The bowed and plucked notes of Vijay Gupta\u2019s violin extend far beyond vast amphitheaters and concert halls. And his audience members are not just dignitaries and donors.<\/p>\n
Gupta, one of three keynote speakers featured during University of La Verne\u2019s Winter Commencement on Jan. 31, has brought classical music to homeless shelters and prisons throughout Los Angeles County since 2011 with a nonprofit organization he co-founded called Street Symphony.<\/p>\n
Nearly 1,000 University of La Verne students have been cleared to graduate and more than 600 are expected to participate in the ceremonies at La Verne\u2019s Sports Science Athletic Pavilion.<\/p>\n
La\u00a0Verne\u2019s 2015 Winter Commencement honors undergraduate and graduate candidates from the university\u2019s main campus, including students from the Campus Accelerated Program for Adults (CAPA) and students studying at regional campuses and off-campus programs overseen by the Regional Campus Administration (RCA).<\/p>\n
Due to limited seating, attendance is restricted to people provided tickets by the graduates or university officials. Campus parking is free, but attendees are advised to arrive at least one hour prior to the scheduled start. Parking on city streets adjacent to the university is regulated and will be enforced as posted.<\/p>\n
9:30 a.m. \u2013 Dr. Barbara Nicoll, Chair of Child Development Programs at University of La Verne, has spent much of her career studying and teaching subjects related to care and education for young children. She directed the Institute for Early Childhood Education – a collaborative between La Verne, Citrus Community College and the Child Development Center at the Fairplex.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nicoll has served as professor and Chair of the University\u2019s Child Development Graduate Program. She has studied critical thinking, brain and math development and attachment, authoring numerous papers on the subjects. Dr. Nicoll has been a member of a number of organizations including the Association for the Education of Young Children, Parent Cooperative Preschools International and the National Association of Women\u2019s Studies. Retiring this year, Nicoll will be keynote speaker for the College of Education and Organizational Leadership.<\/p>\n
1 p.m. – Serving as commencement speaker during the College of Business and Public Management ceremony will be Dr. Philip Pumerantz, founding president of Western University of Health Sciences. Dr. Pumerantz has been at the helm of Western University since 1977 when it was known as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Its first class had 36 students.<\/p>\n
The institution has since grown to more than 3,700 students and has more than 11,000 alumni. Dr. Pumerantz has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1995 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Connecticut, the 1995 Dale Dodson Award for national leadership from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and the 2010 Distinguished Educator Award from the Boy Scouts of America.<\/p>\n
4:30 p.m. \u2013 Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007 at the age of 19 after completing a master\u2019s degree in music from Yale University and a bachelor\u2019s degree in biology from Marist College. He is engaged in various LA Phil educational outreach initiatives, and is a passionate advocate of bringing music to ostracized communities.<\/p>\n
In addition to performing for the homeless and jail inmates, Gupta\u2019s nonprofit, Street Symphony also performs at public events to raise awareness of mental health, incarceration and homelessness issues. The ceremony is for the College of Arts and Sciences, but will also include students from the College of Business and Public Management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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