Delta Center for Economic Development sets initiative ASU's Delta Center for Economic Development (DCED), in partnership with the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, announced a new rural development initiative last Thursday. Alan McVey, executive director of the center, explained that the "Powering Rural Development" initiative will focus on county-led economic development, the "last frontier" for economic development in the state. Three counties will be selected in a competitive process each year for three years, and those counties will then receive free on-site training, technical assistance, and coaching in rural strategic planning, organizational development, project management, and assistance in developing strategic partnerships with at least one adjacent county. This county-centered economic development is poised to take advantage of rural Arkansas resources. For details, contact the DCED at (870) 972-3000, contact Alan McVey via e-mail, or see the NewsPage release. Marlay co-chairs, presents at national NAFSA meetings Sue Marlay, University College, co-chaired and presented at an orientation for national leaders of NAFSA: Association of International Educators recently at NAFSA's annual Washington Leadership Meetings in Washington, D.C. Marlay is the outgoing chair of the Leadership Cultivation Subcommittee, which developed this leadership program in 2006. The program includes an introduction to leadership in NAFSA, advocacy for international education, and volunteer management training. CMVAS to host lecture on African American cemeteries The Central Mississippi Valley Archeological Society (CMVAS) will present a lecture, "African American Cemeteries in Lakeport, Arkansas: Findings from the Past and Plans for the Future," on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., in the ASU Museum's Room 182. This presentation will be given by Aketa Guillory, Heritage Studies PhD student, who will focus on the history and archeological investigations at the three African American cemeteries--Old Lakeport Cemetery, Lakeport Cemetery, and Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery--in Lakeport, Ark. The presentation is free, and the public is welcome. For details, contact Dr. Julie Morrow at ext. 2071. Department of Music presents Winter Concert The Department of Music at Arkansas State University will present the Concert Choir in its Winter Concert on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. in Fowler Center’s Riceland Hall, under the direction of Dr. Dale Miller. In honor of Black History Month, the concert will feature selections of spirituals by American and European composers and other compositions by African-American composers. Several vocal soloists will also be featured. The concert is free and open to the public. For details, call the choral music office at ext. 3841. Arkansas Anthology 2008 now accepting entries The Arkansas Anthology 2008, a collection of literary works by Arkansas students, is now accepting entries of short stories, essays, personal narratives, descriptive paragraphs, poetry, and very short pieces. The anthology is published annually by the Arkansas Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts (ACTELA), a non-profit professional organization for English teachers. ACTELA is an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English. Deadline for submissions for this year's anthology is March 31, and each entry requires a $5 fee. Dr. Robert Lamm, English, is the anthology's editor. For details, contact Dr. Robert Lamm at ext. 2176. Facilities Management invites survey participants Reminder: Facilities Management invites all faculty and staff to participate in its annual Customer Satisfaction Survey. To participate, click here. For details, contact Lanny Tinker at ext. 4702. Back to the top