As part of the Chinese mid-autumn harvest Moon Festival celebrations, Arizona State University’s Confucius Institute will host the sixth annual China Forum, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Sept. 21, in the Memorial Union Turquoise Ballroom at the Tempe campus.

Titled “Working with China in the Global Market,” the forum will facilitate a dialogue between community and business leaders, government dignitaries and the public regarding China’s increasing significance in the global economy and innovation in science and technology. Download Full Image

Deputy Consul General Sun Lushan of Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles will present the keynote address.

“The China Forum provides students and members of the community with a unique opportunity to hear firsthand from individuals directly involved with the ins-and-outs of working and investing in China,” said Joe Cutter, director of the Confucius Institute and the School of International Letters and Cultures. “This year's panel will be able to offer very interesting and useful insights into doing business in China.”

In addition to the keynote remarks, the forum will feature three presentations that will provide an insight into doing business in China. Jeff Wu, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Pactera Technology International, will present “Path to Globalization – The Pactera Story.”

“Future challenges can only be managed successfully if the largest developed country, and the largest developing country, cooperate,” said Wu. “Despite our different perspectives and beliefs on certain issues, there are many areas that are ‘win-win’ in nature. One of [these] optimal pathways is collaboration in technology innovation.”

Daniel Shum, partner, and Emily Tadano, vice president at Najafi Companies, will present “China Opportunities: Cultural Products and Media Industries.” Randal Schulhauser, senior product development manager at Medtronic, Inc., will present “Medtronic in China – A Short History and What’s Next.”

“Medtronic has been involved in business in China for 25 years. What we have learned is that it's a very dynamic market where its needs are huge, so are the challenges," said Schulhauser. "Adapting to fast-pace change, different and complex rules, getting closer to customers, including physicians and patients, will be the keys to succeed in China.”

A luncheon for dignitaries and speakers will precede the forum. Greg Stanton, mayor of the City of Phoenix, will partake in the luncheon. The festival celebrations will also feature paintings and images from award-winners of the poster design, and photo contests held by the Confucius Institute that day. An exhibit titled “Beautiful Arizona” will showcase a collection of Arizona photos of local photographers.

Cutter said that the forum is directly relevant to Chinese language students at ASU.

“At ASU, a wide range of majors and programs in the Chinese language serve the needs of our students. Some of our students are interested in becoming academics with expertise in areas such as Chinese linguistics or Chinese literature and culture,” he said. “Some students simply wish to learn the language or intend to use it in their future careers. The Chinese Language Flagship, in particular, is geared to training global professionals in a variety of fields, including technology and business. The forum provides an insight into the practical application of learning imbibed in the classroom.”

The forum is free and open to the public, but registration is required due to limited seating. Please RSVP here: http://confuciusinstitute.asu.edu/portal/chinaforum2014.

The ASU Confucius Institute, the School of International Letters and Cultures, and the United Chinese Association of Arizona are sponsoring the China Forum in collaboration with the ASU W. P. Carey Global Education, ASU Chinese Flagship Program, Global Chamber, and the ASU Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

Eric Deggans, one of the nation’s top television critics, will give a free public lecture at Arizona State University this fall on race in the modern media through the Provost’s Office of Academic Excellence and Inclusion.

Deggans’ lecture, “Decoding the Race-baiting of Modern Media,” is set to take place at 7 p.m., Sept. 15, in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s First Amendment Forum on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic and the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.” His book looks at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuel some elements of modern media. Download Full Image

“My book is an attempt to decode the ways media outlets profit by segmenting Americans,” Deggans said. “I call it the ‘tyranny of the broad niche’ – what happens as the biggest pieces of an increasingly fragmented audience are courted at the expense of many others.”

His appearance is made possible by the ASU Office of Academic Excellence and Inclusion as part of a new initiative that awards grants to academic colleges to fund events related to diversity and inclusion. The purpose is to provide the university community, including students, faculty, staff and local communities, with opportunities to explore and discuss current and cutting-edge scholarly topics and issues from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives.

“Eric Deggans is an important voice that invites us to step back for a moment and think carefully about the ideas, both spoken and unspoken, that permeate the media about who we are as Americans, and how those ideas impact our quest to create a just and equitable society, both now and in the future,” said Eduardo Pagán, ASU’s vice provost for Academic Excellence and Inclusion.

With more than 20 years of journalism experience, Deggans’ writing has appeared in The New York Times, Salon magazine, CNN.com, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone online and other leading media outlets.

Deggans came to NPR from the Tampa Bay Times, where he served as a TV and media critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. In August 2013, he was guest host of CNN’s media analysis show “Reliable Sources,” filling in for Howard Kurtz.

His work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society for Features Journalism and other organizations. In 2009, Ebony magazine named him to the publication’s “Power 150” list of influential black Americans.

Deggans serves as the NABJ’s chair of the Media Monitoring Committee and on the board responsible for selecting the George Foster Peabody Awards for excellence in electronic media.

A graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, he has lectured or taught as an adjunct professor at a number of colleges and universities, including California State University, Indiana University, University of Tampa and Eckerd College. He also is a contributor to “The New Ethics of Journalism,” a textbook created by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

Deggans’ talk is part of the Cronkite School’s “Must See Mondays,” a public lecture series featuring leading journalists and communicators. The fall 2014 schedule includes CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter, Bloomberg News White House correspondent Margaret Talev and National Geographic documentary photographer Chris Rainier.

Perhaps no other poet in recent memory other than Maya Angelou shares the same respect as Nikki Giovanni.

As a poet, writer, social commentator, activist and educator, Giovanni has brought the eyes of the world upon her through her outspokenness, writing and lectures. One of the most widely-read American poets in the last three decades, Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Download Full Image

ASU’s Project Humanities is hosting “An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Nikki Giovanni” as part of its fall 2014 kickoff. Giovanni will also sign copies of her latest book, "Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid." The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa. Admission is free, ticketed and open to the general public. Tickets are available here.

Giovanni spoke to us from her office at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she is a University Distinguished Professor of English. As one of the country’s foremost “truth-tellers,” Giovanni freely spoke her mind to ASU News.

Q: There are many different art forms – music, painting, literature, acting and even standup comedy. What is particularly powerful about poetry?

NG: Poetry is, in all fairness to all other art forms, the basics. If you think about music, music is poetry with an opening and verse. But you mostly remember songs and music because of the rhythm. Of course, there are exceptions like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” I have a very smart friend who’s a mathematician and sends things into space. I recently joked with him, “Don’t you feel you owe a lot to us poets?" He said, “Why’s that?” I said, “Because it was poets who invented math … math didn’t invent poetry.” Oh, he got so upset!

Q: The civil rights and black power movements inspired your early work and poetry. How do you view racism today as opposed to say 50 years ago?

NG: It would be hard to say there’s no racism in today’s world, but clearly it’s no longer acceptable to lynch people anymore. White people just don’t get in their dump trucks and go and burn the black community down. That is gone. However, policemen are still shooting people for no reason, the same as private citizens, who are also shooting people for no particular reason. That said, the recent incident in Ferguson, Missouri, is a throwback, isn’t it? It’s the murder of Emmet Till, the murder of Trayvon Martin, and it’s so sad. I don’t usually agree with the Rev. Al Sharpton but when he asks why the police need guns, let alone or why were the National Guard giving their military weapons to the local police force, it’s a legitimate question. There’s a reason why we separate the military from the police. We’re not a Third World country, and we need to stop acting like it.

Q: You taught Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech student who killed 37 people and wounded 17 others in 2007. It seems as if random shootings are almost a weekly occurrence in our country.

NG: Gun Control is like the measles, and it’s become a real health hazard. Shootings in malls and schools are so common that it’s become part of our everyday lives. “What did you do today, Mommy?” “Well, I went to school, had lunch and then there was a shooting.” That’s just ridiculous. It’s not something that you want to become desensitized to. We didn’t want to become desensitized to The Black Plague, which wiped out a third of Europe. Nobody wants to become desensitized to horror, and I think we need strong leadership. In all fairness to President Obama, and I’m not anti-Obama, but he has not been courageous in the stand against random violence.

Q: I’m surprised to hear you say this given that you wrote a poem for President Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

NG: It does annoy me, and I’m not trying to pick on President Obama, that people want to compare him to Dr. King. There’s nothing about Obama that’s like Dr. King. Dr. King was a courageous man who raised his voice for the world, and he knew there could be a heavy price. The heaviest price Mr. Obama could have paid was that he didn’t get re-elected.

Q: In the past, particularly in the 1960s, there was no shortage of political, civic and moral leaders. Who are our leaders today?

NG: That’s the problem now isn’t it? If we didn’t have Jay-Z, Sean Combs, Kanye West or the rappers, who else would be speaking out? By the way, I think there’s something wrong when Kanye West is more courageous than the president.

Q: ASU’s Project Humanities is hosting “An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Nikki Giovanni” at the Mesa Arts Center on Sept. 18. What is your key message going to be?

NG: Well, first of all, I love people. We all need to improve on liking each other. I’m a big fan of gay marriage and civil rights. If America is to continue being America, we have to look like it. That means we have to be inclusive of everyone – black, brown, red, yellow and white. We have to make sure we include everybody who wants to be included. America has to consciously look like America. In the end, it makes us better people.

Q: Is there a particular takeaway you want people to get that night?

NG: I’ve been shying away from takeaways lately. I’m not a leader. I’m just a poet. But I hope what people will enjoy is the fact that I’m a really good thinker. I’m also a bit of a wicked thinker. I like it when everyone, especially kids, start to think. I want to encourage the youth of today and hope it will spark someone to take us to someplace in 2050. Maybe it will be the kid who invents something crazy and wonderful, and changes all of our lives.

Q: You have a lot of exposure to our future leaders of tomorrow. Do they have the same depth as the students of the ‘60s?

NG: It’s a different kind of depth. We had a different challenge in the 1960s because our mission was very clear: racial discrimination. Today’s youth are facing global challenges that are far more complex and wider in scope. Let me say this, too: I like our kids. I have no question as I grow older, and I am already old … but if I live another 20 years on this earth, I feel that I am very safe in the arms of this generation. I think they’re a phenomenal group. The problem is people want them to be “us” and they’re not going to be “us.” They’re going to be a wonderful “them.”

If you go:

What: An Evening of Poetry and Discussion with Nikki Giovanni

When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18

Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St., Mesa

Information: 480-644-6500 or 480-727-7030, or visit http://humanities.asu.edu/

Tickets: http://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/shows/aneveningofpoetryandconversationwithnikkigiovanni

A free screening of the documentary film “Underwater Dreams” is among the highlights as Arizona State University’s West campus hosts its annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The film, to be screened Sept. 24, is the true story of how an unlikely group of students from Carl Hayden Community High School, located in an underrepresented, economically challenged part of Phoenix, learned to build an underwater robot, and then defeated teams from universities across the country, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a national competition. Download Full Image

"Underwater Dreams," which debuted in July, has been praised by critics and featured on the late-night television show "The Colbert Report."

One member of the robotics team who is featured in the film, Oscar Vazquez, went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree at ASU, and to join the U.S. Army and become a paratrooper. Faridodin "Fredi" Lajvardi and Allan Cameron, both Carl Hayden teachers and mentors to Vazquez’ robotics team, are also graduates of ASU.

All Hispanic Heritage Month events, which will take place on ASU’s West campus at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix, are open to the public. Most have no admission charge. Visitor parking on campus costs $2 per hour.

The schedule of events and activities is:

Opening Reception: Monday, Sept. 15, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Verde Dining Pavilion. This festive event kicking off the month-long celebration will feature music and dessert.

Screening of the film “Underwater Dreams”: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m., La Sala Ballroom in the University Center Building. The screening of this critically acclaimed documentary will be followed by a discussion with members of the Carl Hayden Community High School robotics team featured in the film. The discussion will be led by Luis F.B. Plascencia, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Light refreshments will be served. The screening is being held in collaboration with Fletcher Library on ASU’s West campus. “Underwater Dreams” is produced by 50 Eggs.

Theatrical production – “La Razón Blindada (or Reason Obscured)”: Sept. 26-27 at 7:30 p.m.; Sept 28 at 3 p.m., Second Stage West in the University Center Building. Tickets are $10 general admission; $7 for seniors; $5 for students, faculty and staff. They are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. This play by Aristides Vargas is based on a mix of “El Quijote,” the classic novel by Cervantes, Kafka’s “The Truth about Sancho Panza” and testimonies by Chicho Vargas and other political prisoners held during Argentina's dictatorship. Oppressed by physical and emotional abuse, two prisoners find solace in meeting every Sunday at dusk to tell the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. This production won the 2011 LA Weekly Production of the Year as presented by guest artists 24th Street Theatre, also winners of the 2012 TCG Peter Zeisler Award for Innovation in the American Theatre. The play will be performed in Spanish with supertitle translation.

Calle 16 Mural Project: Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, Sands Classroom Building Courtyard. The Calle 16 Mural Project, led by artist Hugo Medina, returns to create a new mural exclusively for ASU’s West campus and painted with the help of our students. Come pick up a brush during the afternoon and help create this unique work.

Closing Reception – Salsa-Salsa Fiesta: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 5-7 p.m., Sun Devil Fitness Complex. The Fiesta offers the opportunity to make salsa with ingredients that will be provided, learn to salsa dance and see the completed Calle 16 mural.

The slate of activities is presented by the Hispanic Heritage Committee and the Hispanic Honor Society on ASU's West campus. For more information, call (602) 543-5300 or email westevents@asu.edu.

Arizona State University has been named a “best buy” among public colleges and universities for 2015, according to Fiske Guide to Colleges.

ASU is among 22 public colleges in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom selected for their demonstrated commitment to quality academics and affordability. Download Full Image

According to Fiske, ASU is a place “where massive innovation is the norm and where an interdisciplinary culture is seen as the best means of developing world-changing ideas.” The research enterprise is growing in size and impact and the university is retaining and graduating more of its students.

In addition to highlighting the university’s top-rated academic programs in engineering, journalism, business, education, sciences, social sciences, sustainability, nursing and health solutions, Fiske also offers an insight into the collaborative culture at ASU that is focused on student success.

According to an ASU kinesiology major quoted in the guide, “Despite the challenging nature of the classes, professors are always willing to go above and beyond to ensure that the student is successful.” Another student quoted in Fiske said, “The courses are difficult, but the group aspect of most project work makes the hard work much less overwhelming.”

Fiske cites as an example of ASU’s world-class facilities the nine-acre Barrett, the Honors College residential community that was designed by students, faculty and staff members working together with renowned architects. Other residence halls on campus are quoted as having larger than average rooms that are well furnished, and a diverse menu of food items.

School spirit receives high marks at ASU, thanks to highly ranked Division 1 athletics. The countless opportunities available to students to get involved in student organizations, research or internships, study abroad in more than 300 programs in nearly 60 countries, or interact with other students socially add to a Sun Devil’s college experience.

Representative of Arizona’s socioeconomic, racial and ethnic make up, 19 percent of ASU’s student population is Hispanic, five percent of all students are African-American, six percent are Asian-American and nearly two percent are Native American. ASU offers merit-based scholarships to qualified students and is also home to the Pat Tillman Veterans Center, which provides a number of academic and student support services to more than 2,300 veterans and their dependents who are enrolled as undergraduate and graduate students.

ASU has been consistently ranked among the top universities in the United States and the world. The Center for World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, both rank ASU as one of the top 100 universities in the world. The U.S. News and World Report list ASU as second on the roster of schools that are making the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty and student life. The Princeton Review has also named the university one of “The Best 378 Colleges” in a 2014 list. See a list of ASU rankings here.

Earlier this year ASU University Libraries and the King Center in Atlanta made available for the first time a previously unknown recording of a speech Martin Luther King, Jr. gave at Arizona State University approximately a half-century ago.

Titled “Religious Witness for Human Dignity,” King delivered the speech to an audience of 8,000 people at ASU’s Goodwin Stadium on June 3, 1964 – less than one month before the landmark Civil Rights Act was signed. Download Full Image

The recording was among a box of reel-to-reel tapes donated by deceased Phoenix businessman and civil rights leader Lincoln Ragsdale and discovered by Phoenix resident Mary Scanlon while shopping at a Valley Goodwill store.

After the discovery, a committee of ASU archivists, historians and scholars worked over the next few months to verify the recording’s authenticity. Kristen LaRue, outreach program coordinator in ASU’s Department of English, transcribed the speech for the university and immersed herself in the sounds of King’s voice for several hours over two days.

LaRue spoke to ASU News about her experience, which she recalled as a “geeky thrill” as well as an intimate brush with history.

Q: Before you transcribed the MLK tape in Tempe, were you familiar with the teachings of Dr. King?

KL: Growing up in rural 1970s Montana, most of what I watched on television – including footage from the civil rights movement – seemed exotic and foreign. The only familiar thing in Dr. King’s appearances was what I heard – and that was the English language. Even that was inflected with an unfamiliar southern accent (my own speech had something of a Fargo, North Dakota, sound). I knew by listening to news anchors and commentators that King was important, that he had done and said something special and good. But those events seemed very, very far away.

I moved to Arizona in 2002. I first saw the ASU photograph of Dr. King sitting next to G. Homer Durham on the library archives website when I was doing research for something else. I couldn’t believe he had been here. Here! Where I live! It made me feel not-so-removed from that incredible moment in history. Then when I heard a recording had been found – utter nerd joy. To imagine him speaking in my environs – in the early summer desert air, in the presence of Palo Verde trees and saguaros – was a new intimacy.

Q: Did you do a straight listen before you transcribed the tape, and if so, what was running through your mind as you were listening to Dr. King's words?

KL: Because the tape wasn’t yet available to the public, I knew I needed to work quickly on the transcription. I didn’t do a straight listen before starting work on it. The listening I did could be described as “deep,” as I played and re-played the 45-minute tape for nearly two days straight in order to type his words exactly as spoken. I remember thinking that I was writing down history – for the first time. Others had, of course, listened to this speech before I did, but no one in the world had yet put all of these particular words to paper. It was very, very exciting for me.

Q: The U.S. Senate filibuster, which tried to block passage of the civil rights bill, was the new wrinkle in this speech. What can you tell me about the filibuster and why it ultimately failed?

KL: Since I’m not a King or civil rights expert, I don’t know much about the filibuster itself. However, through the work of ASU English professor Keith Miller, I am a bit familiar with King’s recycling of his and others’ words. Through research I found that he gave portions of this speech – verbatim – at other appearances across the country. Apparently King had a mental catalogue from which he could pull speech material as needed, or as “the spirit moved him.” But I found it meaningful that since the filibuster was tied to a very specific moment in time, this part of the speech had a limited shelf life, so to speak. It wouldn’t have made sense to repeat it in other addresses.

Q: There's been mention of King's exhaustion in his voice due to his relentless speaking schedule and a “nagging virus bug." Did you pick up on that right away?

KL: I’m a music historian and have [a master's] in music history and literature from ASU. I did my early training in vocal pedagogy and performance, and have some later training in music therapy. So, for better or worse, I am always listening to voices for clues about a person. I was anticipating a certain timbre when I first heard King’s voice on the tape, so I was surprised to hear it sound tight, gravelly and tired – not the fired-up, energetic presence with which I was familiar. But it was unmistakably his, which was authenticated by our team of scholars. It was thrilling to hear him get started on one of his famed, cascading orations that sounds like he’s preaching at church. From what I could hear on the recording, the Arizona crowd was slightly less boisterous than a southern Baptist congregation, but there was quite often enthusiastic applause and, at several points, laughter.

Keith Miller told me about the incredible number of public appearances and speeches King was making in those days. I also knew he had two others earlier that day in Phoenix, which put the fatigue I heard into context.

Q: What did you personally get from this experience?

My personal takeaway: to have had a very small part in helping this recording, and therefore this speech, find its way into civil rights history is very satisfying. I do often enjoy working “behind the scenes” on various projects, but none of these projects had gone on to have national impact. Until now.

The Department of English is an academic unit in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Arizona State University American Indian students and student athletes will continue the second leg of the Tribal Nations Tour when they travel to the San Carlos Apache reservation this weekend.

The Tribal Nations Tour brings ASU students and staff to Arizona’s Indian lands, where they learn about Native cultures and share in healthy activities. Offering a meaningful cultural exchange, the tour provides opportunities to interact with tribal members, encourage higher education and wellness, and work together on community service projects. Download Full Image

“The San Carlos Apache Tribe is pleased to host ASU American Indian students, student athletes and staff on June 28-29, 2014, at San Carlos to provide two days of fitness and community service activities in conjunction with our 2nd annual Summer Sports Camps organized and facilitated by the Boys and Girls Club of the Apache Nation,” said Terry Rambler, Chairman, San Carlos Apache Tribe.

Bringing programs to the reservation that benefit youth and emphasize healthy lifestyles is one aspect of a memorandum of understanding that was signed earlier this month between ASU and the San Carlos Apache Tribe. The agreement will also bring a college to the tribal nation.

This weekend’s adventures include young tribal members in the San Carlos Apache Summer Sports Camp taking a trip to ASU on Friday. San Carlos Apache youth will learn about what it takes to be ready for college and to be a student athlete. A tour of the university includes American Indian Student Support Services and Sun Devil Athletics facilities.

Rounding out the weekend as the Tribal Nations Tour travels to the reservation are activities such as working with the San Carlos Apache Summer Sports Camp, participating in community service projects, sharing experiences at a Summer Sports Camp assembly and a traditional Apache dinner and cultural exchange. On Sunday, there will be a “Running with the Sun Devils” 5k run and 2k walk, which will be a fundraising event for the San Carlos Apache Boys and Girls Club.

Last weekend’s Tribal Nations Tour took American Indian students, student athletes and staff to Hopi and Navajo lands. Students learned about traditional Hopi perspectives on running, enjoyed a Navajo meal, participated in a “Sun Devils 5k Run and 3k Walk” and learned about Navajo contemporary and traditional culture. They also met with the Hopi Opportunity Youth Initiative, enjoyed a Hopi dinner and learned about the tribe’s culture. The tour is coordinated by the ASU President’s Office of American Indian Initiatives.

"My experience with the Tribal Nations Tour in Tuba City and Moencopi was very rewarding. As a member of these communities, it was exciting to witness the interest of ASU athletes and Native students in our culture and traditions. To be a part of the planning process to make that event happen gave me a sense of accomplishment to be able to bring higher education back to my hometown," said Justin Hongeva, who is a member of the Hopi tribe and earning his master’s degree in American Indian Studies at ASU.

“The opportunity to engage with the Native American community through service projects and cultural exchanges gave the group an in-depth look and appreciation of the Native American culture,” said William Kennedy, ASU associate athletic director.

ASU has one of the highest American Indian student populations in the nation and is a leading university in the country for awarding graduate degrees to American Indian students. In addition, the Tribal Nations Tour was featured as a best practice at the National Indian Education Association Conference and the annual College Board conference.

Arizona State University has entered into a historic agreement with the San Carlos Apache Tribe in southeastern Arizona that will bring a college to the tribal nation, as well as programs that benefit youth and emphasize healthy lifestyles.

“ASU has one of the largest populations of Native American students of any college or university in the country, and we are enriched by the presence of our Native students, faculty and staff,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “The Apache tribal college will prepare students for the rigors of university studies and encourage more of them to pursue a four-year degree at ASU and other institutions. We look forward to working with the San Carlos Apache Tribe to help more Native students realize their dream of obtaining a college education.” Download Full Image

“A tribal college operated by and for Apaches will help secure the future of the tribe, not just as a means for sustainable economic development, but as a critical institution to preserve our language, our culture and our history. Our partnership with ASU will greatly assist the tribe with making a tribal college a reality,” said Terry Rambler, chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

ASU administrators will work to advise the tribe in establishing the college’s operating guidelines, articles of incorporation and accreditation standards, as well as support for credit transfer partnerships, said John Tippeconnic, ASU American Indian Studies director. Maria Hesse, ASU vice provost for academic partnerships, will work on ensuring seamless transfers for students.

“We anticipate that students who begin at the Apache tribal college will be able to easily transfer into majors at ASU, and we will build curricular pathways that ensure they have the right preparation for university success,” Hesse said.

A tribal college will also help youth continue their studies after completing high school.

“Aiding in the design of a tribal college will enable San Carlos tribal youth and adults to bridge the gap between high school and the four-year university. This effort will provide a pipeline for students to earn college credit during their first two years and then transfer to ASU,” Tippeconnic said.

Tippeconnic has first-hand knowledge of the process since he was instrumental in building Comanche Nation College in Oklahoma. Diane Humetewa, former special adviser to the president for American Indian Affairs, was instrumental in bringing the agreement to fruition.

ASU will consult with the tribe in facility design and curriculum. Students from the ASU Del E. Webb School of Construction will benefit from the planning, design and construction processes as the new tribal college is shared as a best practice that will be showcased at ASU-sponsored events.

Through the agreement, a Native American Achievement Program that is administered through ASU American Indian Student Support Services will provide academic counseling and personal support.

“This will help incoming first-year freshmen and transfer student recipients of San Carlos Apache tribal grants and scholarships to succeed academically and socially at ASU,” said Michael Begaye, American Indian Student Support Services director.

The memorandum of understanding also supports the tribe’s Sports Camp and Healthy Lifestyles Initiatives by advising the tribe on nutrition and fitness best practices, as well as identifying university fitness, sports and nutrition awareness activities that may benefit the tribe.

San Carlos Apache Youth leadership initiatives will involve ASU support in endeavors such as advisement on best practices to engage youth in academic and community leadership, hosting youth from the tribe for leadership through public speaking and writing skills support when available, as well as jointly researching grants and funding for youth participation in summer bridge programs that support incoming ASU students.

What does “privilege” mean? Why and how is it important? Arizona State University Project Humanities attempts to answer these questions at its upcoming "Perils & Perks of Privilege" workshop at 6 p.m., July 14, at the Pomegranate Café, 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix.

The free workshop is a six-part series funded in part by Arizona Humanities and led by Neal A. Lester of Arizona State University and Yvette Johnson, Ahwatukee filmmaker and author. This particular workshop will feature special guest Allison Parker, a faculty member at South Mountain Community College who specializes in African-American literature, rhetoric and women and gender studies. Download Full Image

Each unique workshop uses interactive activities to explore the everyday manifestations of privilege, the unearned and often invisible ways in which society accommodates and disadvantages each of us simultaneously. Facilitators will also encourage participants to consider strategies for combating the systemic biases that result.

Although facilitators will be present to provide structure and maintain a safe, respectful environment, it will be up to the participants to influence the conversation with their own diverse perspectives. Participants will be encouraged to come to their own conclusions and propose their own ideas.

Lester explains, “This is not about shaming anyone or making anyone feel guilty. Rather, it is about personal and private self-reflection, such that we better understand the perspectives of others.”

The workshop is founded on the belief that every person both suffers and benefits from the various privileges assigned to certain categories of people. "Perils & Perks of Privilege" is not limited to the obvious privileges of gender, race and class, but extends to the able-bodied, the cisgender, the adult, the thin and others.

Project Humanities is an award-winning ASU initiative dedicated to encouraging meaningful community discussions guided by the principles of “talking, listening, connecting.” The group hosts and sponsors hundreds of free and public events every to year in an effort to raise important questions and perspectives among and across disciplines, cultures, professions and generations. Past events have included lectures, film screenings, circus performances, interactive painting and much more.

Interested parties should visit humanities.asu.edu/perils-and-perks-privilege-workshop-series for program information and to access a growing database of resources on privilege.

For more information, contact Project Humanities at projecthumanities@asu.edu or 480-727-7030.

Arizona State University alum Rigoberto González was recently named the recipient of the 2014 Lambda Literary Award for gay poetry for his 2013 book, “Unpeopled Eden.”

González is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, and currently is an associate professor of English at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Download Full Image

The Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the Lammys, identify and celebrate the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender books of the year and affirm that LGBT stories are part of the literature of the world. The awards ceremony has consistently drawn an audience representing every facet of publishing. The prizes are sponsored by the Lambda Literary Foundation, a legacy of the Washington, D.C.-based Lambda Rising Bookstore, which closed its doors in 2010.

“Winning a Lambda Literary Award was an incredible recognition since this organization has worked so hard to connect LGBT literature to the reading public at large,” González said. “This award means that I’m doing two things right: writing work that sheds light on the LGBT experience in America, and writing work that will matter many years from now.”

“Unpeopled Eden” (Four Way Books, $15.95) opens in Mictlan, the region of the dead in Aztec mythology, which invites readers into a world of where “the men are never coming home” and “rows of ghosts come forth to sing.” Haunted by border crosses and forgotten deportees, lost brothers and sons, González unearths the beautiful and musical amid the grotesque. These mournful, mystical poems are themselves artifacts, a cry for remembrance “for those who patron saints are longing and despair.”

The 26th Annual Lambda Literary Awards ceremony was held on June 2 in New York City and brought together over 450 attendees, sponsors and celebrities to celebrate excellence in LGBT literature, making it the most glamorous and prestigious LGBT literary event in the world.

González is the author of four books of poetry and a contributing editor of Poets & Writers Magazine. His nine books of prose include two bilingual children's books, the two young adult novels in “The Mariposa Club” series, the story collection “Men Without Bliss,” the novel “Crossing Vines” and three books of nonfiction: “Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa,” “Red-Inked Retablos” and “Autobiography of My Hungers.”

González is also the recipient of the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, as well as Guggenheim and National Endowment of the Arts fellowships.