Getting to know each other and learning about other beliefs is essential to peace among people and nations, asserts Souad T. Ali, associate professor of Arabic literature and Middle East/Islamic studies at Arizona State University.

Particularly now, in the wake of the massacre of 12 people in the office of a French satirical newspaper, and four others in a Jewish market in Paris by Islamist extremists, interfaith dialogue is crucial, said Ali, who is also the director of Arabic Studies in the School of International Letters and Cultures. Download Full Image

Following her own dictates, Ali welcomes opportunities to speak at interfaith events, and, several weeks before the recent incidents in France, addressed dialogues sponsored by the Foundation for Intercultural Dialogue in Tempe and the First Baptist Church of Scottsdale.

"Indeed, my conviction is that it is through education and genuine interfaith dialogue that we can build cross-cultural and multicultural understanding between all religions and cultures.

"Conversely, focusing on differences and disagreements is quite unhelpful and has mostly led to conflict and violence. Respecting those differences as we focus on the parallels, coupled with education, will help foster a culture of peace," said Ali.

A progressively moderate Muslim who grew up in Khartoum, Sudan and lived and studied in London and Frankfurt, Ali is outspoken on what she sees as distortions of Islam – that Muslims can compel others to follow their religion; that "mockery" of the Prophet Muhammed must be avenged with violence; that drawing likenesses of the prophet prompts violence and death at the hand of extremists.

The assertion that no one can be compelled to follow Islam is “a basic Qur'anic concept,” explained Ali. “[The Qur’an] says that religion can only be embraced willingly, and it becomes meaningless if imposed by force or any other means.

"The Qur'an is also clear in instructing the Prophet Muhammad to ignore those who mock him … Thus, those who take the law in their own hands work directly against such peaceful means of the religion.”

As far as cartoons or representations of Muhammed go, Ali said it is a matter of respect to avoid picturing him, not a forbidden activity in any text.

She stresses that the name of the religion itself means "peace." "The word Islam stems from the Arabic root 'silm,' meaning peace.

“I have always emphasized the important point that Muslims themselves need to address the distortion and misinterpretation of the religion by radicals and extremists,” Ali added. “Equally important, media outlets need to seek out moderate Muslims to emphasize peaceful aspects of Islam … [T]he violence, extremism and terrorism projected by a small outspoken minority of Muslims should and can be defeated by fostering education about these basically peaceful concepts and teachings of Islam."

Ali hopes that ASU's new Council for Arabic and Islamic Studies, of which she is the founder and chair, will help promote understanding between those of different faiths, cultures and countries.

Its mission statement reads: "The council’s research and teaching programs seek to promote multiculturalism, diversity, interfaith dialogue, cross-cultural understanding and the expansion of human civilization and cultures through Arabic, as well as other Middle-Eastern languages, including Persian and Turkish."

The council also will "seek to develop constructive academic and cultural interaction and partnerships within ASU and between ASU and similar groups in the Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim Worlds."

For the spring 2015 semester, Ali is a visiting professor at the American University of Kuwait. She will teach and conduct research for one of her current projects, a book on Kuwaiti women in leadership positions.

She is also working on translating Egyptian scholar Abdel Raziq's 1925 book "Islam and the Foundations of Governance" from Arabic into English, and writing a book on modern perspectives on gender issues in Islam.

Ali has already published a book about Abd al-Raziq's book, "Religion, Not A State: Ali ‘Abd al-Raziq’s Islamic Justification of Political Secularism." In 2014, her second book, "The Road to the Two Sudans," an edited volume with three American professors, was published.

Western women are independent, tenacious, come from strong pioneer stock and make great leaders. That was the consensus reached by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Girl Scouts USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez, who are considered by many historians as Arizona “firsts.”

The two women participated in “Women of the West,” which kicked off a three-year national discussion of “What it Means to be An American.” The event was hosted by the Smithsonian and Arizona State University’s Zócalo Public Square ideas project, a multiplatform, multimedia conversation that brings together thinkers, leaders, public figures and Americans from all walks of life to explore layered questions about how our nation’s past can help us understand its present and imagine its future. Download Full Image

“’What it Means to be an American’ starts with the idea that Americans aren’t talking enough and there’s a huge divide along our ideological lines,” said Gregory Rodriguez, director of ASU Zócalo Public Square ideas exchange. “We need to talk about something more than just politics and gear the conversation toward our culture and what it means to be an American.”

O’Connor and Chávez spoke in front of a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 people at Phoenix’s Heard Museum on Jan. 14. The two spoke with Sacramento Bee publisher Cheryl Dell, who served as a moderator, about their respective pasts, blazing paths as Arizona “firsts,” and what the future looks like for women in America.

While historically the West has been mostly associated with men, it has also been a place where women have flourished and taken the lead on suffrage issues, divorce statutes and the election of women to higher offices. While O’Connor and Chávez were born decades apart, they agreed that growing up in the West helped shape who they are and how they think.

“I cannot imagine having grown up any place else except the Southwest,” said the 84-year-old O’Connor, who grew up near Duncan, Arizona, on a cattle ranch called the Lazy B, close to the Arizona-New Mexico border. The ranch was homesteaded by her grandfather in 1880 and eventually passed along to her father, Harry Alfred Day.

Sensing limited educational opportunities for her daughter, O’Conner’s mother, Ada Mae Day, had the future U.S. Supreme Court Justice move in with her parents in El Paso, Texas. There, she attended the Radford School for Girls, a private school. It was at Radford where O’Connor was introduced to a powerful female role model: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

“We all had to put on our best dresses and get up at the crack of dawn. She pulled up in this long, black limousine,” O’Connor said. “She was very gracious, but serious. She was wonderful actually, and I came away impressed.”

Chávez also grew up on a farm, but in Eloy, Arizona, sandwiched between two rough-and-tumble brothers. Through a friend she discovered the Girl Scouts and was introduced to strong female role models and environmental issues. At the age of 12, she decided she was going to become an attorney so she could change the world and protect it for others.

“Coming from rural Arizona, you have to make your own way,” Chávez said, who lives in New York, where Girl Scouts USA is headquartered. “When you’re raised on a farm, you are taught that no job is too small. Nothing is beneath you. We’re all equal.”

O’Connor and Chávez say they both strove for equality throughout their lives but found many roadblocks. Education, they say, lifted those roadblocks and paved the path. Both chose the law.

“Education was the thing that drove opportunity in those days,” O’Connor said, who graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952, but was rejected by more than 40 law firms before securing employment as a deputy county attorney in San Mateo, California.

O’Connor steadily rose through the ranks after serving terms as Arizona Assistant General; Arizona State Senate; Maricopa County Superior Court and the Arizona State Court of Appeals. In 1981 she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she served until July 2005.

Chávez credits her parents, relatives, teachers and the Girl Scouts for giving her the confidence to do anything she wanted, and realized later on that others had been “blocking and tackling” for her to get her bachelor's degree from Yale University.

“Once I got to Yale, I started becoming the first ... the first of a lot of things, and realized my path was different,” Chávez said. “You say, ‘Okay, you’ve gotten this far so you’d better bring people with you.’ As people opened doors for me, I’ve been kicking down doors for others.”

It wasn’t just women who kicked down doors for O’Connor and Chávez. Both readily agreed that men played a vital role in their development, including their husbands.

“My husband had to move when I went off to Washington. I gave him a choice and he didn’t have to take it. But he’s a smart man,” O’Connor said, which drew gales of laughter. “Without their [male] support, I wouldn’t have gotten very far.”

Chávez said African-American men and women were especially helpful to her, who spent years pushing educational and work equality issues through the system. She said her first job out of law school was as legal counsel to the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, D.C., and later as an attorney adviser in the Office of the Counsel to the President under Bill Clinton. She returned to Arizona in 2003 to serve the first of two female governors as Deputy Chief of Staff for Urban Relations and Community Development under then-Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Both women say that while life has improved for women overall, there are still barriers and a strong need for female role models. Chávez said only 7 percent of all philanthropic endeavors go to girls' and womens' causes.

“Today people invest more in animal causes than they do in women,” Chávez said. “I love animals, I had a cat. I would venture to say that the first female U.S. President will be a Girl Scout. My concern is building a pipeline and investing in girls.”

Mary Frances Berry, former chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, has been named the 2015 John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions at Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University.

As such, Berry will deliver the 2015 John J. Rhodes Lecture in Public Policy, titled “Achieving Justice & Opportunity in the 21st Century: Now is the Time.” The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb. 25 at the Galvin Playhouse on the ASU Tempe campus. Download Full Image

Admission is free and open to the public, however, tickets are required. For tickets and information visit barretthonors.asu.edu/event/2015-rhodes-lecture.

For over four decades, Berry has been one of the most recognized and respected voices in our nation’s civil rights, gender equity and social justice movements. While serving as chairperson of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, she led the charge for equal rights and liberties for all Americans over the course of four presidential administrations.

During her tenure as chairperson, the commission issued a number of significant reports, including those focusing on the 2000 Florida presidential elections, police practices in New York City, environmental justice, percentage plans and affirmative action, church burnings and conditions on Indian reservations.

She is the author of several books, including "Power of Words: The Stories behind Barack Obama’s Speeches, from the State House to the White House"; "And Justice for All: The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Continuing Struggle for Freedom in America"; and "My Face is Black is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations."

A trailblazer for women and African Americans alike, she was the first woman to head a major research university, serving as chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She currently is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of History at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She holds doctorate and jruis doctorate degrees from University of Michigan.

The John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions in Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University celebrates the public service career of one of Arizona’s and the nation’s most distinguished leaders, Congressman John J. Rhodes. The Rhodes Chair delivers the Rhodes Lecture and is dedicated to deepening theoretical and practical understanding of the many voices and forces that influence public policy. The chair honors the values of personal integrity, fiscal responsibility, respect for persons and international farsightedness exemplified in the Hon. John J. Rhodes’ career.

Nearly one year ago, approximately 20 residents of the Navajo Nation’s Black Mesa Chapter gathered at their chapter house with community leaders and a small group of Arizona State University faculty and students. Some of the residents had traveled long distances to participate.

“The roads are our main concern,” said one elderly woman. Download Full Image

“Eighty to 90 percent of our homes need repair,” expressed another community member.

As they spoke, an ASU student, herself a member of the Navajo Nation, took notes on large pads of paper. Later, the student transcribed the discussion into the Navajo language, so it could be read by all members of the community.

This was a “visioning session” – one element of a 2-year collaborative project between the Navajo Nation’s central government and ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.

ASU-Navajo Nation collaboration

In 1998, the Navajo government passed the Local Governance Act, a piece of legislation that for the first time gave significant governing authority to the nation’s local jurisdictions, called chapters.

A key provision of the act was to allow the chapters to administer and manage the lands within their jurisdictions, and produce community land use plans. This was an innovation – a first effort among U.S. Native governments to decentralize their planning efforts while still linking planning to the central tribal government.

In 2012, ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning received a contract to evaluate this new planning approach, and after two years of work a final report was distributed in December 2014.

“This was the first effort to systematically assess land use planning in the Navajo Nation,” explained David Pijawka, professor of planning and principal investigator for the ASU project. “An important aspect of the project was to bring Navajo students into the planning process." 

Pijawka's research team consisted of six Navajo students, along with one non-Navajo graduate student.

To date, 97 of the nation’s 110 chapters have developed “Community Based Land Use Plans” that have been approved by the Navajo central government. Pijawka’s team was charged with evaluating the existing plans and the process used to develop them and, especially critical, to consider whether the plans have been effective in improving conditions for Navajo communities.

The 1998 legislation mandates that each chapter update its land use plans every 5 years, involving the local community in the process. A key goal for the ASU study was to identify existing problems and barriers to effective planning to facilitate improvements as updates are initiated.

The evaluation

The ASU team took a multifaceted approach to evaluating the chapter land use plans. They obtained and analyzed land use and development plans from non-Navajo American Indian communities across the country. They conducted an in-depth review of 22 of the 97 approved plans, including samples of very rural and more urban chapters.

During the period of the study, two chapters were in the process of organizing to update their land use plans – Chinle and Black Mesa. The study team worked closely with each of the two chapters’ leadership as they developed planning elements for the updates. As well as adding input into the process, the experience helped the team learn about challenges faced.

In addition, the team conducted focus groups with officials and staff from 10 chapters and all five of the Navajo nation’s agencies (regional groupings of chapters). Finally, they conducted in-depth interviews with governmental officials from chapters and governmental departments to learn about planning processes and planning needs.

Recommendations

Based on what they learned from the national analysis, plan review, pilot studies with Chinle and Black Mesa, focus groups and interviews, the team made several key recommendations. They proposed strategies for educating chapter community members about the planning process and for developing visioning and community engagement opportunities like the session at Black Mesa. They recommended several types of visioning approaches.

In addition, the team felt that the mapping capabilities of GIS – geographic information systems – offer valuable tools for both local and national planning. Many of the current chapter land use plans identify the importance of environmental and cultural resources. GIS can be used to inventory these resources and integrate them into community plans. GIS technology can also help with identifying suitable locations for development and protection.

Next steps

With the report just delivered to Navajo Nation officials, a proposal is already in the works for a follow-up project. The officials have requested that ASU planners develop a short, concise handbook that will provide a guide that chapters can use as they begin their community land use plan updates.

In addition, the central government has moved ahead to improve expertise in planning by hiring 16 planners who will be stationed at administrative support centers throughout the nation.

The enthusiasm for ASU’s work may be best illustrated by a comment made at one of the visioning sessions by an elderly resident: “Thank you for bringing our children back home to improve our lives.”

Note: Report co-authors were James Gardner, who completed a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning; professor David Pijawka; and Eric Trevan, a doctoral student in community resources and development. Five other ASU students participated in the project: Shaina Begay and Seneca House, who have now completed bachelors’ degrees in urban and environmental planning; Monique Reveles, an undergraduate in the School of Sustainability; Alesha Sloan, who completed a bachelor’s degree and in urban and environmental planning and is in her final semester of a master’s degree in the same field; and Chandler Willie, a designer and graduate student in the Herberger Institute.

The School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning is an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Arizona State University will host the 30th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast at 7 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 22, at the Memorial Union on ASU's Tempe campus. This invitation-only event will honor a community member and students who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in our community. The cast of "Motown" is excited to join the festivities to honor these individuals who are committed to creating a compassionate and socially just community.

Community leader Art Hamilton will be honored with the Servant-Leadership Award. Hamilton is the founder of the firm The Art Hamilton Group, LLC. Prior to the founding of the firm in 2008, Hamilton served 26 years in the Arizona House of Representatives. A groundbreaker and a leader, Hamilton was the first African-American and only Arizonan to be elected president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Hamilton also led the NCSL task force to re-write state policies on how state governments deal with families and individuals wrestling with problems of the developmentally disabled. Download Full Image

The recipient of the Student Servant-Leadership award is ASU graduate student Rivka Rocchio, a community-based theater artist focused on theater as a means of cross-cultural communication. Currently in her second year of ASU's Theatre for Youth master's program, Rocchio continues to work throughout Arizona with people who are incarcerated and people who are homeless. Rocchio believes in creating placemaking that allows for artistic communities to flourish.

“Art and Rivka ... exemplify a dedication to our community to make it more diverse. These awards have become some of the most highly-prized, because they highlight and underscore the deep commitment and action being taken by our community to build better communities through the vision and legacy of Dr. King,” says Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, MLK Committee chair and executive director of ASU Gammage.

Twenty five students were selected as winners in the MLK Children’s Contest, a poster and essay contest for K-12 students from across Arizona. This year, more than 1,400 applicants submitted work that highlighted this year’s event theme: “Why Not You."

Winners include:

• Gabriel C., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Jack S., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Moses S., Glendale, Sweetwater Elementary School
• Arella P., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Areliz G., Mesa, Franklin West Elementary School
• Aaliyah Z., Casa Grande, McCartney Ranch Elementary School
• Ashlynn K., Gilbert, Ambassador Christian Academy
• Mia D., Paradise Valley, Ingleside Middle School
• Mikaila P., Mesa, Mesa Arts Academy
• Jorge J., Laveen, Trailside Point Elementary School
• MacKinzi B., Sahuarita, University High School
• Sheshna V., Tucson, University High School
• Judy Z., Tucson, University High School
• Aubrey B., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Preston S., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Lucas H., Laveen, Vista del Sur Traditional School
• Lindsay M., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Zak B., Tucson, Mesquite Elementary School
• MacKenzie M., Mesa, Las Sendas Elementary School
• Brady M., Mesa, Franklin at Brimhall Elementary School
• Alan R., Vista del Sur Traditional School
• Bri J., Pima JR. High School
• Collette W., Scottsdale, Chaparral High School
• Larissa V., Scottsdale, Chaparral High School
• Tiana U., Tucson, Desert View High School

“Humanities is all about the description of the human soul and the life that soul lives,” says Regents' Professor David William Foster of ASU’s School of International Letters and Cultures.

Foster, professor of Spanish, and women and gender studies, believes in the importance of the humanities in higher education, and the numerous awards and accolades he has received throughout his 49-year career at ASU testify to his role as an educator and scholar in the field. Download Full Image

This academic year he adds two more honors to his trove as the 2014 recipient of both the Premio Victoria Urbano de Reconocimiento Académico (Victoria Urbano Academic Achievement Award) and the Arizona Humanities Dan Shilling Public Humanities Scholar Award.

Describing himself as a male feminist, Foster writes extensively about women and the impact gender-related issues have on society and popular Hispanic culture. His work in this area led the Asociación Internacional de Literatura y Cultura Femenina Hispánic (AILCHF, or the International Association of Hispanic Feminine Literature and Culture) to chose Foster as the first man to receive the Premio Victoria Urbano de Reconocimiento Académico in the organization’s more than 30-year history.

AILCHF aspires to increase the investigation and diffusion of cultural Hispanic productions concerning feminist studies. Foster credits his female peers during his days as a university student for heightening his interest in feminist studies: “From the day I walked into the university in 1958, with my high school diploma, to the day I walked out in 1964, with my PhD, I had one woman professor.”

Foster’s research interests focus on urban culture in Latin America, with emphasis on issues of gender construction and sexual identity, as well as Jewish culture.

Robert Joe Cutter, director of the School of International Letters and Cultures, said of Foster’s accomplishments, "David Foster is an outstanding and generous scholar and teacher whose work is known internationally. His interests are manifold, and his many lectures and publications address matters of significant cultural and civic importance."

Foster’s contributions to the humanities extend beyond academe. Arizona Humanities was launched in 1973, and he was one of the founding board members. Foster says that he feels grateful that his efforts to step outside of the classroom setting are recognized and supported by the organization. Describing himself as a public humanist, Foster has a strong commitment to serve the public and bring humanistic perspectives to public issues.

David Foster’s formidable career speaks for itself, according to Melissa Fitch, associate professor of Spanish at the University of Arizona, who nominated Foster for the Dan Shilling Award.

“He has devoted much of his career to serving the people of our state by sharing the richness of our own cultural heritage through his numerous authored, coauthored and edited books and essays on cultural production related to Arizona,” she said.

According to George Justice, dean of humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Foster’s academic and personal endeavors have an impact that resonates at ASU: “David William Foster has been one of the leading humanists at ASU, and, indeed, a national leader in the study of Latin American literature and culture.”

“One of the amazing things about David,” Justice said, “is his complete generosity with students and community members. He is internationally famous, but locally engaged. These recent recognitions highlight both parts of his scholarly genius and public impact. We are very proud of David Foster at ASU.”

Having come to ASU in 1965, Foster is one of the longest-serving professors at the university, and his prolific academic career continues to influence students like Spanish doctoral candidate Patrick Ridge, who commented that developing a relationship with a professor like Foster is invaluable because “he not only cares about his students, he goes out of his way for them.”

Foster considers his academic career a vocation dedicated to further expanding the importance and practice of humanist studies.

“Our society is shaped by culture, our society lives culture,” he said. “Culture is the substance of the daily life of society. The language we speak, the values we hold and the interests we have.”

The School of International Letters and Cultures is an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Written by Monica Mancillas, communications student assistant

A tradition at Arizona State University’s West campus that dates back to 1991 will continue at 11 a.m, Jan. 21, as Charles St. Clair re-enacts Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech. The public is invited to attend this free event on the campus at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. Visitor parking on campus costs $2 per hour.

St. Clair, a faculty member in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, will deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech as part of the West campus’s annual March on West event. Approximately 500 local middle-school students will gather at the campus’ Paley Gates to reenact the 1963 March on Washington, which provided the setting for King’s speech. Download Full Image

“It’s an honor to share this unforgettable speech with a group of young people,” St. Clair said. “You never know who will be inspired to do great things by hearing Dr. King’s powerful message of harmony among all people.”

Sixth- through eighth-graders from local elementary and middle schools will arrive on the West campus in the morning and participate in educational sessions focusing on the civil rights movement during the 1960s. They will then meet at the Paley Gates to reenact a civil rights march, ending in the Kiva courtyard of the Sands Classroom Building, where St. Clair will deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech.

Students from Valley high schools also will participate. The march will be led by the drum corps from Independence High School, and the vocal ensemble from Moon Valley High School will perform during the program.

St. Clair, an Emmy Award-winning actor and director, has served as an ASU faculty member since 1990. He is a recipient of the Promoting Inclusiveness Award from the city of Glendale, Arizona. Active in the entertainment industry locally and nationally, as a director and lighting designer for stage productions including “Race,” “A House with No Walls,” “August in April,” “The Colored Museum” and “Topdog/Underdog,” St. Clair has also appeared in numerous films and television commercials.

At the West campus, St. Clair teaches classes in acting, directing and technical production for the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies in ASU’s New College.

For more information about the March on West, call (602) 543-5300 or email westevents@asu.edu. The event is presented by the MLK Events Committee on the West campus in collaboration with the Committee for Campus Inclusion.

Information about MLK events and activities on all ASU campuses may be found at asu.edu/mlk.

United States Representative Ed Pastor received the University Medal of Excellence, considered one of Arizona State University’s most prestigious honors, from President Michael Crow at the fall undergraduate commencement today at Wells Fargo Arena.

The medal was established in 2006 by Crow to honor innovative leaders who have worked to advance awareness and action on issues that affect the well-being and positive development of their communities, and whose leadership has helped ASU in its effort to define excellence and inclusion and serves as a model to others for positive community impact. It’s a description that fits Pastor well, according to Crow. Download Full Image

“Arizona State University is proud to present Rep. Pastor with the University Medal of Excellence in recognition of his dedicated leadership, the scope and meaningful impact of his life’s work, and his committed service to strengthening our nation, the state of Arizona and ASU,” Crow said.

Having learned firsthand the power of education to change lives and societies, Pastor has advocated over his 23 years in Congress and 39 years in public service tirelessly in support of educational opportunity nationally and in the state of Arizona. With his assistance, ASU’s research budget increased from $145 million in 2003 to $405 million in 2013. Further, he helped give ASU, one of the top Hispanic-friendly universities in the nation, a national voice as a university with a focus on Hispanic students. He spoke similarly on behalf of students and children who are Navajo in heritage. With his help, the ASU Indian Legal Program was established in the Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law.

His efforts have fostered continual financial assistance programs like Pell grants, work-study opportunities and federally subsidized loans that are critical in access to higher education for many students, especially for underserved and underrepresented groups.

Civically, he has focused similar efforts for underrepresented groups, cultural preservation and sustainable living. A champion of energy research at the Southwest Center of Environmental Research, he encouraged support from the Environmental Protection Agency. Pastor also secured millions of dollars in funding for the Central Phoenix/East Valley light rail project, which interlinks the ASU Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses while reducing the cities’ carbon footprint.

Born in 1943 in the small mining community of Claypool, Arizona, Pastor is the son of a miner and the oldest of three children. He was the first in his family to attend and graduate from college.

Pastor graduated from ASU in the early 1960s with a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry and started his career as an educator at Phoenix’s North High. His career transitioned when he took a job with Guadalupe Organization, Inc., a community-based nonprofit. His work there with students, families and seniors motivated his enrollment in what is now the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, where he earned his juris doctorate degree in 1974. That same year, he joined the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, where he served three terms before resigning in 1991 to run for the Congressional seat vacated by the late Mo Udall. His subsequent victory made him the first elected Hispanic member of Congress from Arizona, and he became the senior member of the state’s delegation. He also became a powerful member of the House Appropriations Committee and a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, serving as chair for his 1995 to 1996 term.

Pastor will retire from his post on Jan. 3, 2015, the end of his current term.

For more information on ASU’s fall 2014 commencement and convocation ceremonies, visit https://graduation.asu.edu/ceremonies/fall.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz recently visited Arizona State University to meet with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students, and explore Department of Energy research projects at the university.

Moniz discussed energy and technology programs that the department supports at the university, and the importance of engaging youth and minorities in STEM education. Download Full Image

“Arizona State is among the leaders in innovation in energy technology,” Moniz said. “In the last decade, the Department of Energy has awarded Arizona State almost $100 million dollars in energy technology grants.”

Driving research that produces new energy technologies is an important aspect of the future, as is encouraging students to pursue studies in careers that focus on STEM fields.

“As we look forward, we need a good pipeline of STEM-based talent,” Moniz added.

During a tour of research projects at ASU, Moniz was able to witness groundbreaking endeavors, such as the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, which advances carbon management technologies that can capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air. The center addresses the root cause of climate change by recapturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through affordable air capture technology.

Additional research projects explored on the tour included Zero Mass Labs, a new research organization affiliated with ASU, whose projects focus on economic, environmental and social impact. One of the projects developed in Zero Mass Labs includes high-performance batteries that will serve simultaneously as energy storage and structural supports, while changing the shape of energy storage.

Photovoltaic installations and research information was also presented during the secretary’s tour. ASU is advancing solar energy through innovative research projects and in the operation of its numerous solar installations across all fours of its campuses.

As part of his visit, more than 20 American Indian students and students studying topics connected to Native lands presented their STEM-related research to Secretary Moniz.

“We are thrilled to have more than 2,400 students representing a variety of Native nations at ASU. This number has almost doubled in the past 10 years, which is aligned with the New American University mission to provide access to all qualified students focused on blending indigenous ideas with modern technology and innovation, such as the birth of the modern canal system, drawing inspiration from the Hohokam,” said Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan, senior vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development at ASU.

“We are also thrilled that the Secretary of Energy had an opportunity to visit and experience the superior quality ideas, entrepreneurial spirit and the commitment to societal impact of our faculty and students. We are grateful for over $100 million of investments in energy-related research projects that result in meaningful solutions,” he added.

A sampling of student projects included Lynette Pollari’s project, Dine Cultural Sustainability Through Settlement Form, which examines residential subdivision development within the sacred landscape of the Navajo people, with shrinking cultural terrain from thousands of acres per extended family to less than half an acre per family today, leaving little room for planting or grazing.

Pollari, a Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts doctoral student, proposes a solution through the development of principles for a Navajo-driven residential zoning code that will address indigenous planning issues of cultural space, place, activity, extended family living, economy, ceremony and seasonal change.

Courtney Betoney, who is majoring in mechanical systems at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, presented her research on CAREER: Engineering Design Across Navajo Culture, Community, and Society, which demonstrates how Navajo students and professionals experience, understand and apply engineering design in the context of their culture, community and society. This understanding then informs her design of engineering curricula that teaches Navajo culture and engineering in a holistic way. The curricula will be piloted in Navajo Nation middle school science classrooms.

Chrissy Foster, a doctoral student in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, is addressing a need for educational innovations in engineering curricula to support Native American students in their development as innovators and creative thinkers within engineering, strengthened by their cultural background to support community development through engineering design.

Her dissertation explores innovative practices of Native American engineers and technical professionals, including problems that are solved, design approaches and how culture informs the work. The study seeks perspectives and experiences of Native American leaders within the engineering field to better understand innovative practices being applied to engineering, and how culture informs the practices, thereby showing its richness, depth and complexity.

Sri Harsha Kolli and Kaene Antonio, students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, presented a poster on research on a solar-wind-battery hybrid system and a reliability check of systems installed in remote locations of the Navajo Nation in comparison to the weather data at the same location. A major focus of the research is to educate young people living on the reservation about the system and encourage them to focus on STEM majors.

“Having Secretary Moniz visit ASU and engage with American Indian students on campus is an honor. It also allows ASU to present the high-level work of its Indigenous students. As an institution, we recognize that the future of tribal nations is rooted in energy and its engagement in particular places,” said Bryan Brayboy, Borderlands Professor of Indigenous Education and Justice in the School of Social Transformation at ASU.

Eduardo Pagan grew up in Mesa, Arizona, on the “wrong side of the canal” in an environment where many of his friends entertained visions of sports stardom rather than school, and career aspirations usually consisted of landing a job to cover bills.

Not having any designs on the academic side of life himself, Pagan instead dreamed of playing football for Frank Kush’s team at Sun Devil Stadium as he listened to games on a transistor radio with his father on their home’s front porch. Download Full Image

“I never made it,” said Pagan, Arizona State University vice provost and associate professor in the Office of Academic Excellence and Inclusion. “You have to have talent when it comes to sports.”

After his dreams of playing football for ASU were “horribly dashed,” Pagan stayed connected to the university through his mother, who worked as an administrative assistant at the university. Visiting campus was an opportunity for Pagan to wander ASU, a “mystifying place that was like Oz to me.”

Pagan’s mother always emphasized the value of education in her children’s lives, even if Eduardo was in a “stumbling-through-life” stage during his early years. After attending community college, he transferred to ASU, where he decided to major in business with dreams of a Wall Street future.

“I had no aptitude for accounting, so l dropped out of school,” he said. “I really studied hard and just could not do it.”

Marriage and having a child brought a stiff dose of reality to Pagan’s life, as did a word of advice from a co-worker at a local bank who told him that he needed a college degree if he hoped to progress in his career.

That advice drove Pagan once again to ASU, where he discovered a love of history after his adviser noticed a trend in liberal arts elective classes he had taken in the past.

“I realized that I belonged in the liberal arts. I came back to ASU on probation, and history resonated to my core. It fascinated me. I could not get enough of it, and I poured myself into it. I ended up on the Dean’s List,” he said.

Taking a class with associate professor Lynn Stoner in Latin American history inspired an idea to become a university professor. After being accepted to the University of Arizona, he earned his master’s degree in Latin American history.

“I had a huge sense of inferiority that I couldn’t cut it because of my first two years of college. I felt tremendously embarrassed by that,” he said.

Pagan did cut it, and went on to earn his doctorate through the Rockefeller Foundation’s Project 2000 that allowed him to apply to 10 graduate programs. He made it into Princeton University, earned his doctoral degree in U.S. history and landed his first job at Williams College in Massachusetts. However, frigid east-coast winters proved too much of an “alien environment” for a native desert dweller.

But it was there he began working with first-generation students, a practice he continues to this day at ASU, where he eventually returned after a department chair position became available in what was then the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

“I see myself in these students. Many of them are balancing family, and many are returning students,” he said. “When I was a student, I found it empowering to hear the stories of my professors. When you feel like an outsider, it’s good to hear someone telling you to stick with it. If I can do it, they can do it.”

That’s why ASU President Michael Crow’s vision of providing access to academically qualified students and being judged not by who the university excludes but who it includes resonates with Pagan.

“The vision of access is a very personal commitment that I have. It’s beyond thrilling to be working at an institution that also has that commitment and working with a president who believes this,” Pagan said.

Pagan’s firsthand experience of having a chance at higher education reflects his drive to see other non-traditional students succeed, as well as inspires him to instill a love of learning in his own children.

“Education is transformative. It is fundamental and it is one of the most important things that you will do in life. It is an investment in yourself,” he said.

It’s also a reason to work hard for the success of first-generation and non-traditional students, and to continue his own lifelong path in teaching and learning the subject he loves.

“When you find a topic that ignites your curiosity, you want to learn more. That’s what I found in history. I’m deeply committed to helping students who may be from a non-traditional background to find their inspiration in learning and realize they can do it,” he said.