Vanderbilt University will host several events to mark the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. All events are free and open to the public.
The Commons Center and the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center on campus are hosting viewings of the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 20. A large screen television will be set up in The Commons Center’s dining hall. The viewing and discussion at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. For more information about the event at the Black Cultural Center, call 322-2524.
The public is also invited to join students, faculty and staff, including the Rev. James Lawson and Vanderbilt student gospel choir Voices of Praise, for a 4 p.m. service of prayer and celebration at Vanderbilt’s Benton Chapel on Inauguration Day.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. first-year students of The Commons and Vanderbilt Student Government will host a panel discussion, “Obama’s Challenge and Ours: Is 2009 another 1929?,” that will address the country’s economic challenges. The discussion will be held in the multipurpose room in The Commons Center and the panelists are Dave Goetz, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration; Metro Nashville Finance Director Rich Riebeling; Stephen Buckles, Vanderbilt professor of economics, and Chris Brummer, Vanderbilt assistant professor of law. Mark Dalhouse, Faculty Head of House for East House and director of Vanderbilt’s Office of Active Citizenship and Service, will serve as the moderator for the discussion.
Media Contact: Princine Lewis, (615) 322-NEWS
princine.lewis@vanderbilt.edu