Michelle Obama To Deliver Commencement Address To The Spelman College Class Of 2011

Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad to receive Honorary Degrees. Teach For America CEO Wendy Kopp to receive National Community Service Award.

ATLANTA (March 25, 2011) A dedicated proponent of service and working with young people, first lady Michelle Obama is an example of how one woman can positively influence the world. On Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m., at the Georgia International Convention Center, Mrs. Obama will inspire more than 500 graduates to also leave their mark on the world when she delivers the commencement address to the Spelman College class of 2011. Mrs. Obama will also receive an honorary degree.

Honorary degrees will also be bestowed upon director, actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, and her sister, actress and director Phylicia Rashad. Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder of Teach For America will receive the National Community Service Award.

"Having Mrs. Obama as our 2011 Commencement speaker is a true honor because she embodies the Spelman College mission which is to prepare women to change the world in a meaningful way," said Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., president, Spelman College. "I know our students will be inspired by her powerful presence."

As first lady, Mrs. Obama uses her platform to support military families, help working women balance career and family, encourage national service, promote the arts and arts education, and foster healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country. In 2010, she launched the Let's Move! Campaign, a nationwide effort to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.

Underscoring the important contributions made by all the honorees, Dr. Tatum said "Our honorees have made a significant impact on the world just as Spelman women do. They offer our graduates empowered examples of excellence in action with game-changing results. We could not be happier!"

Honorary Degree Recipient: Debbie Allen, director, choreographer and author

Debbie Allen continues to be one of the most respected, relevant, and versatile talents in the entertainment industry today. She is an internationally recognized director, choreographer and author. Allen has received three Emmy awards honoring her choreography, and two Emmys and one Golden Globe for her role as "Lydia Grant" in the hit series "Fame." Allen has choreographed for artists such as Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson, and also holds the distinction of having choreographed the Academy Awards a total of ten times, six in consecutive years. She has accumulated a long list of directing and producing credits for television, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "The Parkers," "That's So Raven," "All of Us," "Girlfriends," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Hellcats" and "Grey's Anatomy." She also produced the Steven Spielberg epic film "Amistad" in 1997.

Honorary Degree Recipient: Phylicia Rashad, actress, director

Phylicia Rashad is an actress, director and singer, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the NBC sitcom "The Cosby Show." She is the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun." Rashad recently made her directorial debut at the helm of Seattle Rep's production of August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean." Her other Broadway credits include "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Dreamgirls," "The Wiz" and "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death." Rashad has received many awards, including an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her roles on "The Cosby Show" and the CBS sitcom "Cosby," on which she played Ruth Lucas. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards and has received two People's Choice Awards.

National Community Service Award Recipient: Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder, Teach For America

Wendy Kopp is CEO and founder of Teach For America, an organization established to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders in the effort. Today more than 8,000 Teach For America corps members are in the midst of two-year teaching commitments in 39 regions across the country, reaching over 500,000 students. Last year, more than 20 percent of Spelman seniors sought Teach for America posts.

Kopp is the author of "A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All" (2011) and "One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way" (2000).

Baccalaureate Service:
Spelman will hold its Baccalaureate ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2011 on the Spelman College Oval beginning at 9 a.m. This year's speaker will be Emilie M. Townes, Ph.D., Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African-American Religion and Theology at the Yale Divinity School.

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Spelman College:

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact(s) : Audrey Arthur (404) 270-5892 aarthur3@spelman.edu Terrilyn Simmons (404) 270-5822 tsimmons8@spelman.edu

Education Summit for African American and Latino Youth: Preparing for College and Career Success

As part of ongoing outreach to increase the number of African Americans and Latinos attending college, California State University, East Bay will host its annual “Education Summit for African American and Latino Youth: Preparing for College and Career Success” Saturday, April 30 on the university’s Hayward Campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.

The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and commence in Pioneer Gymnasium. More than 20 workshops and motivational presentations will be offered in addition to a college information and resource fair. Prospective college students in attendance can get information on possible fields of study as biochemistry, computer networking, engineering, environmental studies, mathematics, pre-nursing, business, and other majors.

“The Education Summit is designed to engage and motivate the youth of traditionally underserved communities and their families to pursue and live the dream of obtaining a college education by providing information and resources in a festive, family-friendly environment,” said Greg Smith, CSUEB associate vice president for Planning and Enrollment Management, who chairs the event.

The Education Summit, co-sponsored by Alameda County Office of Education, Hayward Chamber of Commerce, and Chabot College, will bring together a wide range of community resources and expertise to empower African American and Latino youth and their families. Those encouraged to attend include parents and families, high school and middle school students, school administrators, teachers, counselors and business and community leaders.

The summit will feature distinguished speakers, information sessions, and an educational resource fair. Topics to be covered in summit workshops and panels are student life experiences on campus; college admissions; and financing a college education through grants, scholarships and financial aid; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers; and community support programs.

The college resource fair will feature representatives of other Northern California CSU campuses, community colleges and community outreach groups.

Registration, as well as to get additional information about the event, is available at www.csueastbay.edu/EducationSummit^[5] or (510) 885-3516.

March 24, 2011 MEDIA CONTACT: Barry Zepel, Media Relations Officer, (510) 885-3884

March 24th "Dorothy Irene Height Day" in Virginia

Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010 was an American administrator, educator, and social activist. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell has issued a proclamation marking March 24th as "Dorothy Irene Height Day" in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dorothy Height, who passed away last year, was a native of Virginia and a leading female Civil Rights leader of her time.

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, was born on March 24, 1912 to James Edward and Fannie Burroughs Height in Richmond, Virginia; lived in South Richmond as a child; died on April 20, 2010 in Washington, DC at the age of 98; and she continues to live in the hearts and minds of the people of our Commonwealth, these United States and the world; and

WHEREAS, determined and unwavering, Dorothy Irene Height, earned Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from New York University in 1933; participated in post-graduate work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work; later received 36 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities across the country, such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Howard University, and Morehouse and Spelman Colleges; and her many achievements were recognized and honored by the University of Virginia's Explorations in Black Leadership project; and

Portrait of Dr. Dorothy Height taken in June 2008. PHOTO CREDIT: Adrian Hood

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, a daughter of Virginia, began her nearly seven decade commitment to justice in 1933 by serving as the vice president of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America to fight against the segregated armed forces and the evil act of lynching; and in 1937, joined the National Council of Negro Women, an organization founded by Mary McLeod Bethune, that highlighted education, equal employment, and equal pay, issues that impacted the lives of all women across our Commonwealth; and WHEREAS, often noted as the founding matriarch or godmother of the Civil Rights Movement, Dorothy Irene Height, an unsung heroine, was a compelling advocate for women and children during the 1950s and 1960s, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and several others to masterfully advance racial and gender equality across our country;

was an associate of Virginia's civil rights trailblazer Oliver W. Hill and supported the struggle to desegregate schools in Virginia and America; advised each U.S. president from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to President Barack H. Obama on issues of social justice, education, and socioeconomics; and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President William J. Clinton in 1994 and presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, who always exuded grace and poise in her grand hats, keenly dedicated her life to the betterment of African-American women and girls as she worked on the National Board of the Young Women's Christian Association from 1944 to 1977, led as vice president and later president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. from 1944 to 1956, and served as the national president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, from 1957 until 1998, when she became the Council's chair and president emerita; and founded the Black Family Reunion Celebration, which has welcomed Virginians to its programs and events since 1986; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is today a fairer and more just state because of the extraordinary life of Dorothy Height;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert F. McDonnell, do hereby recognize March 24, 2011 as DOROTHY IRENE HEIGHT DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

# # #

Contact: Jeff Caldwell Press Secretary (804) 786-2211

TEXT RESOURCE: Dorothy Height

TEXT CREDIT: Office of the Governor Robert F. McDonne

Institute of African American Affairs Features Performances, Discussions by Artists-in-Residence This Spring

Institute of African American Affairs Features Performances, Discussions by Artists-in-Residence This Spring.

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University will host a series of performances and discussions centered on the artistic collaborations of musician Meklit Hadero and filmmaker John Akomfrah this spring as part of its 2011 Artist-in-Residence program.

All events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the April 3 Meklit Hadero concert. RSVP for all free events at 212.998.4222 and include which event(s) you would like to attend. For more, click here.

To purchase tickets for the April 3 Hadero concert, go to the Skirball Center's Shagan Box Office, visit skirballcenter.nyu.edu/calendar/meklit_hadero, or call 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111.

Tuesday, March 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“Hyphen, Mnemosyne and Spaces-in-Between—A Conversation with John Akomfrah and Meklit Hadero”

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) will host a series of performances and discussions centered on the artistic collaborations of musician Meklit Hadero, pictured above, and filmmaker John Akomfrah this spring as part of its 2011 Artist-in-Residence program.

This introductory panel will address the questions of invisibility, memory in practice, productive nostalgia, and the archive in times of the post-national. Location: NYU’s Silver Center, Hemmerdinger Hall, 100 Washington Square East (between Waverly and Washington Place) Sunday, April 3, 2:30-3:30 p.m. “Self-Representation in African and African Diaspora Photography, Film, Music and Literature” Listen to artists in these different fields and learn how they address audiences with black images and from black and universal perspectives. At issue are questions of reception and aesthetics, but also genre, autonomy, and the specificity of black beauty. Participants include: John Akomfrah, Chester Higgins Jr., Hortense Spillers, and Tamar-kali. The event is organized with the Beauty and Fashion Symposium and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography and Imaging. Location: NYU’s Silver Center, Jurow Lecture Hall/Silverstein Lounge, 100 Washington Square East (between Waverly and Washington Place)

Sunday, April 3, 7-9 p.m.

“Meklit Hadero and Friends in Concert”

General admission: $20; NYU students, faculty, and staff: $10; non-NYU students and seniors: $15

Location: NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South)

Thursday, April 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“The Aesthetics of Vulgarity”

When the engines of change are unleashed a space can be created often defining modernity as a moment of vulgarity. This panel discussion, which includes Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Fred Moten, and Lesley Lokko, considers how the concept of change and liberation can be embraced as a “productive vulgarity” and asks if modernity can also function as a moment of beginnings, the time of the post-national, and the re-imagining of Pan-Africanism.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 101 (at University Place)

Monday, April 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“The Tizita Chronicles: Memory, Archive and Longing in African Diaspora Cultural Practices”

Though the concept and the music of Tizita emerge from Ethiopia, its implications reach far beyond this region. Tizita frames one's relationship to the past and to one's origins, and allows a broad space for integrating the inevitable losses that, at least in part, define every human life. The Tizita Chronicles, which includes a combination of film, music, and short talks, uses the concept of Tizita as a lens to explore cultural memory, both collective and individual, as it evolves in the African Diaspora and its artistic expressions.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 200 (at University Place)

Thursday, April 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“Astro Black Hauntology”

This session re-imagines Pan-Africanism by considering the specters of African independences, black nationalism, and Afro-futurism. Participants include Coco Fusco.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 101 (at University Place)

Monday, April 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

John Akomfrah and Meklit Hadero will present their collaborative works to fuse music with visuals using the themes and questions posed in the opening panel: invisibility, memory in practice, productive nostalgia and the archive in times of the post-national.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 200 (at University Place)

Meklit Hadero, whose music combines jazz, folk, and East African traditions, released "On A Day Like This…" in 2010. For more, go to: www.meklithadero.com. John Akomfrah, born in Ghana and raised in England, has directed over a dozen films and won numerous awards. His latest film is “Mnemosyne” (2010), an essay exploring perceptions of belonging and alienation and the shifting boundaries of expectation and reality. For more, go to: www.smokingdogsfilms.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Institute of African American Affairs

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University was founded in 1969 to research, document, and celebrate the cultural and intellectual production of Africa and its diaspora in the Atlantic world and beyond. IAAA is committed to the study of Blacks in modernity through concentrations in Pan-Africanism and Black Urban Studies.

NYU Skirball Center

The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. For more, go to: www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.

Press Contact: James Devitt || (212) 998-6808

Florida Atlantic University to Host Multi Ethnic Literature of the United States Conference

BOCA RATON (March 21, 2011) – The department of English in Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters will host the 25th Multi Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS) Conference from Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10, at the Renaissance Hotel in Boca Raton. The conference will feature a variety of educational panels, roundtables, readings and plenary speakers, including Karla Holloway, Shirley Geok-Lin Lim and Gary Shteyngart. All events are free and open to the public.

The keynote literary readings by Gary Shteyngart and Shirley Geok-lin Lim will take place in the Coral Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel on Friday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. Manjunath Pendakur, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, will open the evening with welcoming remarks. Shteyngart, who teaches creative writing at Columbia University, will read from his new book, Super Sad True Love Story, which was named one of the top ten books of 2010 by Michiko Kakutani of the “New York Times.” Geok-lin Lim, professor of English at University of California, Santa Barbara, and winner of the American Book Award, will be reading from her book of poetry, Walking Backwards.

The keynote scholar, Karla Holloway, will be presenting her talk, “Bound by Law: The Literary Consequence of Constitutionally Conferred Equity,” on Saturday, April 9, at 11:30 a.m. FAU President Mary J. Saunders will give the welcoming remarks for this lecture. Holloway is the James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University. She also holds appointments in the Law School, Women's Studies, and African and African American Studies. Holloway’s research and teaching interests focus on African American cultural studies, biocultural studies, gender, ethics and law.

Karla FC Holloway. James B. Duke Professor of English and Professor of Law, Office Location: 304 F Allen, Office Phone: (919) 684-8993. Email Address: karla.holloway@duke.edu

“This promises to be an especially intellectually stimulating conference, since it marks the first formal collaboration between MELUS and the United States Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies,” said Wenying Xu, chair of the department of English. “The presentations by members of both organizations will engender productive and lively debates over the intersections of multi-ethnic American and postcolonial world literatures.” Founded in 1973, MELUS’ mission is to expand the definition of American literature through the study and teaching of African American, Asian and Pacific American, Jewish American, U.S. Latino, Native American, and ethnically specific Euro-American literary works. MELUS has held a national conference annually every April at various sites across the country for the past 25 years. More than 250 people are expected to attend this year’s conference, and many of the activities will center on the event’s theme, “Ethnic Canons in Global Contexts.” The attendees come from a variety of academic institutions in the United States, as well as from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

For more information about MELUS and the program for this year’s conference, visit webspace.ship.edu/kmlong/melus/. -FAU-

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of its origin, FAU is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and theCharles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit: www.fau.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Polly Burks 561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu.

Professor Jennifer Young Tait Dies

HOLLAND -- Dr. Jennifer Young Tait, a member of the Hope College English faculty since 2002, died Saturday (March 19) after suffering complications from premature childbirth.

The college has been advised that Professor Young began to feel unwell a few days ago. Her health began to deteriorate and she was taken to Grand Rapids for more advanced care. Her baby - Solomon - was delivered early and the college has been told that while he is small he is otherwise healthy and being care for at DeVos Children's Hospital.

"Jennifer Young was a fine teacher-scholar who modeled for students what it meant to find joy in learning. She was a wonderful mentor, a valued colleague, and a trusted friend. Her loss will be felt far beyond the confines of the English Department. Indeed, the entire Hope College community will miss her terribly," said Hope College Provost Richard Ray.

"Jennifer Young loved teaching, and she loved literature. I can't imagine a more joyful colleague, a more devoted professor, or a more promising scholar. I worked with her in Holland, Michigan, and in Liberia, West Africa; Jennifer was a star in whatever company she entered. She was my friend, and I will miss her terribly," said Dr. David Klooster, chair of the Department of English.

Jennifer Young Tait

Added colleague Dr. Julie Kipp, Professor of English: "Jennifer was a devoted scholar, who loved to do research, and who was always juggling multiple writing projects, including creative writing projects. She was a gifted teacher, who started classes off with musical jam sessions as a way to create good energy and always thanked students for their comments in discussion. She was an amazing wife, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, granddaughter, goddaughter, and friend. She believed in ghosts. She loved music, yoga, old jewelry, chocolate martinis (in moderation), and raptivist music. She was incredibly excited about becoming a mother." Hope College began its spring break on Friday so college officials have been communicating this news to faculty, staff and students by email.

The Hope College Class of 2008 named Dr. Young the recipient of the "Hope Outstanding Professor Educator" (H.O.P.E.) Award which is presented by the graduating class to the professor who they feel epitomizes the best qualities of the Hope College educator.

Young, who was an associate professor of English, was one of the first faculty members that the members of the the Class of 2008 encountered when they arrived on campus as freshmen in August of 2004. She co-delivered the address during that year's Opening Convocation, which marked the formal beginning of the academic year.

Her service to Hope College students has included serving on several campus committees and as a co-advisor to the Black Student Union student organization.

In 2009 she was appointed an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow to continue her scholarly work at the Huntington Memorial Library in San Marino, Calif. She recently had been awarded a New Directions Initiatives grant by the Great Lakes Colleges Association.

Prior to joining the Hope faculty she was a Preparing Future Faculty pre-doctoral teaching fellow during the 2002-03 school year, a program in which Hope participates with Howard University of Washington, D.C.

Her scholarly interests included early writers of the African Diaspora (pre-1865); African-American literature; jazz and hip-hop as literature; and creative writing. Her dissertation, which she completed in 2004, focused on the marketing from 1767 to 1865 of the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, who was kidnapped from Africa as a child and wrote as a slave in Boston, Mass.

Prior to coming to Hope, Dr. Young was a multicultural summer teaching fellow at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She had also taught at Howard, as well as at Touro College and the Center for Worker Education in New York City.

In addition to her Ph.D. from Howard University, Dr. Young held a bachelor's degree from Douglass College of Rutgers University and a master's from City College of CUNY of New York City.

She is survived by her husband, Ralph Tait, of Holland and family in Indianapolis, Ind.

A funeral service will be held Friday, March 25, at 11 a.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church in Holland.

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Hope College Office of Public Relations || 141 E. 12th St. || Holland, MI 49423 prelations@hope.edu || phone: 616.395.7860 || fax: 616.395.7991

Rosa Parks Middle School Targeted For Turnaround as Seventh ‘Priority School’

March 17, 2011 (Sacramento) – Rosa Parks Middle School has been named Sacramento’s seventh Superintendent’s Priority School, expanding SCUSD’s bold school improvement effort that is already seeing positive results on six other campuses, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond announced Thursday.

As a Priority School, Rosa Parks will get extra resources and innovations to boost learning though improved teaching, engaging curriculum and strong family and community connections.

Superintendent Raymond created the Priority Schools program last spring to improve low-performing schools through the use of proven strategies for raising student achievement. Already, principals at the six original Priority Schools report better attendance, greater family participation, fewer suspensions and generally happier students, which they attribute to a better learning environment.

“Rosa Parks has tremendous potential to be the kind of campus where every student enjoys coming to class every day because they know they’re going to learn something meaningful that will help them achieve their dreams,” said Superintendent Raymond. “Our Priority Schools are great examples of what can happen when a determined principal, an energized faculty and a caring community get the support they need.”

Jonathan P. Raymond Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District 5735 - 47th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95824 (916) 643-9000

Superintendent Raymond took the first step in Rosa Parks’ turnaround on Wednesday by naming John Sloat Elementary School Principal Robert Sullivan to lead the middle school next year. Sullivan has a successful track record of improving student learning, narrowing achievement gaps and forging relationships with students, staff and parents. “It all starts with leadership and building a vision for this community,” Superintendent Raymond said. “I want our leaders to take risks for kids.” Sullivan began with SCUSD at age 17, when he landed a job as a custodian at Tahoe Elementary to help pay for college, eventually working his way up to instructional aide and then teacher. He was an assistant principal at John Still K-8 School until taking over as principal at John Sloat seven years ago. Under Sullivan’s tenure at John Sloat, student test scores have risen dramatically. The school improved its Academic Performance Index (API) base from 664 in 2005 to 761 in 2009 – a 97-point gain. John Sloat is ranked 9 out of 10 on the API scale when compared to similar schools. In 2005-06, 39.7 percent of students achieved proficiency on the California Standards Tests in math.

In 2009-10, that grew to 61.2 percent. In 2009-10, Hispanic student scores rose a remarkable 38 points.

Sullivan will remain at John Sloat for the rest of this school year. The district is now meeting with the John Sloat community to begin the process for finding his replacement.

The decision to include Rosa Parks in the Priority Schools program was made after weighing several factors, including student academic performance. The middle school, which serves about 475 students, dropped 33 points on the API scale last year. With an API of 624, it has the lowest student tests scores of any middle school in SCUSD. The school has also struggled to close achievement gaps. Scores for African American students plummeted 57 points last year; scores for students with disabilities fell 39 points. The school is in its fifth year of Program Improvement status.

Superintendent Raymond emphasized that funding for Rosa Parks’ addition to the Priority School program will come from so-called “categorical” funds – money from the federal government earmarked for high-poverty schools. At Rosa Parks, 100 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, the federal poverty threshold. Because the Priority Schools are funded categorically, Rosa Parks’ inclusion will have no effect on the district’s anticipated budget deficit of $22.35 million – the projected shortfall if current temporary taxes are not extended by voters.

The Superintendent’s Priority Schools Program is a centerpiece of SCUSD’s Strategic Plan 2010-2014: Putting Children First. As “incubators of innovation,” Priority Schools are piloting research-based, successful instructional strategies and curriculum to be replicated later on other SCUSD campuses. The district’s other Priority Schools are: Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary, Jedediah Smith Elementary, Oak Ridge Elementary, Will C. Wood Middle School, Fern Bacon Middle School and Hiram Johnson High School.

“Despite budget uncertainty and pink slips, we can’t take our eye off of what is most important – quality teaching and learning in our schools, particularly in our most needy communities,” Superintendent Raymond said. “Now is the time to focus on eliminating achievement gaps. Our students cannot wait.” # # #

For Immediate Release Contact: Gabe Ross (916) 643-9145 gabe-ross@scusd.edu

National Women's History Month Tennessee Tech University

In celebration of March as National Women's History Month, Tennessee Tech University's Women's Center has two special events planned.

They include a Tuesday, March 22, presentation about Tennessee women by Beverly Bond, a professor of African-American history at the University of Memphis, and a Tuesday, March 29, discussion about human trafficking and the sex trade by Norma Ramos, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women.

Diana Lalani of TTU's Women's Center said these speakers reflect the purpose of Women's History Month by looking back at women's past achievements and ahead to future accomplishments.

"Women's History Month is a time to celebrate our accomplishments together and a chance to envision more for ourselves," she said.

The theme of National Women's History Month this year is "Our History is Our Strength," and according to the National Women's History Project, the stories of women's achievements are integral to the fabric of history because those stories inspire more expansive visions for the future.

Beverly Bond

Stories of historic Tennessee women will be the topic of Bond's presentation, set for 7 p.m. on March 22 in the Multipurpose Room of the Roaden University Center. Bond said, "I am particularly interested in the ways in which 19th-century African-American women negotiated the boundaries of race, class and gender in the urban South. My research focuses on black women in Memphis from the early 1800s to the beginning of the 20th century." She is the editor and contributing author, along with Sarah Wilkerson Freeman, of a book titled Tennessee Women: Their Histories, Their Lives, Vol. 1 (University of Florida Press, 2009).

TTU Women's Center Director Gretta Stanger said, "[Dr. Beverly Bond] has contributed immensely to our knowledge of Tennessee women in her co-edited book by the same name. She is helping to write Tennessee women back into history."

Bond has also co-authored with Janann Sherman two other books, Memphis in Black and White (2003) and Images of America: Beale Street (2006), both from Arcadia Publishing.

She is the author of several other book chapters, journal articles and encyclopedia entries that explore various topics related to African-American women's history, and among her current projects is a second volume of Tennessee Women.

At the University of Memphis, she has taught African-American history, African-American women's history, African-American intellectual history, and other courses including a Capstone course in African and African-American studies.

Speaker Norma Ramos will focus on the current women's issues of human trafficking and the sex trade in a presentation at 7 p.m. on March 29 at Derryberry Hall Auditorium.

"We are pleased to welcome Norma Ramos," Stanger said. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, of which Ramos is executive director, "is considered to be the first international organization to be associated with human trafficking," she continued.

Because of her work with that organization, Ramos is the recipient of the Women's Committee Award and the Flor De Maga Award, both from the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

In 2009, she was awarded the Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association.

"We have discovered that there are several student organizations on campus that are interested in this very serious and widespread human rights issue, so we hope they will be able to attend her presentation," Stanger said.

Ramos is an eco-feminist who links the worldwide inequality and destruction of women to the destruction of the environment.

A Center Stage event, her presentation — like Bond's — is free and open to the public.

Tennessee Tech University For more information about either event, contact the TTU Women's Center at 931-372-3850.

African-American women who live in more densely populated urban areas gain less weight than those in more sprawling auto-oriented areas

(Boston) - Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine’s (BUSM) Slone Epidemiology Center have found that African-American women who live in more densely populated urban areas gain less weight than those in more sprawling auto-oriented areas. The results, which appear in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, were based on data collected in the Black Women’s Health Study, an ongoing study of the health of 59,000 African American women conducted by the researchers since 1995.

While studies conducted at a single point in time have found higher levels of obesity among residents of sprawling areas compared to residents of more urban areas, there has been little information on this topic from studies that have followed residents over time.

The researchers assessed the association of women’s residential environments with weight change and the incidence of obesity during a six year period of follow-up in the Black Women’s Health Study. They focused on nearly 18,000 women who lived in the New York, Chicago or Los Angeles metropolitan areas. The women’s residential neighborhoods were characterized by an “urbanicity score”— considered dense urban neighborhoods.

Patricia Coogan, MPH, D Sc

They found that both six year weight gain and the incidence of obesity were lower among women who had high urbanicity scores as compared to those with low scores. Women who lived in suburban or rural neighborhoods were considered to have low urbanicity scores. According to the researchers, a previous study of these women, found those who lived in denser neighborhoods walked more than women in more sprawling areas. “Policies that encourage more dense and urban residential development may have a positive role to play in addressing the obesity epidemic,” said lead author Patricia Coogan, MPH, D Sc, a senior epidemiologist at the Slone Center and an associate professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health.

Funding for this study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. — 30 —

Boston University For Release Upon Receipt - March 16, 2011 Contact: Gina M. Digravio, 617-638-8491, gina.digravio@bmc.org

Dr. Kern Jackson will discuss the influence of Mobile native Albert Murray

USA Professor and Students to participate in Southern Literary Trail Festival 2011.

Dr. Kern Jackson, director of African-American Studies at the University of South Alabama in the College of Arts and Sciences, will discuss the influence of Mobile native Albert Murray, a noted author on Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. at the Ben May Library in Bernheim Hall. The event is free and open to the public. This is just one of a number of statewide events involved with the Southern Literary Trail Festival.

Also accompanying Jackson during his talk will be Barbara Baker, Jay Lamar and Paul Devlin of New York City. Baker and Lamar co-edited the recent book “Albert Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation.” Devlin writes in the book about his personal association with Murray, whom the “New York” magazine recently named as one of Manhattan’s cultural icons over the age of 90. Devlin will discuss Murray’s extensive art collection.

Two of Jackson’s students from his introduction to African-American Studies class Travis Davis and Elijah McLaughlin will provide readings from Murray’s “Trading Twelve’s,” the collection of letters that Murray exchanged with fellow writer and friend Ralph Ellison.

Davis, a native of Mobile is a senior majoring in history and McLaughlin of Montgomery is a junior majoring in social work. They are honored to be selected as dramatic readers, highlighting Mobile native Albert Murray. The official festival of the Southern Literary Trail, features a tri-state and three-month celebration with plays, free programs, musical performances and film showings that showcase the south’s heritage as home to the country’s best writing and storytelling.

For more information about events listed on the Southern Literary Trail call William Gantt at (205) 297-8849, or e-mail him at wgg@hfsllp.com.

March 14, 2011 Contact: Joy Crawford-Washington, USA Public Relations, (251) 460-6211

14.7 percent of all African Americans age 20 years or older have diabetes

SPELMAN COLLEGE AND NOVO NORDISK HOST DIABETES TOWN HALL MEETING

ATLANTA (March 11, 2011) According to the American Diabetes Association, 14.7 percent of all African-Americans age 20 years or older have diabetes. To address this alarming statistic and others, Spelman College in partnership with Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, is hosting a town hall meeting, “Diabetes and Its Impact on the African-American Community.”

This event comes on the heels of a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifying a “diabetes belt” comprised of 644 counties across 15 mostly Southern states, with large African-American populations. Leading medical, health and fitness experts will candidly discuss the causes and preventative measures African-Americans need to take to fight against this growing epidemic. The event is free and open to the public.

WHO:
• Kendall Simmons, former NFL guard
• A.J. Johnson, actress, fitness expert, founder, The AJ Zone
• Doxie Jordan, associate vice president, Diabetes Sales Southeast, Novo Nordisk
• Dr. Kathi Earles, MD, medical scientific director, Novo Nordisk
• Donna DeCaille, nutritionist, executive consultant, EnVision Nutrition Inc.
• Gail Richardson, diabetic nurse educator
• Dr. Reginald Fowler, Board Certified Internal Medicine

WHEN:
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
4 p.m.

WHERE:
Spelman College - Cosby Academic Center Auditorium
350 Spelman Lane, SW
Atlanta, GA 30314

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Spelman College: Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson.

More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact(s) : Terrilyn Simmons (404) 270-5822 tsimmons8@spelman.edu

Leonid McGill Mystery Novel’s Author Walter Mosley to talk about his work

Newest P.I. McGill Mystery Novel’s Author in Dallas - Tuesday, March 15.

(DALLAS) — Leonid McGill, private investigator, got the job done in Walter Mosley’s first two New York Times bestsellers. Now times are tough, he’s looking for work and his personal life is complicated in the third McGill series installment titled “When the Thrill Is Gone.”

Mosley, described by President Bill Clinton as one of his favorite writers, will be on hand to talk about his work and sign his latest novel on Tuesday, March 15, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Lincoln Park, 7700 W. Northwest Highway, Suite 300, in Dallas at 7 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from copies of “When the Thrill Is Gone” sold through March 16 will benefit the Dallas County Community College District Foundation’s George Dawson Scholarship Fund. Book buyers should mention Bookfair ID code 10433746 to help benefit this fund. A voucher (PDF - 81KB) also is available to print and take to the store.

Mosley has written detective fiction, sci-fi and other works described as an edgy blend of literary and pulp fiction. A native of Los Angeles, he traveled east to college and first worked a number of jobs — computer programmer, caterer and potter — before discovering his talents as a writer. African-American PI Easy Rawlins was the character that Clinton discovered. The Rawlins works include thorough historic detail (1940s to the mid-1960s), excellent dialogue and detailed character development. “Devil in a Blue Dress” and “Black Betty” were the first two published novels in the Rawlins series (“Gone Fishin’ ” didn’t find a publisher).

The first two books in the McGill series are “The Long Fall” and “Known to Evil.”

DCCCD is a community partner with Barnes and Noble Booksellers, which is sponsoring the book signing and offering an opportunity for readers to enjoy Mosley’s book and donate to the George Dawson Scholarship Fund.

For more information, contact Allison Neal in the DCCCD outreach office at (214) 378-1722. # # #

Press contact: Ann Hatch 214-378-1819 (610); ahatch@dcccd.edu

Justice Department Obtains $110,000 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit Against Summerhill Place Apartments in Renton, Wash

Justice Department Obtains $110,000 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit Against Apartment Complex Near Seattle.

WASHINGTON – The owners and operators of Summerhill Place Apartments, a 268 apartment complex in Renton, Wash., have agreed to pay $110,000 in damages and civil penalties to settle a lawsuit alleging that the complex had discriminated against African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Indian Americans and families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act, the Justice Department announced today. The settlement must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

“Working families already face enough challenges finding affordable housing,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Unlawful discrimination because of their race, their national origin, or because they have children, should not be one of them.”

“I am pleased that this settlement will both assist those who were discriminated against, and ensure rights are protected going forward,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny A. Durkan. “The fair housing training for Summerhill’s employees and the plan to provide a recreation area for all the tenants, including children, will provide a brighter future for all prospective residents.”

The lawsuit, filed on July 16, 2010, named as Summerhill Place LLC (the owner of Summerhill Place Apartments), Gran Inc. (the management company) and Rita Lovejoy (the former on site manager). Lovejoy is no longer employed by the other defendants.

The suit alleged, among other things, that defendants steered Indian tenants away from one of the five buildings at Summerhill, treated tenants from India less favorably than other tenants and discouraged African-Americans, Hispanics and families with children from living at Summerhill. The suit arose after the Fair Housing Council of Washington conducted testing at Summerhill, and the results of that testing were reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After an investigation, the secretary of HUD determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that discriminatory housing practices had occurred, issued a charge of discrimination, and referred the matter to the Department of Justice.

“HUD has the authority to bring cases under the Fair Housing Act based on any credible evidence that discrimination is occurring at a housing development, even if no specific individual steps forward to file a formal complaint,” said John Trasviña, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Whenever HUD discovers that a housing provider is turning away potential tenants or mistreating current residents because of their race, ethnicity, or family composition, HUD will vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act.”

Under the terms of the settlement, the defendants will:

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Pay $85,000 to tenants and prospective tenants who were harmed by the discriminatory practices alleged in the lawsuit;
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Pay $25,000 to the government as a civil penalty;
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Maintain a common recreational area for all their tenants, including children;
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Provide fair housing training to their employees; and
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Develop and maintain non-discrimination policies at Summerhill.

Individuals who are entitled to share in the settlement fund will be identified through a process established in the settlement. Persons who believe they were subjected to unlawful discrimination at Summerhill should contact the Justice Department toll-free at 1-800-896-7743 mailbox # 9997 or e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov .

Fighting illegal discrimination in housing is a top priority of the Justice Department. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex familial status, national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.


Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Project on History of Black Writing to showcase 100 Novels Project on March 16

LAWRENCE — On March 16, the Project on the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas will present a first showing of selections from the 100 Novels Project.

The exhibit will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Alcove G in the Kansas Union.

The 100 Novels Project explores and celebrates the political, social, cultural and historical significance of 100 works of black literature. The temporal scope of the works is wide ranging, spanning from the late 19th century to the 21st century. Many of the works have been transformed into film and were staples on the New York Times bestseller list.

The Project on the History of Black Writing houses each of these texts within its archives. This is first of many exhibits that will highlight a small selection of authors and their works.

The Project on the History of Black Writing is one of KU’s important but often overlooked literary and historical resources. It has been in the forefront of research and inclusion efforts in higher education for 25 years.

Founded in 1983 at the University of Mississippi-Oxford, the project has more than 900 novels in its collection published by African-American authors since William Wells Brown’s “Clotel; or, the President’s Daughter” (1853). The ultimate goal of the project is to collect every novel ever published by an African-American writer. -30- The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.

kunews@ku.edu | (785) 864-3256 | 1314 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045 March 10, 2011 Contact: Maryemma Graham, Project on the History of Black Writing.

Elementary Education Majors Participated in African American Read-In at Farrell Elementary School

Twenty-one Westminster College elementary education majors participated in the 22nd National African American Read-In Feb. 23 at Farrell Elementary School.

The students are enrolled in a literacy methods class taught by Dr. Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster professor of education.

The read-in is sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English to help students value diverse children's authors. Westminster pre-service teachers selected books by African American authors to share with students in grades one-six. Each classroom received a copy of the book that was read, donated through funding from Westminster's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

"During the read-in, I could feel the students' cultural pride," said junior Genevieve Sieckowski. "They felt valued and loved."

Seniors Jenisa Jeblee and Lauren Ritter led far-ranging discussions on questions from fourth-graders that included "Why have blacks and whites not been viewed as equal in the U.S.?"

"Children can teach us so much," said junior Jessica Pardee. "We just have to be willing to listen."

Ulana Ainsworth reading to second-grade students.

In addition to current Westminster students, several Westminster alumni participated: Farrell Elementary literacy coaches Nicole Stabile Lombardi and Valerie Morrison organized the read-in in collaboration with Klassen Endrizzi; Japraunika Wright is elementary assistant principal; and Carole Borkowski is elementary principal. Klassen Endrizzi noted the contrast between the experiences of recent Westminster guest speaker Jonathan Kozol in the 1960s and this read-in 46 years later.

"In his first year of teaching in Boston, Kozol wanted his African American fourth-graders to know and love black authors, so he shared the work of Langston Hughes," Klassen Endrizzi said. "The following day, he was fired. Today, our Westminster students went to Farrell with similar intentions and received rave reviews from students, teachers, and administrators."

"We have grown as a nation, yet racial tension still exists," Klassen Endrizzi added. "Our pre-service teachers offered a powerful demonstration of educators consciously choosing to share children's books representing marginalized people outside mainstream America."

Klassen Endrizzi, who has been with Westminster since 1993, earned undergraduate and master's degrees from Fresno Pacific College and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She is the author of Becoming Teammates: Teachers and Families as Literacy Partners.

Contact Klassen Endrizzi at (724) 946-7189 or e-mail endrizck@westminster.edu for more information.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster is a top tier liberal arts college, a national leader in graduation rate performance, and a "Great School, Great Price," according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 38th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 373 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.

The Blood of Jesus VIDEO

This movie is about the accidental shooting of a woman and of the faith in Jesus that brings her back. As she lies dying, her soul goes on a symbolic journey in which it rejects Hell for Zion, Satan for God, at the foot of the cross. When she awakens recovered, the choir of sisters and brothers from the church come in to sing and celebrate the miracle. The movie offers a glimpse into Southern Baptist life from an African-American perspective. It was written and directed by pioneering independent filmmaker Spencer Williams, and made specifically for African-American audiences in segregated movie theaters. The Blood of Jesus remains one of the most highly regarded films of Williams' career, and it was placed in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1991. In 2008, SMU's print of The Blood of Jesus was preserved with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation.

Title: The blood of Jesus. Creator: Amegro Films. Contributors: Williams, Spencer (writer, producer, director); Sack, Alfred (producer) Date: Original created in: 1941
Part Of Tyler, Texas Black film collection.

KeywordsL African Americans; Baptists; religion; drama. Original Media: 35mm cellulose acetate film. Form / Genre: Motion pictures, Melodramas. Digital Resource Type: video. Digitization Date: Digitized for web: 2009

FILM and TEXT CREDIT: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, G. William Jones Film and Video Collection The blood of Jesus

Racial identity tied to happiness, study finds

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Black people who identify more strongly with their racial identity are generally happier, according to a study led by psychology researchers at Michigan State University.

The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, appears in the current issue of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, a research journal published by the American Psychological Association.

“This is the first empirical study we know of that shows a relationship between racial identity and happiness,” said Stevie C.Y. Yap, doctoral candidate in psychology at MSU and lead researcher on the project.

Previous research has found a relationship between racial identity and favorable outcomes such as self-esteem, Yap said, but none has made the link with happiness.

For the study, the researchers surveyed black adults in Michigan. The results suggest the more the participants identified with being black – or the more being black was an important part of who they are – the more happy they were with life as a whole, Yap said.

Stevie C.Y. Yap, doctoral candidate in psychology.

The study also explored the reasons behind the connection. Yap said it may be fueled by a sense of belongingness – that is, blacks with a strong sense of racial identity may feel more connected to their racial group, which in turn makes them happy. This sense of belongingness is especially important for happiness in women, Yap said. “For men, the potential factors relating identity to happiness is still an open question,” he said. Yap’s fellow researchers are Isis Settles, MSU associate professor of psychology, and Jennifer Pratt-Hyatt, assistant professor of psychology at Northwest Missouri State University.

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Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

Contact: Andy Henion, University Relations, Office: (517) 355-3294, Cell: (517) 281-6949, Andy.Henion@ur.msu.edu; Stevie Yap, Psychology, Office: (517) 339-3966, yapstevi@msu.edu Published: March 04, 2011

Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison to Speak, Receive Honorary Degree at Rutgers’ 245th Commencement May 15

For first time, universitywide ceremony will be held at new Rutgers Stadium.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Toni Morrison, recognized as one of the most influential writers in American literary history, will be the keynote speaker at Rutgers’ 245th anniversary Commencement Sunday, May 15, it was announced at today’s Board of Governors meeting.

Morrison, who in 1993 became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature, also will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at the first universitywide graduation ceremony at the new Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway.

Morrison’s nine major novels – The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz, Paradise, Love and A Mercy – have earned extensive critical acclaim. She received the National Book Critics Award in 1978 for Song of Solomon and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Beloved. Both novels were chosen as main selections for the Book of Month Club in 1977 and 1987, respectively. Additionally, Beloved was chosen by the New York Times Book Review as the best work of American fiction published in the last quarter century.

Morrison is the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities, Emerita, at Princeton University. She was appointed to that position in 1989 and held the post until 2006. Prior to her appointment at Princeton, Morrison was the Schweitzer Professor of the Humanities, College of the Humanities and Fine Arts, State University of New York at Albany, and a senior editor at Random House for 20 years.

Morrison has received numerous other prestigious awards, including the 2010 Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, 2000 National Humanities Medal, 2000 Library of Congress Bicentennial Living Legend Award, 1996 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and 1993 Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. Morrison is a trustee of the New York Public Library and a member of the American Academy, the Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a member of the American Philosophical Society, Cities of Refuge North America and the Author’s Guild, where she served on the Guild council and as foundation treasurer. She also served on the National Council of the Arts for six years.

Morrison earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University and a Master of Arts in English from Cornell University.

Media Contact: Steve Manas 732-932-7084, ext. 612 E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu

World-renowned opera singer Simon Estes to visit UW-Green Bay

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will welcome world-renowned opera singer Simon Estes to campus on March 4, 2011.

Estes, a bass-baritone, will offer a Master Class from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Fort Howard Hall in the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

Estes will also conduct an informal discussion for music students from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Student Life/American Intercultural Center, University Union, Suite 150. Estes will talk to the students about music and leadership.

A native of Iowa, Estes began his career at the University of Iowa where he was the first African-American member of the “Old Gold Singers.” He made his professional debut with the Deutsche Opera in Berlin in 1965. Since then, he has performed with the world’s leading opera companies and orchestras. Estes is one of the performers who helped break down racial barriers in the opera world.

Besides his performances, Estes also teaches music at Iowa State University and Wartburg College. Estes travels the world giving master classes and talks designed to teach not just music, but also artistic and personal values.

Simon Estes

Estes was originally scheduled to visit campus on Feb. 25 but has rescheduled. The appearance is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Provost’s Office, the Office of Student Life, the American Intercultural Center, Music Educators National Conference – Green Bay chapter, American Choral Directors Association, the Music discipline and the Arts and Visual Design academic unit. This the second time Estes has come to UW-Green Bay. The singer gave a Master Class on campus in 2004. #11-24 UW-Green Bay, CL815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2214 Posted by: Robert Hornacek | February 28, 2011 - 10:19 am

New PAS Chair Hopes to Promote Professional Integrity, Study Abroad Programs for Students

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Mar. 3rd, 2011) ― Karin Stanford has always wanted to change the world. As a child growing up in Inglewood, she wondered why the black boys in her neighborhood were disappearing. She found out many were sent to the California Youth Authority, often wrongly accused and abused.

“I saw it as a problem,” Stanford said. “I thought I could make it better, make a difference.”

Today, Stanford is changing the face of Cal State Northridge’s Department of Pan African Studies (PAS) as only the second woman to head one of the oldest and largest black studies programs in the nation. She also has recently authored “Images of America: African Americans in Los Angeles,” a book she hopes will change the image of the “history” of blacks in Los Angeles.

Stanford went off to college with her mind set on becoming a prison warden or an attorney. She double majored in community service and political science and earned bachelor’s degrees from California State University, Chico. By 1988, she had earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California, but her interests began to change.

Karin Stanford, chair of the Department of Pan African Studies. Photo by Lee Choo

“I became increasingly involved in local politics and activism. Jesse Jackson had run for president. The anti-apartheid movement was big and I was learning more about international affairs,” Stanford recalled. She decided to leave Los Angeles and move to Washington, D.C. to earn a doctorate in political science at Howard University. Stanford said her view of the world began to change, influenced by her work as a congressional aide and with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and her travels to other countries. A college advisor at Howard urged her to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship that sent her career in another direction. “My life chances were rooted in my interest in learning,” Stanford said. “I never planned on being an academic.” She was a post-doctoral scholar and instructor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill from 1992-94 and then worked as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia in political science and African American Studies from 1994-97.

She was happy to return to California, her home state, in 2003, as a professor in California State University, Northridge’s PAS department.

“I believe being here is a gift to me,” Stanford said. She carved a niche on campus as an expert on “hip hop culture” as head of the department’s Hip Hop Think Tank and director of the DuBois-Hamer Institute.

Stanford said it is an honor to serve as chair of a department with such a rich history. The department was officially formed in 1969 as the Afro-American Studies Department. It was organized in the wake of campus protests and the mass arrest of hundreds of students who were angry about the treatment of students of color.

“This department has contributed to the growth and development of so many people,” she said. “When students graduate, they leave with a sense of accomplishment, self-esteem and respect for African and African-American culture.”

Her goals as chair include promoting professionalism and integrity, faculty development and expanding study abroad programs and courses that are more policy-oriented for students.

She is the author of several books and articles, including “If We Die: African American Voices on War and Peace,” “Black Political Organizations in the Post Civil Rights Era,” and “Beyond the Boundaries: Reverend Jesse Jackson and International Affairs.”

For her latest book, Stanford partnered with the Institute for Arts and Media at CSUN to put together a collection of images of black life from the beaches to Hollywood to the streets of Central Avenue. The book includes a mix of photos from everyday people to early settlers like Bridget “Biddy” Mason, 1940s and 50s singing great Nat “King” Cole, the legendary Mayor Tom Bradley and the late pop superstar Michael Jackson.

“I hope readers understand the diversity of black life in Los Angeles and the contributions we have made,” she said.

California State University, Northridge has more than 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 66 bachelor’s and 53 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.

Media Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler || carmen.chandler@csun.edu (818) 677-2130