The Office of Academic Enhancement recently announced that UM student Miles Kenney-Lazar was awarded a Fulbright grant for geography study in Laos. In August, Kenney-Lazar will embark on a 10-month study of the socioeconomic effects of rubber growing on rural households in northern Laos. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship program in international education exchange; grants are made for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. And it’s just one of many prestigious awards and fellowship programs that can be pursued through UM’s Office of Academic Enhancement (OAE).

The office enhances the educational opportunities of students at the University by increasing awareness of external scholarship and fellowship opportunities. University faculty and staff aware of students who might be eligible for prestigious awards such as the Rhodes, Mitchell, or Jack Kent Cooke awards are asked to notify the OAE at [email protected]. Award advisors will then work to match students with appropriate award opportunities and provide individual mentoring to assist them in preparing the strongest possible application.

Among the ROTC graduates will be Cadets Gonzalez, top, and Angel, both of whom will be entering rated career fields in the U.S. Air Force.

The Air Force ROTC Detachment 155 Spring 2009 Commissioning Ceremony, presented by the College of Arts and Sciences Aerospace Studies Department, will take place on Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m. at The Rock near the Whitten University Center. Cadet Gabriel Gonzalez, a political science major, and Cadet Ashley S. Angel, an FIU geoscience and atmospheric sciences major, have completed the four-year ROTC program and will commission as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.  Both graduates will be entering rated career fields; Gonzalez will attend Pilot training at Columbus AFB  and Angel is heading for Air Battle Manager training at Tyndall Air Force Base.

In case of rain, the Commissioning Ceremony will  be held in the Whitten University Center, Flamingo Ballroom.  For additional information, call 305-284-2870.

The University of Miami’s division of Multicultural Student Affairs will host its 17th annual Senior Mwambo ceremony to honor the institution’s black graduates on Thursday, May 14 at 2  p.m. in Gusman Concert Hall on the Coral Gables Campus. Michelle A. Delancy, a founding partner with the law firm of delancyhill, P.A., in Miami will address students. Delancy focuses her practice on commercial and criminal litigation matters with extensive experience in commercial, construction, family, criminal defense, landlord/tenant, and administrative litigation. She represents a client base of small businesses/entrepreneurs, medium-sized corporations, and municipal bodies. 

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From hundreds of people joining hands for a symbolic hug of Lake Osceola to an Eco Shopping Experience where local designers displayed their eco-friendly products, the University of Miami marked Earth Day by hosting a series of events last Wednesday to raise awareness about the most pressing environmental issues.

Earth Day celebrations on the Coral Gables campus started with an Au Natural Art Show at the University Center lower lounge, where student artistic expressions about the Earth and conservation were on display. Other activities throughout the day included a showcase of the University’s “green” transportation options, a concert, and a Eco Fair where student groups and organizations gave interactive demonstrations and passed out information on eco-friendly initiatives.

Copies of the new “Green U to Go Brochure: A Pocket Guide to Reducing the Cost of Living-On Your Budget and the Environment” were distributed, and flags designed by renowned artist and alumnus Xavier Cortada were sold, with proceeds earmarked to help raise awareness about sustainability through the Reclamation Project.

The Hug the Lake event was the signature activity of the day, drawing hundreds of students, faculty, and staff members who all joined hands while encircling Lake Osceola in a demonstration of solidarity with each other and with nature. The event was organized by the student group Random Acts of Kindness.