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It’s one of the greatest thrills a musician can experience. Stephen Futrell, an associate professor and chair in the Department of Music, has been invited to conduct a concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall next summer – and he wants to take ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ students with him to participate in the performance.

Gortney, who is commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, spoke with reporters by phone on Sunday, April 12, following the dramatic rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips whose ship, the Maersk Alabama, was stormed last week by pirates 350 miles off Somalia.

Connie Renda, a 2003 music theatre alumna, was among six finalists in the "Great American Duet Sing-Off" competition sponsored by Prairie Home Companion, a nationally syndicated public radio program. Renda and her duet partner Elizabeth Brown were featured in a live broadcast April 11.

Chelsea Detrick, a 2007 ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ graduate, died April 9 after a long battle with an aggressive form of cancer. She had been living in the Seattle, Wash., area and was being cared for by her father, Glenn Detrick, who has taught classes in ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's Love School of Business.

Hundreds of mourners paid tribute April 7 to the life of Edgar Eugene Gooch III, a professor of chemistry remembered for the grace and gentleness that served as “a hallmark for all his interactions.” Gooch died last week when a passing car hit his bicycle on University Drive north of campus.

Anderson Cooper doesn't think his work will necessarily change the world, but for the acclaimed CNN and CBS journalist, that isn't the point. His value, he says, is in "bearing witness to what's going on." Cooper visited ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ on April 7 with a trip that culminated in a special afternoon lecture to 2,400 people in Alumni Gym.

Join ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ President Leo M. Lambert and President Julianne Malveaux of Bennett College for Women at 6:30 tonight in the LaRose Digital Theatre for "The State of the University: Forging Connections Amidst the Challenges in Higher Education."