Photo: Matt Kelly

David Gies

September 28, 2004 -- David T. Gies, Commonwealth Professor of Spanish at the University of Virginia, will deliver the Fall Convocation address on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. in University Hall.

Gies, a former chairman of the department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, was the 2000 recipient of U.Va.’s highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award, which has been given annually since 1955. It recognizes a member of the University community who exemplifies the ideals of the University’s founder through character, work and devotion.

Gies received the University’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 1992. For two decades, he has reached out to the community far beyond his own students and classroom. He has conducted numerous educational programs for high school teachers state- and nationwide, and during his chairmanships has helped position his department as one of the most prestigious language programs in the country.

An expert on Enlightenment and Romantic Spanish literature and contemporary Spanish culture, he has published 12 books and critical editions of Spanish literature, including “The Cambridge Companion to Modern Spanish Culture (1999), “Theatre and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Spain (Cambridge, 1988)” and “The Theatre in Nineteenth-Century Spain (Cambridge, 1994; Spanish version, 1996),” which won honorable mention from Virginia’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Gies has written more than 80 articles and 100 book reviews, and has lectured at universities throughout the United States, Canada, England, Italy, Germany, France, Argentina and Spain. In 2000 he served as chairman of U.Va.’s Faculty Senate. He is currently organizing and editing the “Cambridge History of Spanish Literature.”

Convocation Ceremonies

Fall Convocation, which officially opens U.Va.’s Family Weekend Oct. 22-24 recognizes undergraduate students for their academic excellence. Intermediate Honors will be presented to the top 20 percent of students who earned at least 60 credits of course work at U.Va. during their first two years.

Following the event, U.Va. President John T. Casteen III will host a reception for students and their families at University Hall’s North Entrance Terrace. The rain site is University Hall.

The Thomas Jefferson Award also will be presented at convocation.
Parking will be available at University Hall. For more information, visit the Fall Convocation Web site: http://www.virginia.edu/majorevents/convocation.html.