Convocation Events

Virginia Intermont College Spring Convocation:

Upcoming Convocation Events

Monday, April 30, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Invisible Children Documentary: Kony 2012

The screening of this documentary is sponsored by Virginia Intermonts’ International Affairs club. Their objective is to promote global awareness throughout out the Virginia Intermont campus while making a difference in our community, country, and world. The documentary is the result of a 9 year project by Invisible Children to end Africa’s longest-running armed conflict. They hope to raise awareness regarding Joseph Kony whom they believe is the world’s worst war criminal – responsible for forcing children to participate in his war and cruelty. U.S. military advisers are currently deployed in Central Africa on a “time-limited” mission to stop Kony and disarm the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). If Kony isn’t captured this year, the window will be gone.

This event is free and open to the public. There will be merchandise available for purchase. VI students earn 1 convocation credit for attending.

All events are free unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact Will Hankins, convocation director, at (276) 466-7170 or complete this form.

Previous Convocation Events

Monday, January 16, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Ms. Brenda White Wright – Civil Rights leader and motivational speaker

Dr. Brenda White Wright, civil rights leader and motivational speaker. Presentation titled “Respect and Responsibility: Making Dr. King’s Dream Your Reality” in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

Monday, January 23, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Science Hall Lecture Room

Dr. Sue Ann Hulbert – “My Life as a Veterinarian”

Dr. Hurlbert is a 1990 graduate of North Caroline State Univeristy College of Veterinary Medicine and is the practice owner of HealthPointe Veterinary Clinic in Duncan, S.C. Her special interests include avian medicine and small animal dentistry.

Thursday, February 2, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Dr. Robert Rainwater – “Standing Room Only”

Virginia Intermont professor Dr. Robert Rainwater will address the topic of global population issues in a campus convocation event on February 2. Rainwater’s presentation, titled “Standing Room Only,” draws from his research and experience in global issues and addresses the problem of overpopulation. The event will take place in Nunn Recital Hall at 7:00 pm and is open to the public.

Originally from Shreveport, La., Rainwater graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts and from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. He has been a professor of philosophy and religious studies at VI for 31 years and has directed the Honors Program for 12 years. Rainwater has led students on various educational travel enrichment programs.

Friday, February 3, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Phil Nesmith – “The Positive Image”

Some of the earliest photographic processes produced positive images on polished copper, glass, and tin. Each image was unique– the film negative was many decades away when daguerreotypes, tintypes, and ambrotypes were all the rage. In this lecture demonstration artist Phil Nesmith gives an overview of this rich period in photographic history, as well as a discussion of the modern resurgence of interest in and use of 19th-century processes in contemporary art. While tintypes and other early photographic processes were thought by many to have died nearly a century ago, these media have had a renaissance in recent decades, including some of America’s most famous contemporary artists, from Chuck Close to Virginia artist Sally Mann. In addition to a lecture on historic processes and their modern applications, Nesmith will demonstrate the making of wet collodion tintypes, a magical process that sheds light both on the history of photography and on contemporary art. This program has been organized by the VMFA Office of Statewide Partnerships.

Thursday, February 9, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Dr. Jim Glanville – “American Indians of Holstonia: A Personal View”

Glanville discusses the Spanish period of Virginia history, explains why the Spanish were in the Holston River valleys in the 1560s, and tells what we know of the American Indian people that were encountered there.

Dr. Glanville, born in London, England, moved to the United States in 1962 to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland. Now, a retired chemistry professor, he lives in Blacksburg, Va. with his wife, Deena. He explains his background and interest in the project: “My professional career lasted from 1962-2004 and included jobs in the chemical industry and academia; I spent the last twenty years of my career at Virginia Tech. Since retiring in 2004 I have made an encore career writing and publishing extensively about the history and archeology of southwest Virginia and the region I have dubbed ‘Holstonia.’” For more information on Jim Glanville’s work, visit http://www.holstonia.net/files/JimGlanvilleInfo.pdf.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Dr. John Heil – Valentine’s Day Lecture: “Erotic Love & Platonic Love”

The topic is “Love” – the most powerful emotion in life and yet the hardest to understand. How, if at all, is physical love related to nonphysical love? Erotic love seems very different, not only from friendship and family love, but also from things like the love of reading or the love of justice. Why do we call them all “love”? That is the overarching question addressed in Plato’s “Symposium”, the first philosophical discussion of love known to us. Plato dramatizes a drinking party where each of the participants offers a speech on love. The result is a fascinating attempt to consider several different perspectives (aesthetic, scientific, moral) and develop a theory that unifies sexual desire and spiritual love. We will discuss the different speeches and their significance, and then look at the merits of Plato’s theory.

Joining the VI faculty in 2011, Dr. John Heil has developed a new program in Classics. He previously taught at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas for 13 years. Heil obtained his Ph.D. at University of Texas-Austin, and a B.A. from Emory & Henry. He has published articles, translations, and essays in ancient philosophy. His foremost interest is the classical Greek world and the thinking of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Saturday, February 18, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

The Paramount Chamber Players present “Winter Journey”

The Paramount Chamber Players will present “Winter Journey” featuring the great Piano Quartet in C minor, op. 45, by Gabriel Faure; and, ancient music by Gottfried Finger, Music for the Humors of the Age, another unusual opportunity to hear a rarely-heard historically significant work.

The Paramount Players are a premiere chamber music ensemble in the Tri-Cities, dedicated to “promoting artistic excellence, providing performance opportunity for local chamber artists in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, sharing chamber music with local audiences, and ensuring that chamber music is a vital part of life in our communities.” Ticket prices: $12 for General Admission and $10 for Senior Citizens. This event is Free to VI Faculty, Staff and Students.

Monday, February 20, 2012 – EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

David Browning performs “From Gettysburg to Mayberry”

Monday, February 27, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Ofer Wolberger – Photography exhibition with lecture and artist’s reception

New York based artist Ofer Wolberger will exhibit in the Anne Worrell Fine Arts Center from Feb. 27-Mar. 22 an extensive collection of imagery from his creation of loosely related photographic book projects. Opening the exhibit on Feb. 27, Wolberger will speak about his works, with a reception to follow.

Wolberger’s award-winning photographs have been collected and exhibited internationally with recent exhibits in Canada, Sweden, Germany, England and France. In 2010, Wolberger began an ambitious project of creating a series of 12 self-published artist’s books, varying from uniquely subtle and mysterious to poetic and beautiful. Each book typically revolves around a specific subject or theme.

Wolberger received a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography and related media from The School of Visual Arts in New York in 2001. He is the recipient of The Humble Arts Foundation’s Spring 2008 Grant for Emerging Photographers and was a finalist for both the BMW Paris Photo Prize in 2008, as well as the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie in 2009. This year Wolberger was a finalist in The Royal Monceau Photography Competition in Paris.

Thursday, March 1, 2012 – 7:00 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Maurice Manning – poetry reading and discussion.

Maurice Manning was born and raised in Kentucky, and often writes about the land and culture of his home. He was inspired by the lives of his grandmothers, great grandmothers, and a great-great-grandmother, and he grew up listening to stories of his father’s childhood spent on a farm in Eastern Kentucky.

A recipient of Yale Younger Poets Award in 2000 and Fellow of the Fine Arts Works Center in Provincetown, Manning is the author of three collections of poetry: Lawrence Booth’s Book of Vision (Yale University Press), A Companion to Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman.%c (Harcourt), and Bucolics (Harcourt). Maurice Manning’s poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Southern Review, Shenandoah, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many other journals and magazines. W.S. Merwin, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry (1971 and 2009) and United States Poet Laureate (2010-2011), praised Manning’s poetry for its “unfaltering audacity equaled by its content; the achievement of a fresh and brilliant talent.”

Much of Maurice Manning’s poetry echoes the early history of Appalachia. A Companion to Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman.%c is a fictive poetic memoir or autobiography in the voice of Daniel Bone, and Bucolics is an ironic appropriation of the classical tradition of pastoral poetry in the form of a series of metaphysical conversations between an unnamed, possibly illiterate, farmer, or field hand, and someone he calls “Boss.”

Friday, April 13, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. Nunn Recital Hall

Virginia Intermont Choir Concert

The Virginia Intermont Choir will perform in the Nunn Rectial Hall. VI students earn 1 convocation credit for attending.

Sunday, April 15, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Tournées Festival French Film: Hadewijch

As part of the Tournées Festival which brings new French Films to campus, we will be screening Hadewijch. Judy Lenviel from Abingdon High School and Kimberly Toby from Tennessee High School will present a pre-film discussion at 2:00 p.m. followed by the screening at 2:45 p.m.

Bruno Dumont’s exceptional film about faith and religious fervor begins as devout 20-year-old Céline is expelled from a nunnery, the mother superior—who calls her a “caricature of a nun”—disapproving of her selfstarvation and self-mortification. Returned to the secular world, this tooardent believer, we discover, is the child of a French cabinet minister and lives in a palatial Paris apartment. Our heroine soon meets Yassine, a rebellious Arab teenager from the banlieue who introduces her to the pleasure of stealing mopeds. But it is Yassine’s older brother, Nassir, who most intrigues Céline; recognizing her religious seriousness, Nassir invites her to the Koran discussion group he leads. Although she doesn’t convert to Islam, Céline becomes fascinated by Nassir’s intense theological debates and his support of jihad. Dumont’s powerful film, which takes its title from the name of a 13th-century poet, Hadewijch of Antwerp, profoundly (yet calmly) explores the relentless pursuit of faith in both Christianity and Islam—and what drives certain believers to acts of extreme violence.

We encourage high school students, college students, faculty, staff, and the public to attend this event. Tickets are available at the door: Free for Students (with ID), $3 for Academic Faculty & Staff (with ID), and $5 for General Admission. VI students earn 2 convocation credits for attending both the pre-film discussion and the film.

Sunday, April 15, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Tournées Festival French Film: Deux De La Vague (Two in the Wave)

As part of the Tournées Festival which brings new French Films to campus, we will be screening Deux De La Vague (Two in the Wave). Dr. Mark Robert, Provost, will present a pre-film discussion at 6:00 p.m. followed by the screening at 6:45 p.m.

The “two” in the title are François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard; the “wave” is the French New Wave, of which both men are the most renowned creators. Emmanuel Laurent’s fascinating documentary traces the friendship of these two legendary auteurs, who met in the movie-clubs of Paris and would later become colleagues in the 1950s as writers for Cahiers du Cinéma. Assembling a wonderful array of archival material (film clips, newspaper articles, interview footage), Laurent focuses on the great triumphs both men had with their debut features: Truffaut in 1959 with The 400 Blows, Godard in 1960 with Breathless—works that forever changed the history of cinema. Though they had very different backgrounds (Truffaut came from an unhappy working-class family, Godard from a distinguished Franco-Swiss clan), both men maintained a close, supportive friendship throughout most of the 1960s. Their tragic split began in the final years of that decade, as Godard’s films became more and more politicized; their ties were severed irrevocably in 1973 after Godard wrote a cruel letter to Truffaut attacking his film Day for Night. Laurent’s documentary is essential viewing for all those who wish to know more about these two invaluable mavericks.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Tournées Festival French Film: Entre Les Murs (The Class)

As part of the Tournées Festival which brings new French Films to campus, we will be screening Entre Les Murs (The Class). Dr. Brenda G’Fellers will present a pre-film discussion at 2:00 p.m. followed by the screening at 2:45 p.m.

The winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes was Laurent Cantet’s unsparing, unsentimental film about a teacher and his students at a diverse Parisian junior high school. In an unusual example of art imitating life, the film was based on the best-selling book by real-life teacher François Bégaudeau, who also wrote the screenplay and stars in the movie as himself. Working with a cast of non-professional actors, Cantet filmed his “class” for over a year; the result is a hybrid documentary/narrative work that is wholly convincing. The Class is alive with spirited performances; viewers are also treated to a privileged perspective on discussions between teachers and parents, as well as among the teachers in their private meetings and amongst themselves. The Class raises deep, disturbing questions about the motives and prospects of its characters. As François attempts to teach the French language to his multi-ethnic students, many of whom hail from former colonized countries, he offers both the opportunity and the threat of modern cultural assimilation. No one is above reproach in this difficult and important new film, which is sure to spark spirited and thoughtful debate among viewers in post-film discussions.

Thursday, April 19 – Sunday, April 22, 2012 – Thursday – Saturday, April 19 – 21, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 22 at 2:30 p.m. Trayer Theatre

“Lysistrata Wears Prada” Theatre Production

The play, written by theatre professor Bonny Gable, is an adaptation of the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, by Aristophanes, in which the women of Athens go on a sex strike in order to entice their husbands to end the Peloponnesian war. This modern adaptation follows a similar plot but with a contemporary futuristic approach. The action is set in the high fashion world with Lysistrata as owner/senior editor of an haute couture magazine. Note: This production contains adult themes and language. Ticket prices: $10 for Adults, $8 for Senior Citizens, and $5 for Students. VI students earn 1 convocation credit for attending.

Friday, April 20, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Tournées Festival French Film: L’Affaire Farewell (Farewell)

As part of the Tournées Festival which brings new French Films to campus, we will be screening L’Affaire Farewell (Farewell). Randy Smith will present a pre-film discussion at 2:00 p.m. followed by the screening at 2:45 p.m.

Christian Carion’s nail-biting espionage drama is based on little-known true events from the early 1980s that helped bring down the Soviet Union. In a neat bit of casting, the two leads of Farewell are played by prominent European filmmakers. Emir Kusturica (the Serbian director of 1995’s Underground) is Sergei Grigoriev, a KGB colonel who has become completely disillusioned with Communism under Brezhnev; he leaks highly classified documents to a French spy, Pierre (Guillaume Canet, an actordirector best known for helming 2006’s Tell No One). This top-secret information makes it way to the head of French intelligence, the CIA, and President Reagan. Beyond the Cold War international intrigue, Farewell is also a compelling study of the domestic lives of secret agents. Sergei, based on the real-life Vladimir Vetrov, constantly clashes with his teenage son, Igor, who’s obsessed with Queen and the music of other forbidden “decadent” Western pop artists. Igor has no clue that his father hates Brezhnev as much as he does—or that Sergei is undertaking his traitorous activities in the hopes that his son will have a better life.

Saturday, April 21, 2012 – 2:30 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Dr. Bill Bass: The Forensic Examination of the Big Bopper

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass returns to Virginia Intermont College Saturday, April 21 as part of VI Alumni Weekend festivities. Dr. Bass, widely considered the world’s foremost expert in forensic anthropology, will give a presentation on “The Forensic Examination of the Big Bopper,” at 2:30 p.m. in Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall. The event is free and open to the public. VI students earn 1 convocation credit for attending.

Sunday, April 22, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. Harrison-Jones Memorial Hall

Tournées Festival French Film: Des Dieux Et Des Hommes (Of Gods and Men)

As part of the Tournées Festival which brings new French Films to campus, we will be screening Des Dieux Et Des Hommes (Of Gods and Men). A pre-film discussion will begin at 2:00 p.m. followed by the screening at 2:45 p.m.

Xavier Beauvois’s sublime tale of faith and doubt is based on a real incident from 1996 that still reverberates in France. Eight French Trappist monks settle in an impoverished village in Algeria, offering medical assistance and gaining the locals’ trust by taking part in Muslim traditions. Life, in many ways, is idyllic for the Catholic brothers as they tend to their honeybees and exalt God’s glory; led by the abbot, they are frequently seen chanting and praying. This harmony is disrupted by the arrival of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), fundamentalist terrorists who demand that the monks leave, a request that is soon seconded by the Algerian military. Not wanting to abandon the destitute citizens who’ve come to rely on them, the brothers take a vote, ultimately deciding to stay—a resolution that seems even more perilous after Croatian volunteers are killed by the GIA. As the film leads up to the monks’ inevitable doom, Beauvois considers the intransigence of religious belief: both for his white-robed martyrs and their brutal captors.

Monday, April 23, 2012 – Starting at 6:30 a.m. in the Quad

Earth Day Celebration

Greet the Sunrise will occur on the side of Science Hall next to the gym from 6:30-7:30 a.m. The Farmer’s Market vendors and booths will be set up in the Quad from 2-5 p.m. and later in the evening (7-8 p.m.) there will be an Open Mic event in the Student Center stage area.

This event is sponsored by the Poetry Club, International Affairs Club and Intermont Green Club. VI students earn 1 convocation credit for attending the “Greet the Sunrise” portion of the Earth Day Celebration, no credit is earned for attending other events during the day.

The Tournées Festival was made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the French Ministry of Culture (CNC), The Florence Gould Foundation, the Grand Marnier Foundation and Highbrow Entertainment.