Come Early On Friday

Come over to campus early on Friday afternoon, October 4th. 

There's a whole series of educational programs to get you intellectually stimulated (you know, like we used to do when we went to class).

Don't fret, they will be over in plenty of time for you to get changed and freshened up before we party the night away at our 40th Reunion Class Party to be held in the newly remodeled Rand Hall (6:30--9:30 p.m.).

Here's the full schedule of things to do Friday afternoon:

http://reunion.vanderbilt.edu/schedule.php#educational-programs

Here are a couple of highlights.

To begin the day, especially if you still have high school age youngsters, don't miss our very own Janet Schneider (B.A., Class of 1973). She's part of a panel from 11:30 a.m - 12:30 pm. in Sarratt Room 189 offering "A Look Inside The World of College Admissions." Janet is the Director of College Counseling at University School of Nashville. She and the others on the panel will bring first hand knowledge of what can be an "exciting" but "nerve racking experience" for both parents and students. (Yes, I remember it well).

After that, starting from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Sarratt Cinema join in "A Conversation With The Chancellor," Nick Zeppos. Chancellor Zeppos will share his thoughts and answer questions about "The State Of The University."

After this session, you have a tough choice to make. It's like back in the day during registration when there were two courses you really wanted to take but, darn it, they were both being offered at the same time!

One of your options is to stay in the Sarratt Cinema and hear a presentation from Professor John Lachs from 2:30 p.m.until 3:30 p.m. John Lachs was one of most popular teachers on campus during our time at VU, and over four decades later that's still true. In fact, he's the Centennial Professor of Philosphy at Vanderbilt. Hmmm...since we're the Centennial Class, does that means he's one of own too? We'll sure claim him!

Professor Lachs will speak on "The Cost of Our Comfort" looking at how "we lead longer, safer and richer lives than any previous generation, (yet) despite this, we sometimes feel passive, insignificant and unhappy."

I told you we would be intellectually stimulated!

But maybe it's some music you want...in particular the Magic and Music of Motown!

Come over to the Rand Function Room (close to where our Party will be that night) and also from 2:30 until 3:30 p.m., listen to Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams. He will offer his insights and stories from growing up in Detroit right in the very neighboorhood where the world-famous Motown Sound was created. It's a presentation that also includes "tunes from Memphis, Chicago and Philly" as Vice Chancellor Williams gives us some of the back "stories about the songs and the people who created them." 

He'll probably also tell you how he almost became a Commodore years before he came to Vanderbilt!

Vice Chancellor Williams is also Vanderbilt's Athletic Director and it is fair to say he's nutured a unprecedented era of success across the board in the school's sports teams. Some of you may heard his Motown presentation before and you know what a treat it will be to hear it again (likely with some new stories and insights added).  

And so, your afternoon of educational programs will be over by 3:30 p.m.  You can head back to your hotel room or home to get ready for the Class Party with plenty of time. There's even time for a quick nap, although I am sure none of us are of an age to need one just yet.

But if you want one more event to check out, walk down to the Jean and Alexander Heard Library (The Joint University Library in our day) and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the VUcept program (those nice upperclassmen who welcomed us to campus as freshmen). A recpetion will be held in the Library's Community Room from 4:00p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

It's going to be quite a day, quite a night, and a very memorable weekend for sure!