05-50
FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE
May 13, 2005
Contact: Christine A. Somosi
216-397-4663

Cleveland , OH –The Cultural Awareness Series in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) at John Carroll University has been renamed in honor of Dr. Shirley S. Seaton, who served as a pioneer architect in the development and life of the series. At the beginning of the new academic year, fall 2005, the series will be called the Dr. Shirley S. Seaton Cultural Awareness Series. The name change was announced at the annual OMA awards dinner held on April 23, 2005, which was the 13th anniversary of the founding of the Cultural Awareness Series at John Carroll.

“It is very appropriate that we were able to surprise Dr. Seaton with this special honor,” said Dr. David La Guardia, academic vice president at John Carroll University . “For many years she filled the Series with extraordinary surprises, this one is for her.”

Dr. Seaton, former associate director of OMA, took on the additional responsibilities of coordinator of the Cultural Awareness Series in 1991 and since that time, has brought prominent speakers to John Carroll University . This broad array of national and international talent included artistic performances, exhibits, plays, festivals, concerts and community conversations which fostered learning, understanding and appreciation of the unique contributions of diverse cultures.

Dr. Seaton began her tenure at John Carroll in 1989 and was appointed associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs in 1998 and provided significant leadership and expertise in that office until her retirement in 2003. She has continued to serve as a consultant to the university and its students as John Carroll's liaison for community affairs. In this capacity, Dr. Seaton has kept the university apprised of contemporary issues, ideas and personalities, especially as they relate to the Cleveland area, that merit attention in the university's academic curriculum and campus programming. She has also maintained a role in the planning of the OMA's Cultural Awareness Series.

Dr. Seaton's professional career spans 50 years and includes working with students, teachers, administrators, parents and community leaders to improve educational opportunities and experiences for all students. She has been a teacher, a principal, central office administrator, TV teacher, education consultant, college professor and author prior to her arrival at John Carroll.

Her education reflects schooling in the United States and abroad. She holds a BA and MA degree in history from Howard University ; an MA in education from Case Western Reserve University and a doctorate in education from the University of Akron . She holds a Certificate in Advanced Study in European History from the Institute Universitario Di Stude Europei, Turin , Italy and a Certificate of Chinese Studies from Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China .

Dr. Seaton is married to Lawrence Seaton and is the mother of Eric Dean Seaton, who resides in Sherman Oaks, California .

John Carroll University , located in Cleveland , Ohio , is a liberal arts university grounded in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. The university has some 3,350 plus undergraduates and just over 750 graduate students. The U.S. News & World Report's 2005 annual college guide ranks John Carroll University among the top five master's-degree-granting universities in the Midwest and first in graduation/retention rank. Originally founded as St. Ignatius College in 1886, the university was renamed in 1923 to honor America 's first Catholic bishop, John Carroll of Maryland . John Carroll is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities located in the United States .

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