Author/poet/professor Nikki Giovanni will speak Feb. 11
Renowned author, poet and professor Nikki Giovanni will be a special guest speaker as part of Arkansas State University's 2010 Black History Month celebration. Giovanni will appear in ASU's Centennial Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The event is free, and the public is welcome. This event will allow faculty, staff, students, and community to hear from the world-renowned writer, poet, commentator, activist, and educator who is famed for lending her voice and vision in looking at the world. Giovanni's focus is on the individual, and specifically on the power of people to make a difference in themselves and in the lives of others. The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being "a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English." Giovanni was also the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and she has been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. For details on Giovanni's appearance, contact the Leadership Center at ext. 2055, or see the NewsPage release.

ASU Theatre presents 'The Burial at Thebes' Feb. 12
The ASU Theatre presents Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's  “The Burial at Thebes" in performance at Fowler Center Friday-Saturday, Feb. 12-13 and Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb.16-17 at 7:30 p.m.  A “meet the company” dessert reception will follow the Feb. 12 opening night performance. All performances will take place in Fowler Center. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is faced with a terrible choice when her brothers Eteocles and Polyneices slay each other in battle. Her uncle, Creon, has declared that one brother, Etocles, be honored and buried, and the other, Polyneices, be left unburied. Defying Creon’s edict, Antigone buries Polyneices. Creon condemns her to death, and she is walled up in a tomb. The tension between personal and familial loyalty and duty to authority continues to play out with tragic consequences. The ASU Theatre’s production of “The Burial at Thebes” is under the stage direction of Tim Bohn, assistant professor of Theatre. Scenic design is by Jeff McLaughlin, assistant professor of Theatre; lighting design is by Bob Simpson, professor of Theatre. Ticket prices for ASU Theatre’s 2009-10 season performances are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended. For details, see the NewsPage release.

ASU Choirs to deliver singing valentines Feb. 12-13
Quartets from the Arkansas State University Concert Choir and University Singers Men’s and Women’s Choirs will deliver singing valentines on Friday, Feb. 12, and Saturday, Feb. 13, to patrons within a 25-mile radius of Jonesboro. Singing valentines must be ordered in advance by Thursday, Feb. 11, and will be $25 each. Additional songs may be performed for $15 each. The valentine songs will be delivered with a card and a carnation, and may be purchased from any ASU choir member, or by calling Dr. Dale Miller, director, choral activities, at ext. 3841. Proceeds will benefit the ASU Choir’s performance tour to Rome and Florence, Italy in March 2010. Patrons may choose from the following songs: “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “In the Still of the Night,”  “All My Lovin’,” “Love Me Tender,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and “When I Fall in Love.” This is one of a series of fundraising activities to benefit the choir’s first trip to sing in Italy. The tour will include a community choir of Jonesboro-area singers and the ASU choir members in a number of locations in Florence, Sienna, and Rome, and will be highlighted by singing in a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Smoking cessation program begins Feb. 15
A four-week “Beat The Pack” smoking cessation program is available to faculty and staff who want to quit smoking. An orientation meeting is scheduled Monday, Feb. 15, from 5-6 p.m. in the Mockingbird Room, ASU Student Union. The meeting will provide the information and tools needed to break the habit. For details, contact Robyn Whitehead, director, Wellness and Health Promotion, at ext. 3974.

Economic Outlook Conference to be held Feb. 25
The College of Business will hold the Economic Outlook Conference in Fowler Center, Thursday, Feb. 25, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Conference hosts include Dr. Len Frey, dean, College of Business; Center for Economic Education; Dr. David Kern, McAdams Frierson Chair of Bank Management; and the Delta Center for Economic Development. Guest speakers will include Kevin Kliesen, business economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Bill Tedford, executive vice president, Stephens, Inc.; and Dr. Gary Latanich, director, Center for Economic Education. The conference will focus on current economic conditions and provide an outlook for the remainder of 2010, concluding with a question and answer session following the presentations. Registration for the conference is free. A donation of $10 is appreciated to cover the cost of the meal. Space is limited, so reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and the RSVP deadline is Thursday, Feb. 18. Reservations can be made by contacting Tara Watson at the Delta Center for Economic Development, ext. 3000.
  
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