John Buettner
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: jbuettner@usmd.edu