Free Movies at GRU

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) – The Cinema Series at Georgia Regents University returns Thursday, Sept. 18, with Ida, a film the New York Times called "one of the finest European films (and one of most insightful films about Europe, past and present) in recent memory.”

The moving and intimate drama from acclaimed director Pawel Pawlikowski follows a young nun in 1960s Poland who makes a shocking discovery on the verge of taking her vows. It screens at 1 and 7 p.m. in The Grover T. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre on GRU’s Summerville campus.

Other upcoming Cinema Series events include a Sept. 26 screening of George Miller’s 1981 cult masterpiece The Road Warrior “as it was meant to be seen – on the big screen,” said Matthew Buzzell, Assistant Professor of Communications and co-chair of The Cinema Series at GRU.

“Film is a collaborative art form. So too is filmgoing, in my opinion. I love the communal aspect. At the theater, an audience gathers and sits in the dark. A story unfolds before them on a big screen. Together they navigate a variety of emotions,” Buzzell said. “It is a beautiful thing, and it cannot be experienced at home via your smart phone or tablet."

The Road Warrior, set in a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, tells the tale of a cynical drifter (Mel Gobson) who agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits. In his review of the film in 1981, critic Roger Ebert described The Road Warrior as “frightening, sometimes disgusting, and (if the truth be told) exhilarating. This is very skillful filmmaking… a movie like no other.”

Free admission to The Cinema Series for GRU students, faculty, and staff is made possible by the Office of Student Life and Engagement. Free admission to The Cinema Series for the general public is made possible by the generous support of the Westobou Festival.

Azziz Named Penn State Alumni Fellow

AUGUSTA, GA (PR) – Dr. Ricardo Azziz, President of Georgia Regents University and CEO of Georgia Regents Health System, is the recipient of the Penn State Alumni Fellow Award, the university’s most prestigious alumni award; and the featured speaker for the PSU College of Medicine’s Convocation and Awards ceremony Sept. 19. 

In recognition of his outstanding professional contributions as a university alumnus, he will receive a commemorative award, designed and hand cast by acclaimed sculptor and medalist Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, also an award recipient.

“I am honored to be recognized by a university that has done so much for me, my family, and countless others around the world,” Azziz said. “The knowledge I gained at Penn State has made me a better leader, clinician, and scientist, and I am grateful to have benefited from the rich history and tradition, the passion and enthusiasm, and all those who strived to create a better future.”

Azziz is a 1981 graduate of the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa.

Alumni are nominated based on their professional accomplishments and are invited to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators. Since the award was established in 1973, more than 700 PSU alumni have been honored with the title of Alumni Fellow – designated a permanent and lifelong title by the university’s Board of Trustees.

The Penn State Alumni Association is the largest alumni association (dues-paying) in the world with more than 174,000 members. Established in 1870, the association strives to connect alumni to the university and to each other, provide valuable benefits to members, and support the university’s mission of teaching, research, and service.