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Soweto Gospel Choir to perform at Virginia Tech
The Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir will perform at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Co-sponsored by Virginia Tech’s Black Cultural Center, the performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
Soweto Gospel Choir has shared the stage and collaborated with some of the biggest names in contemporary music, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, U2, Diana Ross, Peter Gabriel, Chris Martin, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, Jimmy Cliff, Ben Harper, Angélique Kidjo, Robert Plant, Celine Dion, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hugh Masekela, and Josh Groban.
This performance is supported in part by a gift from Clem and Georgia Carter and David and Judie Reemsnyder.
Tickets for the performance are $20-$45 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center’s box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Paid parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Virginia Tech has also partnered with ParkMobile to provide a convenient, contactless electronic payment option for parking, which may be used at any parking meter, campus parking space, or lot with standard F/S, C/G, or R parking.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
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Radford names winter commencement speaker
Radford University will hold winter commencement with two ceremonies at the Dedmon Center, 101 University Dr., on Dec. 9 and 10. The ceremonies include students from Radford main campus and Radford University Carilion.
The hooding ceremony for students receiving graduate degrees is at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 9. The ceremony for students earning undergraduate degrees is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 10.
Nicole Robinson, a 2002 alumna of Radford University, is the invited guest speaker for both ceremonies. Robinson is the president of Ursa Space Systems, a leading satellite intelligence and data analytics provider leveraging a global virtual constellation of satellites. In her role, she is responsible for accelerating the company’s growth globally while optimizing operations.
Prior to joining Ursa Space, Robinson was the senior vice president of global government for SES, the largest commercial satellite operator in the world. As the youngest vice president in the history of the company, she was responsible for the company’s global business portfolio of government customers in the areas of defense, security, humanitarian, federal, civilian and institutional organizations.
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Students in Central Virginia Electric Cooperative territory eligible for scholarships
Any high school or home school senior graduating in the spring of 2023, and whose primary residence is served by Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, is eligible to apply for a scholarship that may be applied to a two- or four-year college or trade school. The open date for applications is January 30, 2023, while the application deadline is April 3, 2023. Award recipients will be notified no later than June 1, 2023. The online application and additional information can be found at vmdaec.com/scholarship.
Central Virginia serves 14 localities, mostly from Greene and Orange counties south to Prince Edward County and west to Goochland County. Scholarships are awarded by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives’ (VMDAEC) Education Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation’s board of directors will select recipients based on these weighted criteria: financial need at 40 percent, academic achievement at 40 percent and personal statement at 20 percent. An applicant must be entering his or her first semester at a post-secondary or technical/trade school in the fall of 2023. Scholarship funds, which will be sent directly to the educational institution, must be used toward tuition, student fees, room and board, or textbooks.
Since 2001, the VMDAEC’s Education Scholarship Foundation has provided approximately 998 scholarships to graduating high school students totaling more than $900,000. The scholarships are named in honor of Roberta I. Harlowe and Worth M. Hudson. Hudson was the Foundation’s first chairman and former chairman of the board of directors of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative in Chase City, Virginia. Roberta Harlowe currently serves as the Vice Chair of the CVEC Board of Directors and has previously served as chair of the VMDAEC scholarship fund. The number of scholarships awarded each year is based on the funds available.
For more information about the VMDAEC Scholarship Program, or to access the application on January 30, 2023, visit vmdaec.com/scholarship. Please email questions about donations and the application process to scholarship@vmdaec.com.
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New River professor to be published in poetry compilation
New River Community College Professor of English Ben Campbell will have two poems published in the new book “The Southern Poetry Anthology IX: Virginia,” which will be released in late November.
Campbell’s poems, “Left to Smolder” and “Soup Bean Supper,” will be featured in the work. The book is part of the Texas Review Press Southern Poetry Anthology series that will include a compilation of poems for 14 different Southern states. Campbell’s poems will appear alongside the work of other prominent American poets.
Including short stories and non-fiction works, Campbell has been published in three dozen journals over his career, with much of his writing reflecting his Appalachian upbringing.
More about his publication “Darker Still,” which includes the poem “Soup Bean Supper,” can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFkbtYORJ-A. “Darker Still” can also be found in the NRCC Library.
Campbell has taught at NRCC for 14 years and currently teaches English 111, English 112, English 241, English 242, and English 225. He has also taught creative writing and Appalachian literature courses.