2022-2023 Lakeland Convocation Events

Below is a list of upcoming convocation credit-giving events. For a full list of events, see the calendar of events.

All events are in the Bradley Theatre unless noted.

September 2022

• 8 – Opening Convocation, 11 a.m.
  • Two-time Lakeland graduate Joe O'Brien, the dean of students and head football coach at Sheboygan North High School, will provide some words of wisdom as we celebrate the start of the academic year.
    
• 15 – Constitution Day Lecture, 11 a.m.
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky will deliver this year's address: "Hope and Resiliency in Turbulent Times."
• 23 – Bradley Gallery Reception: Visiting artist Norbert Marszalek, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Norbert Marszalek lives, works and was born in Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and has also studied at the American Academy of Art and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His paintings, works on paper and sculpture have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States.

October 2022

• 6 – LUforREAL: Orthodox Judaism Traditions, 6:30 p.m. - Campus Center Event Space
  • This LUforREAL event will focus on the traditions of Orthodox Judaism. Rabbi Wesley Kalmar serves at Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah (ASKT), an Orthodox synagogue in Glendale, Wis. Jessica Kalmar, Ph.D., is married to Rabbi Kalmar, and is assistant professor of psychology at Lakeland. The Kalmars have presented at Ulrich Center events in the past. A question and answer session will follow their presentation. The Kalmars will help others become more aware of religious diversity and expression and help others gain respect for a different faith.
• 7 – The Life of a Lasting American in America, 11 a.m. - Campus Center Event Space
  • Latinx Heritage Week will include guest speaker Heather Montes Ireland, Ph.D., assistant professor of Women's & Gender Studies at DePaul University. More details.
• 18 – Fall Choir & Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m.
  • The music department opens its concert series with a performance by our talented students. The concert will feature the debut of the choir under new director Wilhelmina Nelmes Vogtle.
• 20 – Mission House Lecture, 11 a.m.
  • Diana Ventura, Ph.D., and she will be speaking on the topic of intellectual disabilities.

November 2022

• 3 – Great Lakes Writers' Festival, 11 a.m.
  • Featured writers Anna Harris-Parker and Tony Woodlief will read selections from their work during the convocation portion of this annual festival.Learn more at greatlakeswritersfestival.org.
• 18 - 20 – Fall Play: "Tiny, Beautiful Things"
  • The story follows the relationships between an anonymous advice columnist named Sugar and the many real-life readers who pour out their hearts to her. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on November 18 and 19 and 2 p.m. on November 20.
• 22 – Music Department Student Recital, 11 a.m.
  • Featuring solo performances by Lakeland students in applied lessons for voice, piano, wind and string instruments.
• 29 – Humanities & Fine Arts Colloquium, 11:15 a.m.(Younger Family Campus Center Event Space)
  
  • Successful Lakeland graduates who majored in programs in Lakeland's Humanities and Fine Arts School return to their alma mater to share their stories and helpful tips for current students.

December 2022

• 1 – Business and Entrepreneurship Colloquium, 11:15 a.m.
  • Successful Lakeland graduates who majored in programs in Lakeland's business majors return to their alma mater to share their stories and helpful tips for current students.
• 2 – Science, Technology and Education Colloquium, 11:15 a.m.
  • Successful Lakeland graduates who majored in programs in the sciences, computer science and education return to their alma mater to share their stories and helpful tips for current students.
• 3 – Christmas at Lakeland, 7 p.m.
  • Get in the Christmas mood with this annual concert of sacred and secular music by Lakeland's music ensembles.

February 2023

• 16 – Founder's Day Lecture, 6:30 p.m.
  • Marty Thau, the son of a Holocaust survivor, comes to Lakeland through Milwaukee's Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust and Education Resource Center. His father was a Holocaust survivor, and he will tell his father's story while educating not only about the Holocaust, but the importance of fighting antisemitism.
• 25 – Essence of Heritage, 7 p.m.
  • Lakeland's annual Black History Month celebration is always one of the most popular events of the year.
• 28 – Spread The Word: Inclusion with athletes and self-advocates from Special Olympics, 1 - 2 p.m. (Laun 209/DVB)
  
  • Students will hear from a panel of self-advocates and athletes from the Special Olympics who have all participated in a postsecondary program and will speak about their experiences in classrooms and on campus as individuals with disabilities.
  • They'll share what they need from you, their peers, to be successful on campus and provide insight and information about what being a person with a disability on a college campus looks and feels like.
  • Self-advocates and athletes from Special Olympics Wisconsin are individuals with disabilities who have competed in athletics through the Special Olympics and are now providing educational, informational and training opportunities for their communities.
  • The first 100 participants will receive a Spread the Word: Inclusion t-shirt!

March 2023

• 4 – Winter Band and Choir Concert, 3 p.m.
  • The next performance in the music department's concert series. This performance is the finale of the LU Symphonic Band 2023 tour and features both the band and choir in a variety of sacred and secular works
• 5 – Voice recital: LU junior Evan Vorpahl, 3 p.m., Bradley Theatre
• 22 – Spring ethics convocation, 6 p.m., Campus Center Event Space
  
  • The event will showcase the experiences that four speakers have about domestic violence and we will open up to questions and deeper understanding of topics. Nationally, many students accept relationships that are harmful to them. This event can help students see their worth and value.
  • The speakers will reflect on our respect for others with the understanding that we all come from different backgrounds with different pasts. We also will urge students to have community commitment and to have a better understanding of what to do if you or someone else needs help.
  • Speakers will include an advocate from Safe Harbor, a nurse, a domestic violence survivor and a trauma informed care expert.
    
• 26 – Trip to Illinois Holocaust Museum and Resource Center, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
  • This is a trip to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Resource Center in Skokie, Ill., open to students that will also include staff, faculty and the greater community. Students will not be charged to attend this trip. A limited number of seats are available, so those interested should sign up as soon as possible by emailing Bonnie Ziegler at zieglerbl@lakeland.edu. The bus will leave campus at 8 a.m. and return at approximately 5:30 p.m. The cost of meals and the ticket for the center will be covered for students who attend. Lakeland's Ulrich Center is collaborating with the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education and Resource Center as part of our spring programming which focuses on antisemitism. The trip is a chance for students to see what the Holocaust was about. The interactive hologram Q&A exhibit will allow students to ask Holocaust survivors questions. This will be a powerful and meaningful experience. It is a great way for students to see the inhumane effects of social injustice.
  • View more details about this event
• 28 – Pride Week Lecture: "Finding Joy while Fighting for Our Rights", 11:15 a.m., Campus Center Event Space
  • The LGBTQ+ Community is seeing an increase in attacks from elected officials at all levels of government – from school boards to state legislatures and higher. We will discuss how to fight back against these attacks. We will also talk about how we can still find joy - and the importance of finding joy - even in the face of constant attacks on our community.
  • Wendy Strout, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Wisconsin state director and 1994 Lakeland graduate, will help students see the importance of respecting others. She will discuss treating people with fairness, compassion and civility and how to value differing backgrounds, cultures and viewpoints.
  • HRC is the country's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Prior to joining HRC, Strout was the Wisconsin Field Director for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). She is also the former executive director for Emerge Wisconsin, which trains Democratic women to run for office.
• 31 – Bradley Gallery Reception: Annual Art and Design Student Exhibit, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Students enrolled in Lakeland's myriad of art courses show off their best works at this annual show. Find out who won this year's awards.
• March 31-April 2 – Spring Musical: Mission Haus to the Stars: A Space Rock Opera, March 31 and April 1, 7:30 p.m., April 2, 2 p.m.
  • Mission Haus to the Stars is a musical production by Lakeland history professor Rick Dodgson that tells the story of Apollo Neumann and Walter Ego—the heroes of the piece—who win a futuristic game show and get blasted into space to seek out adventures and new worlds.

April 2023

• March 31-April 2 – Spring Musical: Mission Haus to the Stars: A Space Rock Opera, March 31 and April 1, 7:30 p.m., April 2, 2 p.m.
  • Mission Haus to the Stars is a musical production by Lakeland history professor Rick Dodgson that tells the story of Apollo Neumann and Walter Ego—the heroes of the piece—who win a futuristic game show and get blasted into space to seek out adventures and new worlds.
• 12 – Disability Sensitive Training with RCS Empowers,11 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Campus Center Event Space)
  
  • RCS Empowers, a Sheboygan nonprofit agency that provides an array of services to children and adults with disabilities, will set up a variety of booths and tables. Each table will focus on a different disability and will provide student the opportunity to take the perspective a person with that disability and will provide training and information for LU students that they might engage and interact and provide accommodations for individuals experiencing those challenges.
  • Students may drop-in at any time to visit the tables and will need to visit a certain number to obtain convocation credit. There will also be a brief presentation at 11 a.m., 11:30, 12 p.m. and 12:30 by RCS staff members.
  • RCS provides programs in birth to three, day services, after-hours special events and Employment Services which can include job exploration, preparation, placement and job coaching
• 15 – International Night, 7:30 p.m.
  • This annual celebration features LU students from all over the globe spotlighting their native customs and traditions in a fun, fascinating show.
• 18 – Music Department Student Recital, 7:30 p.m.
  • Featuring solo performances by Lakeland students in applied lessons for voice, piano, wind and string instruments.
• 19 – Undergraduate Research Symposium, 9:30 a.m.
• 22 – Trombone recital: LU senior Tyler Burk, 1 p.m., Bradley Theatre
• 23 – Voice recital: LU senior Bennett Josephs, 3 p.m., Bradley Theatre
  
• 25 – Lakeland Spring Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
  • The next offering in the LU music department concert series and the final performance of the season for the Symphonic Band. This program will include recognition of end-of-year student awards and will also feature the premiere of a new work by composer Giovanni Santos.
• 29 – Lakeland Spring Choir and Orchestra Concert, 3 p.m.
  • The LU music department wraps up its concert series with performances by the choir and orchestra.