What: Seton Hill University will celebrate the beginning of the new academic year with a Welcoming Liturgy, followed by a campus-wide book discussion of “This I Believe.”

When: Thursday, September 10, 2009

Schedule:

11 a.m. - Welcoming Liturgy, Saint Joseph Chapel

Noon – 1 p.m. – 60 book discussion groups of around 10 participants each will meet in classrooms, lounges, and outdoor spaces throughout Seton Hill’s campus, including Seton Hill’s Administration Building, Bayley Hall, Maura Hall, Sullivan Hall, Saint Joseph Hall, Reeves Library, Canevin Hall, Administration Building Porches, and Courtyard.

1:15 – 2 p.m. – Panel presentation and full group discussion in Cecilian Hall.

Who: Seton Hill students, faculty, and staff.

Background: Every summer, incoming Seton Hill first year and transfer students receive a complimentary copy of a novel or nonfiction work, chosen by Seton Hill’s Summer Reading Committee on the caliber of its writing, relevance to contemporary issues, and the interest of the community in its topic. The book is also provided to Seton Hill faculty, staff and upperclassmen who wish to take part in group book discussions with the freshman class at the beginning of the fall semester. This year, the Seton Hill community read “This I Believe,” which highlights 60 essays from the successful National Public Radio program, “This I Believe,” produced by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison.

“The summer reading allows new students to join with upperclassmen, faculty and staff in an intellectual discussion while it emphasizes the importance of reading and critical thinking,” says provost and dean of the faculty Mary Ann Gawelek, Ed.D. Seton Hill launched the Summer Reading Project in 1998, she continues, as a “tangible, academic way to invite students into the educational process.”