Centenary invites public to classes, student activities during presidential inauguration week
March 6, 2017
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College is opening its doors to the community during the week of March 13 as the campus prepares to celebrate the inauguration of its 31st president, Dr. Christopher L. Holoman, on Friday, March 17. The “open house” schedule incorporates academic classes, student activities, athletic practices and competitions, and rehearsals for upcoming concerts and other cultural offerings. All events are free and open to the public.
“We are looking forward to welcoming many alumni and community members ‘back to school’ as we celebrate the great future Centenary has under Dr. Holoman’s leadership,” says Saige Solomon ’05, Director of Alumni & Family Relations and Inauguration Committee Chair. “Future Ladies and Gents are also encouraged to join us on campus for a unique, inside look into life at the local treasure that is Centenary College.”
Professors in art, biology, philosophy, and religious studies are opening courses to visitors throughout the week, with topics spanning bioethics, Native American sovereignty, cell biology, and artistic representations of the Holocaust. Visitors will have a chance to observe Centenary faculty and students in action in a variety of academic settings, including a cell biology lab, a discussion-based seminar held in the College’s student center, and a site visit to Shreveport’s Martin Luther King Health Center.
Community members can drop by the Centenary tennis courts to catch the Gents and Ladies at practice as well as in an afternoon match against Louisiana College on Tuesday, March 14. The Gents baseball team takes on conference foe Schreiner at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 17, where newly-inaugurated president Holoman will throw out the first pitch to round out the official inauguration day.
The inauguration open house week also includes a full schedule of rehearsals and performances at Centenary’s Hurley School of Music and Marjorie Lyons Playhouse. The Centenary College Choir and Camerata choral ensemble will be preparing both for the inauguration celebrations and for upcoming concerts, including the Choir’s Masterworks concert at First United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 19. The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a joint production of the Hurley School and Marjorie Lyons, will be rehearsing in MLP throughout the week. Two vocal students, Travion Davis and Matthieu St. Romain, will give a senior recital at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17 in Anderson Auditorium. Alumni and community members are welcome at all events.
The Centenary Student Government Association will also be hosting its annual Centenary Appreciation Week from March 13-17, treating students to breakfast, food trucks, and even hot air balloon rides.
A full listing of open house events and inauguration day events is available at centenary.edu/inauguration. Holoman’s 2:00 p.m. inauguration ceremony on Friday, March 17 at Centenary’s Gold Dome is free and open to the public.