he University is preparing to commemorate the generosity of its biggest benefactor. During a daylong celebration on Friday, September 24, the School of Education will formally become the Neag School of Education in honor of UConn alumnus Ray Neag '56, who recently donated $21 million to the school.

"We have a great deal to celebrate," says Richard Schwab, dean of the school. "Ray Neag's generous gift is helping us make great strides toward achieving our goal of becoming one of the top 10 schools of education in the country. The effects of his generosity will be felt, not only in the classrooms of the Neag School of Education, but in the classrooms of Connecticut and the nation for generations to come."

The event kicks off at 9 a.m. with a symposium on "The National Media and Education." A panel of award-winning education journalists will discuss what drives media coverage of major issues in education. The panelists include: Ethan Bronner from the New York Times, Tamara Henry from USA Today, Claudio Sanchez from National Public Radio, and Kate Zernike from the Boston Globe. David Imig, president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, will moderate.

The formal naming ceremony begins at 11 a.m. Jonathan Kozol, an award-winning author and advocate for disadvantaged children and public education, will be the keynote speaker.

Kozol, a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, gave up writing in the early 1960's to become a substitute teacher in Roxbury, Mass., in one of the poorest inner city schools in the country. But Kozol's experience in the classroom inspired him to pick up his pen again and turn it into a weapon against social injustice and against segregated and poorly funded schools. It's a battle he's waged with 10 books during the past 30 years. His most notable works include: Death at an Early Age, Savage Inequalities, and Amazing Grace.

Children Placed at Risk will be the focus of the afternoon symposium. Schwab will serve as moderator, as the group discusses education research and practice and their implications in the 21st century. The participants include: Kozol; Joseph Renzulli, Neag professor of gifted education and talent development; Lee McLean, professor of educational psychology and director of the A.J. Pappanikou Center on Disability Studies; Jaci VanHeest, assistant professor of kinesiology; Xaé Alicia Reyes, associate professor of curriculum and instruction; and Reginald Mayo, superintendent of New Haven public schools.

Hundreds of school superintendents and principals are among the guests invited to attend the event. All members of the UConn community also are invited.

Janice Palmer