Actor-activist Hill Harper to deliver Dillard address

A week of exciting events will culminate when the Dillard University Class of 2012 processes down the Avenue of the Oaks for commencement on Saturday, May 5 at 8:00 a.m.

Actor Hill Harper, a star of “CSI: NY” for the past eight seasons, will give the commencement address. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Harper has appeared in numerous TV shows and featurefilms, and authored four books, including Letters to a Young Brother, The Conversation: How Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships, and The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place. He has won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series three times for his portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on “CSI: NY.” In 2006, he created the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a non-profit that works with at-risk teens across the country.

Hill Harper

Dillard will host Alumni Reunion 2012 from May 3-6. Reunion 2012 will spotlight class years ending in two and seven, with a special nod to the Golden Class of 1962 and the Silver Class of 1987, but all alumni are encouraged to participate. Highlights will include the Alumni Authors Showcase, the Reunion Banquet and Dance, the Southern Style Picnic, and more. Live music will be a staple throughout the reunion, with performances by the Franklin IV Band, BRW, and others. For a complete schedule of Alumni Reunion events, or to register, visit dillard.edu or call (504) 816-4182.

Chicago soul group the Chi-Lites will headline Dillard’s Sixth Annual Pre-Commencement Concert on the Avenue of the Oaks on Thursday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m. The Dillard University Concert Choir will open the show. All proceeds will benefit Dillard student scholarships. For tickets, visit dillard.edu or call (504) 816-4669.

Dillard will host its Baccalaureate Service on the Avenue of the Oaks on Friday, May 4, at 6:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, a Professor of Homiletics at the Candler School of Theology and the director of Black Church Studies at Emory University, will give the baccalaureate address. Dr. Brown has written numerous books and essays on faith and spirituality in the African-American community.

The Class of 2012 will celebrate its achievements throughout Senior Week, which begins on Saturday, April 28, and culminates with commencement exercises on Saturday, May 5. Senior Week activities will include a crawfish boil and barbecue on the lakefront, lunch at the president’s residence, an awards banquet, the nurses’ pinning ceremony, a luau party, a day trip to Pensacola, Fl., and more. For a complete schedule of Senior Week activities, visit www.dillard.edu.

A complete schedule of Public Events that will take place during Commencement Week 2012 follows:

• Thursday, May 3
8:00 p.m. The Chi-Lites: Pre-Commencement Concert on the Avenue of the Oaks

• Friday, May 4
8:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m. Alumni Reunion 2012 Registration in Kearny Hall

6:00 p.m.—7:15 p.m. Baccalaureate Services on the Avenue of the Oaks

• Saturday, May 5
8:00 a.m. — 10:00 a.m. Commencement 2012 on the Avenue of the Oaks.

This article was originally published in the April 16, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper