ASU Lecture~Concert Series for
2004-2005 announced

Arkansas State University in Jonesboro announces the line-up of seven features for the 2004-05 Lecture~Concert Series season.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, law professor, Olympic Gold Medalist, and Title IX advocate, will open the season at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, in the theatre of the Fowler Center. 

Hogshead-Makar has a passion for gender equity in athletics.  For her leadership in defending the federal provision that prohibits gender discrimination in education, in particular with respect to athletic opportunities, she was presented with the Women’s Sports Foundation Yolanda Jackson Give Back Award in 2003. 

She is an integral member of the Title IX Coalition through which she has given testimony to Congress, and expressed her views on major news organizations. Hogshead-Makar has been a member of the faculty at Florida Coastal School of Law since 2001.  This program is a joint presentation with the Office of Diversity and the Faculty Association.

Filmmaker Byron Motley will speak on “Oh, How They Lived- Stories of the Negro Leagues,” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the Fowler Center theatre.  Motley is currently producing a documentary on the Negro Baseball Leagues, produced in cooperation with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

He became interested in the Negro Leagues when his father, a chief umpire for several years, told him stories about the games as a child.  This film will be the first devoted to the history and legacy of the Negro Leagues.  The program is presented with support of the College of Communications.

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005, John Todd will present “What Can Be Destroyed Can Be Healed:  The Promise of Ecological Design,” in Riceland Hall of the Fowler Center at 7:30 p.m.  

Listed as one of the 35 most important and inspiring inventors of the 20^th century, Todd invented a living machine-- an advanced, ecologically engineers wastewater treatment system that mirrors the process of decomposition that occurs in the natural world. 

He is a research professor at the University of Vermont and has also won numerous conservation and design awards.  Todd has been active internationally in the design and implementation of systems that are not only ecologically sound, but also profitable.  The program is presented with support of the College of Agriculture, the College of Sciences and Mathematics, the Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Program, and the Judd Hill Foundation.

Pianist Ian Hominick will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005, in the theatre of the Fowler Center.  He has appeared at a variety of prestigious U.S. and Canadian music festivals, including the Dame Myra Hess, American Landmark, the Hornby, and the American Liszt. 

His premiere solo recording of works by pianist Sigismund Thalberg was nominated for “Best Classical Recording,” and his performances have been broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Radio-Canada, National Public Radio, and Chicago’s WFMT. 

Hominick studied first in Nova Scotia, and then he earned his doctorate at Ohio State University.  The program is a joint presentation with the Department of Music.

Prairie Wind Dancers will perform a contemporary dance routine at the Fowler Center theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, 2005.  The Prairie Wind Dancers, a six-member modern dance company, formed in 1987, are based out of the Lawrence Arts Center.  The group has gained regional recognition for choreography and dance skill.  The troupe’s choreography contains many diverse musical selections, such as J.S. Bach, minimalist Steve Reich, the choral music of Arvo Part, and Verdi’s opera. 

Sotavento, a Latin American folk music group, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24, 2005, in Riceland Hall of the Fowler Center.  The group has released eight recordings and has appeared across North America and Europe, including major folk festivals in New York, Puerto Rico, and Philadelphia.  Together, the members of Sotavento play more than 30 Latin American

instruments such as strings, winds, and percussion.  The musicians have roots in Pre- Columbian, European, African and Mestizo cultures.   

Legendary bluesman Little Milton will perform at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2005, in the Student Union auditorium.  He has been recording and performing for 55 years, and has been recognized for his work by his induction into the Blues Hall of Fame. 

He was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 and won the 1988 W.C. Handy Award as Blues Entertainer of the Year.  His latest CD is titled Feel It.  The program is a joint presentation with the Delta Blues Symposium XI:  Imagining the Delta.

Arkansas State University’s Lecture~Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.  All programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact Dr. Gil Fowler, interim Dean of The Honors College at 870-972-2308 or via email at gfowler@astate.edu.

#  #  #