Presidential Granddaughter Mary Jean Eisenhower to Keynote Isaac Symposium
March 20, 2017
Presidential granddaughter Mary Jean Eisenhower shares her remarkable career in international peace work as Albion College’s 2017 Joseph S. Calvaruso Keynote speaker on Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in Goodrich Chapel. The College’s 28th annual two-day Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium opens Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. with the Isaac Alumni Lecture, to be given by Nick Whitney, ’00, in Towsley Lecture Hall/Norris Center 101.
Eisenhower (right) is president and chief executive officer of People to People International (PTPI), which was founded in 1956 by her grandfather, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. PTPI’s educational, humanitarian and travel activities foster cultural understanding and interaction between individuals. Eisenhower also established the PTPI Friendship Fund, which has supported the work of dozens of PTPI-affiliated organizations on six continents. Following the September 11 attacks, Eisenhower established leadership development programs focused on peace, and she has visited or established programing in more than 70 countries.
Jackson, Mich., native Whitney (right) currently serves as senior scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at Boston’s New England Aquarium and is in residence at Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ky. A shark researcher since his days at Albion College, Whitney has pioneered the use of accelerometers in gathering precise data on how wild sharks and other animals swim, tilt, roll and dive. Along with numerous academic journal articles, Whitney has written general-audience works for World Book Encyclopedia Online, and he has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Channel. He received a “Top Ten in Ten” Young Alumni Award from Albion College in 2010.
During morning and afternoon sessions on Thursday, April 20, nearly 100 students will present research papers and other scholarship during the Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium. The Symposium honors alumnus “Ike” Isaac, ’48, who served for 25 years at Albion as a coach, professor and athletic director. Isaac later taught and served as athletic director for the University of the Pacific. The Symposium was established in 1991 by Isaac’s former students and team members.
All Symposium events are free and open to the public. For further information, visit the Symposium Web site, or contact Symposium coordinator Michael VanHouten at mvanhouten@albion.edu or 517/629-0382.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR VISITORS: Beginning April 17, M-99 (Superior Street) in downtown Albion will be closed from Michigan Avenue to Ash Street for significant upgrades. Please visit our Maps, Directions, and Parking page or the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) website for more information.