KING’S LIFE AND WORK TO BE COMMEMORATED ON UA CAMPUS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The University of Arkansas will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day all week, beginning Monday, January 15.

Martin Luther King Week activities will begin on the University of Arkansas campus with a MLK march at 11:15 a.m. Monday from the Walton Arts Center to the Fulbright Peace Fountain on campus. After the march, a noonday vigil will be held at the peace fountain.

Monday night at 7 p.m. the Honorable Judge Lavenski Smith of Fort Smith will be the main speaker with the theme "Finding your place in the dream by making the dream reality" at the Martin Luther King Recommitment Banquet in the Arkansas Union Ballroom. Banquet tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults and can be purchased by calling 527-3610 or 575-4019.

The lifelong Arkansan graduated from Hope High school in 1977 and earned bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1981 and 1987 respectively. He furthered his legal education with numerous continuing legal education courses and schools, including the National Judicial College.

Smith has recently been appointed to the Arkansas Public Service Commission for a six-year term commencing January 15, 2001. Smith served as an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, completing the term of retired Justice David Newbern, where he wrote dozens of opinions in a broad range of legal areas - including criminal, tort, workers' compensation, insurance, contract, civil procedure, oil and gas, tax, probate and attorney discipline. He has served as chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, where along with the two other commissioners, he regulated the state's electric, natural gas and telecommunications utility industries.

He taught business law as an adjunct professor and later as a full-time assistant professor of business law at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, and in 1990, he opened and operated the first minority-owned law firm in Springdale. His practice areas consisted primarily of civil law areas including domestic relations, probate, workers' compensation, commercial transactions, real estate and civil liberties. From 1987 to 1990, he served as a staff attorney for Ozark Legal Services representing some of the poorest citizens of this state.

Smith recently served as a member of the Arkansas Judicial Council, the Supreme Court's Client Security Fund Committee and the Supreme Court's Automation Committee. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the W. Harold Flowers Law Society and a past member of the American Inns of Court, Putman Chapter and a past Board member and mediator for the Northwest Arkansas Christian Justice Center.

Tuesday will feature a speech on "Education and Leadership: Achieving the Dream" by Freeman A. Hrabowski at 6 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development on the UA Campus. A reception will be held following his presentation.

Freeman A. Hrabowski III has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, since 1992. He joined the University in 1987, serving first as vice provost and then as executive vice president. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Hrabowski graduated at age 19 from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics. He received a master's in mathematics and a doctorate in higher education administration/statistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at age 24. He serves as a consultant for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, and universities and school systems nationally.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County has 10,500 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate students, 500 full-time faculty, an operating budget of $240 million and $64 million in external contracts and grants for research and training. Although the university was only established in 1966, it has made giant steps under the leadership of Hrabowski, particularly in the area of technological education. The school is best known for its Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, which the National Science Foundation cited as the leading producer of African-American undergraduates who go on to pursue doctorate degrees in the sciences and engineering. The school also actively promotes economic development in the Baltimore region.

Dr. Hrabowski III has achieved many goals while serving as the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, including -

. Leading producer of African American undergraduate students who go on to pursue doctorate degrees in science and engineering

. Awards more degrees in biochemistry to African Americans students than any other college in the nation

. Produces almost 40 percent of Maryland's graduates in computer science and information systems

. Placed fourth nationally, in a tie with Yale, for the number of undergraduate biochemistry degrees awarded

. In under 10 years, research dollars have grown from 10 million to 65 million

At noon Wednesday, a panel discussion will take place at the Arkansas Union Theater entitled "The Importance of Archiving Black History in Arkansas" by Michael Dabrishus, J. Harris Moore and Izola Morgan.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, four hours will be devoted to public readings at a variety of locations on campus, including the Arkansas Union, Business Administration Building, Law School, Silas Hunt Hall and the Administration Building.

The weeklong celebration will come to a close Friday at noon when the UA Inspirational Singers will present a moment of peace and harmony at the Arkansas Union mall area.

For more information about Martin Luther King Week activities, contact Karen Sanders at 575-2914, Willyerd R. Collier Sr. at 575-4019 or John L. Colbert at 527-3610.

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