Steven H. Kaplan inauguration set for Sept. 6

Acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni will deliver the keynote address during the inauguration of Steven H. Kaplan as the fifth chancellor of The University of Virginia's College at Wise on Friday, Sept. 6. The event begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Lawn by the Lake.

University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III and Rector John P. Ackerly will deliver remarks during the public celebration of Chancellor Kaplan's inauguration. Virginia Secretary of Education Belle Wheelan will also offer greetings.

The weekend's events will culminate with a free public concert by the Kingsport Symphony Orchestra sponsored by the Pro-Art Association. The inaugural celebration is sponsored by the University of Virginia through private funds.

The former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., Kaplan became chancellor of UVa-Wise on July 1, 2001. Kaplan, 48, succeeds L. Jay Lemons, president of UVa-Wise for eight years, who left the College in January 2001 to become president of Susquehanna University.

At Butler, Kaplan chaired the council of deans, represented all the university's colleges on its board of trustees, and chaired the university's strategy and policy team on innovation. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Kaplan served as a professor of English at Butler. He is the author of a book on American translations of the famed German poet Rainer Maria Rilke and numerous articles on American and German literature. Additionally, Kaplan is the author of a book on critically acclaimed Vietnam novelist Tim O'Brien's fiction and an anthology of international war stories.

Kaplan received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California at Los Angeles and both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the Eberhard-Karls Universitat Tubingen, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe. He also earned a diploma from Harvard University's Management Development Program.

The public is cordially invited to attend the inauguration ceremony, which begins with an academic procession at 1:30 p.m. The outdoor inaugural ceremony and reception will follow on the Lawn by the Lake.

Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes Awardee and University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, will deliver the keynote address. Her first volume of poetry, ÒBlack Feeling, Black Talk,Ó published in 1968, established Giovanni as a prominent voice against racism, inequality and injustice. The author of more than two dozen volumes of poetry, numerous articles and essays and several spoken word recordings, Giovanni has previously been named Woman of the Year by Ebony, Mademoiselle, and Ladies Home Journal magazines.

Inaugural weekend activities will culminate on Saturday, Sept. 7, with a one-hour outdoor concert presented by the Kingsport Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will perform classical works selected by Chancellor Kaplan Ð Beethoven's Overture to Goethe's Egmont, Beethoven's Symphony Number One, opus 21, and the Serenade from Mozart's Eine Klein Nachtmusik.

The concert begins at 6 p.m. on the Lawn by the Lake. Founded in 1946, the Kingsport Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional orchestra made up of more than 65 musicians from the Tri-Cities region and the surrounding area and is under the direction of Maestro Cyrus Ginwala.

Note to Media: For more information about inaugural activities or to arrange interviews, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130.

For additional information or assistance, contact the Inaugural Office at 276-376-4524 or e-mail inauguration@uvawise.edu.