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Hartsville, S.C. — Coker College is celebrating the “Coker Experience” from Monday, March 22 to Friday, March 26 with a variety of campus events while marking the inauguration of its 16th president. All events are free and open to the public.

Highlights of the week include student and faculty research presentations, a Fulbright Scholars panel, a performing arts showcase, and guest speaker Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva. The week culminates with the investiture ceremony of college president Dr. Robert Wyatt at 10 a.m. on March 26 in the Courtyard at Davidson Hall. The inauguration theme is Redefining Ready.

Full details of Coker’s Inauguration Week are available at www.coker.edu/inauguration or by calling 843.383.8058 or 843.383.8018.

On March 22 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library Information Technology Center, Coker students will give presentations on a variety of research topics. Each presentation is about 20-minutes long. Topics range from gene research and medieval literature to judicial federalism and animal behavior. Students will also present posters that discuss their research. These posters and others detailing student community service will be on display throughout the week in the library.

Two Coker graduates return to campus on March 23 to discuss their experiences as Fulbright Scholars in Southeast Asia. Maggie Meyer, class of 2008, spent a year in Malaysia and Matthew Ferguson, class of 2007, spent a year in Indonesia. This panel discussion begins at 11 a.m. in the C.W. Coker Auditorium in Davidson Hall.

Coker College professors will discuss their research on March 24 starting at 12 p.m. in various locations around campus. There will be 14 presentations from 18 professors throughout the day, covering issues in art, business, chemistry, film, geology, Hispanic studies, history, mathematics, media, molecular biology, and social work.

At 7:30 p.m. on March 24 in the Watson Theater, the Department of Dance, Music and Theater is presenting a performing arts showcase. Students, alumni, faculty, and staff will give performances in theater and musical theater, dance, chorus and piano. A reception will follow in the Stein Gallery of the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center.

“Kiva: Changing Lives One Loan at a Time” is guest speaker Jessica Jackley’s topic on March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Watson Theater. Kiva is the pioneering Internet-based microfinance organization that is combating poverty in the developing world. Jackley is the college’s 2010 Lois Walters Coker Lecturer.

Coker College’s Inauguration Week ends on March 26 with the investiture ceremony of President Wyatt starting at 10 a.m. in the Courtyard at Davidson Hall. The formal ceremony will include state senator Gerald Malloy, Hartsville mayor Mel Pennington, other dignitaries, and representatives from other colleges and universities. Open to the public, it will be followed by a luncheon in the Susanne G. Linville Dining Hall.

Founded in 1908, Coker College is an independent, comprehensive college with a liberal arts core required of all students. Coker provides quality educational experiences in and out of the classroom that prepare graduates for professional and personal success.

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March 18, 2010

For more information, contact James Jolly, director of marketing and communications, 843.383.8018