-- Brown University scholar to give principal address

Providence, RI-- The spirit and scholarship of the late Dr. Rodney K. Delasanta will permeate this year's Academic Convocation on Wednesday, September 19, 2007.

An esteemed professor of English who died in April, Dr. Delasanta will be specially remembered at convocation during a "Chaucer Installation" presentation. The presentation will be the unveiling of a book featuring Dr. Delasanta's text on medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer--the book he taught from for nearly five decades at the College.

Chaucer was the center of Dr. Delasanta's scholarship. More than half of the approximately 40 papers he published dealt with Chaucer and his witty poetry. Furthermore, Dr. Delasanta, who also served as director of the College's Liberal Arts Honors Program for 17 years, himself said his teaching philosophy mirrored Chaucer's characterization of the Clerk of Oxford: "gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche."

Dr. Delasanta's Chaucer text and many of his other contributions to the College community will be on display soon in Phillips Memorial Library.

The convocation program will include the introduction of 19 new full-time faculty members and Providence College's newest Rev. Robert J. Randall Distinguished Professor in Christian Culture, Dr. F. Russell Hittinger. Hittinger is the Warren Professor of Catholic Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion and a research professor of law in the School of Law at the University of Tulsa.

Another highlight will be the presentation of the College's Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award to Dr. Margaret M. Manchester, assistant professor of history and director of the American Studies Program.

The recognition of retired faculty members, the formal conferring of tenure, and the formal conferring of associate professorship and professorship also will take place during convocation.

Miller to give main address
This year's principal address will be presented by Dr. Kenneth R. Miller, professor of molecular and cellular biology biochemistry at Brown University.

Miller is renowned for his research on cell membrane structure and function, resulting in more than 50 papers and reviews in scientific journals. He has coauthored four high school and college biology textbooks and is the author of Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution (HarperCollins, 1999). 
 
The recipient of five major teaching awards, Miller earlier this year was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the Exploratorium's Outstanding Educator Award.

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