University Planning Committee to meet today
ASU's University Planning Committee will hold the first meeting of the 2011 spring semester on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. in the board room of the Dean B. Ellis Library.

Dr. Rogers named director of ABI-COM
Dr. Brian Rogers has been named director of  the Arkansas Biosciences Institute Commercial Innovation Center (ABI-COM), the new commercial innovation technology incubator to be housed in the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) on the ASU campus in Jonesboro. The incubator was developed as part of a long-term vision for economic development  following storms, flooding and tornados that struck the state in 2008. The technology incubator will offer office and laboratory facilities and business services to businesses and entrepreneurs working towards turning innovations into products and services. It will operate in conjunction with ABI and ASU’s Delta Center for Economic Development to encourage investment in new technology development and commercialization throughout the region, in order to ultimately create quality new employment opportunities. The development of ABI-COM began with a grant for $1,750,500, provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and presented to then-ASU Chancellor Dr. Robert L. Potts in April 2009. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held that September at ABI. A native of the Pine Bluff area, Rogers received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arkansas and a juris doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center. For details, and more information on Dr. Rogers, see the NewsPage release.

ASU Museum receives highest national recognition
The Arkansas State University Museum has, for the third time, achieved accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and the public. Successful completion guarantees the highest standards in all aspects of operations: collections, management, and education. Fewer than 5% of American museums are accredited by AAM. Accreditation brings national recognition to a museum for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited, or fewer than 5%. The ASU Museum is one of only seven museums accredited in Arkansas. Accreditation is a very rigorous but highly rewarding process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, considers the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes as much as three years. The ASU Museum is located at 320 University Loop Circle, Jonesboro, in the Dean B. Ellis Library building on the ASU campus, and admission is free. Group tours, scout patches, and birthday parties can be scheduled by visiting the ASU Museum online or calling (870) 972-2074. Museum hours are Tuesday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Wednesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and university holidays.

Moot Court team goes to national tournament Jan. 14-15
ASU’s award-winning moot court team travels to New Orleans for the American Collegiate Moot Court Association (ACMA) national tournament January 14-15, held at the Tulane University Law School. The team has qualified for nationals in each year of its existence, winning a national championship in 2009. Last year, a team from ASU finished the tournament in fifth place after an appearance in the Elite Eight round. This year, ASU qualified two pairings for nationals, and all pairings submitted appellate briefs in the national brief writing competition. Abram Skarda (senior political science major, Des Arc) and Daniel Shults (junior political science major, Pocahontas) are ASU’s highest seeded team going into the national tournament as a result of their fifth-place finish at the South Central Regional Championships held in Little Rock at the UALR-William H. Bowen School of Law. Skarda also finished as the third-ranked speaker (of 64 speakers) in that tournament. The pairing of Lilia Pacheco (a junior political science major of Jonesboro) and Neena Viel (a junior communications major of Jonesboro) placed ninth in Little Rock and will also compete at the national tournament. Pacheco finished as the fifth-ranked speaker in Little Rock. After nationals, the ASU Moot Court Team will conclude its season with a competition at Baylor School of Law, an internal competition for ASU’s England Cup and the Gloria Gibson top speaker award. They will then hold tryouts for next year’s team, and conduct a demonstration round at a Continuing Legal Education fundraiser on the ASU campus on Friday, May 6. For details, see the NewsPage release.

Leadership Center hosts MLK Celebration 2011 Jan. 17-19
The theme for his year''s annual Dr. Martin Luther King celebration, hosted by ASU's Leadership Center, is "The Dream: Remember, Reflect, Realize," and the 2011 celebration will be held Monday-Wednesday, Jan. 17-19.
The celebration begins Monday, Jan. 17, with the annual Northeast Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March and Celebration program featuring the Honorable Olly Neal of Marianna, former Circuit Judge for the First Division of the First Judicial District. The march will begin at 10 a.m. at Bill's Grocery, 125 N. Fisher Street, and will culminate with the 12 noon celebration in ASU's Reng Student Services Center/Student Union's Centennial Ballroom.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the dramatization "The Meeting" will be presented at 7 p.m. in ASU's Reng Student Services Center/Student Union Auditorium. In this moving and thought-provoking work, playwright Jeff Stetson imagines for us what a clandestine meeting might have been like between two of the most influential men of their times: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College, will offer the keynote speech at a leadership luncheon from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Spring River Room, Reng Student Services Center/Student Union. The final event of the celebration is part of the “If You Really Knew Me” Lecture Series. The lecture will be "Greek Life – The Good, Bad, and Ugly,” at 7 p.m. in the White River Room, Reng Student Services Center/Student Union. For details, contact the Leadership Center at ext. 2055.

Blue Monday-Paragould presents Nancy Apple Jan. 17
KASU presents Nancy Apple at the next Blue Monday-Paragould on Monday, Jan. 17 from 7-9 p.m. at the Red Goose Deli, 117 N. Pruett Street, downtown Paragould. Dubbed the reigning "Queen of Country in Memphis" by Memphis Magazine’s City Guide, and the "Princess of Twang" by Memphis' daily paper, The Commercial Appeal, Nancy Apple reminds her audiences how special it is to be in the presence of such individuality. From classic country tunes to memorable ballads and honey-flavored cheatin’ songs, Apple rocks-and-rolls with a twist that is tangled up in the blues. Apple plays drums, guitar, and harmonica and dabbles on the accordion and concertina. She has been nominated more than a dozen times for a Premier Player Award in Memphis in the Songwriting, Female Vocalist, and Community Service categories, and was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition in 2002 and 2003. She has appeared in numerous movies and videos with the likes of Harvey Keitel, Linda Gail Lewis, and Bridget Fonda, has been endorsed by Gibson Guitars, and has played drums in the Hellcats and with bluesman great Willie Cobbs. She did a stint as the Tennessee Triple Threat with Duane Jarvis and Phil Lee and is currently working on a duo record with Rob McNurlin. Apple has sung backup with Todd Snider, Dan Baird, Keith Sykes, Mark Lindsay, Reba Russell, Barbara Blue, Jay Ruffin, and Cory Branan. Apple is also known as the Cadillac Cowgirl and has been a deejay on WEVL in Memphis doing the Monday afternoon drive show CarTunes since 1996. Admission to all Blue Monday-Paragould concerts is free thanks to sponsors Bibb Chiropractic, MOR Media, Inc. and KASU, but seating is limited. KASU 91.9 FM is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. For details, contact KASU’s development director Todd Rutledge at ext. 2807.
 
U.S. News Best Colleges stickers available
Stickers featuring the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2011 badge are now available at no charge to ASU faculty and staff. Pick up a supply in the Office of Publications and Creative Services, 103 Administration Building, and use them on stationery. Offer good while supply lasts. For details, call Publications and Creative Services at ext. 3400.

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