Dean of Students to Deliver King Birthday Keynote
The ninth annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast will be held Monday, Jan. 21, in the J. Frank Raley Great Room of St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Campus Center. A full breakfast ($8.75 at door) will be served, starting at 6 a.m. and the program begins at 8 a.m. Early arrival is recommended as space is limited; advanced registration is not required. For more information, contact Arminta Stanfield at 240-895-3073 or [email protected]. Details about the event are also available online at www.smcm.edu/calendar.
The keynote speaker will be Roberto N. Ifill, St. Mary’s College dean of students. Ifill has held numerous administrative appointments, among them chief diversity officer at Macalester College, and has worked extensively with students for over 20 years. Throughout his career, he has devised and implemented plans to promote multiculturalism, led conflict resolution efforts, coordinated diversity efforts in faculty hiring, and led strategic planning initiatives.
A writer and musician, Ifill has sung professionally in various ensembles and is a past member of the Yale Glee Club Associates Board. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Yale University, and an A.B. from Dartmouth College.
This year’s program will also feature performances by the Greenview Knolls Elementary School choir and the Spring Ridge Middle School Rhythm Club. The invocation will be offered by Rev. Roderick McClanahan of First Missionary Baptist Church.
After the program, starting at 10 a.m., attendees will have the opportunity to view a live stream of the presidential inauguration at the college’s Cole Cinema, Campus Center.
Last year’s breakfast drew approximately 300 attendees, including local government officials, religious leaders, business persons and community members. Past keynote speakers have included Congressman Steny Hoyer; John W. Franklin, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; the Honorable Walter Fauntroy; and Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.
Source: St. Mary’s College of Maryland
