An Evening With Craig Mullaney
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 2, 2012) — Tonight more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff members will gather in the Singletary Center for the Arts to hear from Craig Mullaney, the author of "The Unforgiving Minute," this year’s Common Reading Experience book selection.
"The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education" is the coming-of-age story of author Mullaney, a West Point and Ranger School graduate, a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford University and active-duty military officer who led a platoon into battle in the hills of Afghanistan. His fascinating, honest message resonates with many facets of young Americans’ lives today and led to the book being named the fourth selection in the University of Kentucky CRE program.
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“We are thrilled to have Craig Mullaney joining us on campus,” said Sarah Hermsmeier, program director for civic engagement in the Office of Student Involvement and CRE liaison for this year. “In addition to sharing his experiences with the campus community at large, he is also serving as the keynote speaker for the UK ROTC mentorship breakfast.”
Mullaney is the fourth CRE selection author to address campus in a free lecture. His lecture takes place at 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall with overflow seating available in the Recital Hall where his session will be live-streamed in by Wildcat Student Television. The event is free and open to the public and will also be streamed online via Ustream.
This year, the lecture will take a new, more interactive format than in year’s past. Mullaney will address the crowd, offering some remarks, and then will answer a series of questions provided by an on-stage student panel and provided by the audience using a Twitter hashtag. Stephen Bilas, the Student Government Association president, will moderate questions from Twitter and UK President Eli Capilouto will introduce Mullaney. A reception and book signing will follow the event.
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The University of Kentucky's Common Reading Experience is a collaborative effort between the Office of New Student and Parent Programs, the Division of Student Affairs and other campus partners designed to introduce new students to academic life at the university. The goal is two-fold: first, to bring new students together for a common reading experience and introduce them to academic discourse prior to the start of classes; and second, to engage the entire UK community in a common intellectual experience through yearlong programming.
Freshmen read a book selected for their cohort the summer before their first semester on campus. They then join a community of scholars during K Week, where they participate in small group discussions about the book with faculty, staff and upper class students. The entire UK community engages in a common academic experience throughout the school year by attending and participating in events coordinated around the book's themes, topics and issues.
All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to connect with one another through this common intellectual experience that will allow for critical reflection on the book and the collegiate experience.
Other events are scheduled around the themes brought to light through "The Unforgiving Minute;" for a complete schedule of events, visit www.uky.edu/commonreading. Connect with the CRE on Facebook and on Twitter.
MEDIA CONTACT: Katy Bennett, katy.bennett@uky.edu, (859) 257-1909