This year's Convocation speaker will be Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande, Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Religion. She a Ph.D. from the U. of I. in 1981. Her research interests include Hinduism, languages and cultures of India, sociolinguistics, South Asian languages (Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit), Language of Religion, Asian Mythology, and Religion in Diaspora. She is the author of "Language of Religion in South Asia: Theory and Practice" forthcoming from Palgrave-MacMillan, 2011; "Sociolinguistic Dimensions of Marathi," 2003; "A Grammar of the Marathi Language" Routledge, 1997; and "The Eternal Self and the Cycle of Samsara" Ginn Press, 1990. Renowned for her commitment to undergraduate teaching, Professor Pandharipande was the recipient of a University Distinguished Teacher Scholar in 2009. In 1996 she received the William Prokasy Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, as well as the Harriet and Charles Luckman All Campus Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.