Office of Media Relations
Phone: (318) 274-2418
Fax: (318) 274-3330
For Immediate Release: May 9, 2007
Grambling State University Alumni Willie L. Hill Jr. Scheduled
to Give Commencement Speech in the Newly Constructed Assembly Center
Grambling,
LA –Grambling State University’s Spring Class of 2007
will hold its graduation ceremony in the newly constructed Assembly Center
near the Robinson Stadium. The graduating class more than 425 undergraduate
and graduate students along with faculty, staff, administration, family
and friends will gather in the Assembly Center to listen to Dr. Willie L.
Hill Jr. speak on life lessons after graduation. In addition, Dr. Hill will
offer food for thought as well as recite Langston Hughes’ poem, “DREAM.”
Dr. Hill is the Director of the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Professor in Music Education. Upon graduation from high school, Dr. Hill left his hometown Mobile, Alabama, to attend college at Grambling State University (formerly Grambling College). As a student at Grambling, Dr. Hill pursued his dream through music education. He not only performed with the Grambling Tiger Marching Band, but he was the Head Drum Major when the band performed at the first Super Bowl half-time show (Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs).
Throughout his professional and personal life Dr. Hill has traveled the world educating, performing and promoting the arts. He has worked with performers such as Liza Minneli, Lou Rawls, Sammy Davis Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Vareen, James Moody, just to name a few. A national artist/clinician for Yamaha Musical Instrument Company, he has authored and co-authored several books such as The Instrumental History of Jazz and Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator’s Handbook and Resource Guide. In addition, he is Past-President of the 120,000 member MENC: The National Association for Music Education and Past-President of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE).
Graduation ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 20th. Graduating class of 2007 will march in at 8:00 a.m. in the Assembly Center. The anniversary graduating class of 1957 will take part in the ceremony as well.
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NOTE: Assembly Center - This outstanding
145,036 square foot health and recreational facility at Grambling State
University in north Louisiana will raise the quality of student campus
activities to another level. While seating over 7,500 for basketball games
and more for graduation ceremonies, this project enables the university
to provide a state-of-the-art coliseum where family and friends of students
can join them for special activities. Included is a banquet facility along
with educational, administrative and support spaces for the Health Recreation
& Physical Ed Department.
