Mila Saskova-Pierce, associate professor emerita in the Department of Modern Languages, will deliver the keynote address at the Czech Language Foundation 2017 Annual Recognition Banquet. The event is 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at First Lutheran Church.

The Czech language program’s celebration of its 110th year will be attended by the Czech ambassador to the United States, Hynek Kmoníček, and the Czech Consul General in Chicago, Bořek Lizec. Saskova-Pierce will be recognized as the Czech Honorary Consul designate for Nebraska.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for the silent auction. The dinner of authentic Czech cuisine will be served at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students and can be purchased by contacting Layne Pierce, president of the Czech Language Foundation, at layne.pierce@yahoo.com or 402-770-5029. The evening also includes a silent auction, a Czech buffet dinner and dessert and a musical performance.

The Czech Language Foundation is dedicated to the promotion, improvement, enhancement and maintenance of Czech language instruction at the university, and to the promotion and preservation of Czech language and culture within the state.

Through an agreement negotiated by the Czech Language Foundation with the Ministry of Education in the Czech Republic, a professor is provided from the Czech Republic. The current professor is Hana Waisserova. Three years of language and a minor are offered.

Proceeds from the banquet support the foundation’s efforts to recruit students and scholarship donors. Each student at Nebraska who takes one of the six Czech classes receives a $300 scholarship applied to class tuition.