MTSU will celebrate its 100-year-long story as it welcomes Dave Isay, author of Listening is an Act of Love, and the community to the annual University Convocation on Sunday, Aug. 28.

Dave Isay

The author’s 2 p.m. address at Murphy Center will help mark the beginning of the 2011-12 academic year at MTSU, when Convocation welcomes new students into the MTSU learning community. Faculty march in their regalia to dramatic compositions performed by the MTSU Band of Blue, and the traditions and rituals of the University are explained to the newest members of the MTSU family.

Isay’s national bestseller, MTSU’s 2011 Summer Reading Selection, is the book version of the United States’ largest oral-history project. It features two- to three-page transcripts culled from more than 10,000 interviews captured by Isay’s StoryCorps organization.

The book was suggested because of MTSU’s Centennial, said Dr. Laurie Witherow of the University College, who coordinates the annual reading project.

“This book opens [students’] eyes to the fact that every person does have a story, that every person is dealing with something,” Witherow said. “It is a particularly important time to start thinking about what is your story and what do you have to tell?”

MTSU’s Summer Reading Program, now in its 10th year, aims to provide a unifying experience for entering freshmen. They’re expected to read the book before fall classes start Aug. 27, and all University 1010 classes will discuss it. Faculty also are incorporating the book into their fall lesson plans.

Listening is an Act of Love may be purchased on campus and at area bookstores. For more information about the book and its author, visit http://storycorps.org.

University Convocation is always free and open to the public. First-year students are expected to attend; their families and members of the MTSU and surrounding communities are welcome, too.

Call 615-898-2454 for more information.

— Gina E. Fann, gfann@ mtsu.edu