ASU receives $30,000 grant from NEA
ASU has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) which is a federal agency to support state arts and non-profit arts organizations. The grant, from the Folk and Traditional Arts Program of the NEA, will be used to hire a folk arts coordinator to collaborate with the Arkansas Arts Council and plan a statewide folk life program. The initial projects will involve researching the traditional culture of the Mississippi Delta region, and technical assistance with heritage programming throughout the state. The folk arts coordinator will also provide educational activities. Dr. Gregory Hansen, assistant professor of English and folklore, submitted the grant. Click here to see more details in the NewsPage release.

Staff Senate annual picnic is Wednesday
The annual Staff Senate picnic will be from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Pavilion. Proceeds from the fundraiser support employee scholarship programs. There are hundreds of silent auction items to bid and a bake sale, along with free food and music. All faculty and staff are invited.

Art, engineering, ABI faculty achievements
Bill Rowe, Art, will participate in a group exhibition, "wordplay," June 16-Aug. 19, at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York City.
Dr. Rick Clifft, Engineering, has been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers to serve as a program evaluator for the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.
Dr. Carole Cramer, ABI, will be a plenary speaker and a session moderator at an international meeting, "Plant-Based Vaccines and Antibodies," June 8-10 in Prague, Czech Republic.  Dr. Maureen Dolan and Michael Reidy, also with ABI, will be presenting posters.

Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program has first graduates
On Friday, May 6, Heritage Studies Ph.D. students Sandy Davis Baltz and Sherry Laymon were presented with the Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies degree by their respective advisors, Dr. Clyde Milner and Dr. Brady Banta, and university president, Dr. Les Wyatt. Baltz was one of the first students admitted to the doctoral program in the summer semester of 2001. She completed her practicum with the registrar's office of the St. Louis Art Museum in the summer of 2003 and presented her dissertation, "The Making of a Monument: Social Implications of Arkansas Case Studies" on Feb. 4 of this year. She plans to continue her career as a graphic art instructor at Black River Technical College in Pocahontas.  Laymon was admitted to the program in 2001.  She completed her 300-hour practicum with Dr. Ruth Hawkins of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center in the summer of 2003 and presented her dissertation, "Pfeiffer Country: The Tenant Farms and Business Activities of Paul Pfeiffer in Clay County, Arkansas, 1902-1954" on March 11.  She is interviewing for teaching positions at several universities.

ASU Men's Choir receives special invitation
The ASU Men's Choir has been selected to perform at the Southwestern division convention of the American Choral Directors Association in St. Louis in March 2006.  ASU is one of only two universities in the seven-state ACDA region (Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri) to receive the prestigious invitation to perform. The group was chosen by a panel of music professionals from a taped audition of selections recorded in concert from the current year and the two previous years.  Congratulations to Dr. Dale Miller, director, and the students for this significant achievement by the Men's Choir and the choral program, as well as the Music Department, College of Fine Arts, and the University.

Update on future of Delta Studies Center
The Delta Studies Center will continue in a revised format, according to ASU President Dr. Les Wyatt, who made the decision in consultation with Dr. Susan Allen and the Strong-Turner Alumni Chapter. Peggy Wright will serve jointly as director of the Delta Studies Center and as an instructor in the Department of Sociology, Criminology and Geography. The scope of the appointment and the mission of the Delta Studies Center will be determined by the Office of Research and Academic Affairs. The Center and its supporters will attempt over the next two years to generate sustainable external funding of at least $50,000 per year.

Next Monday is Memorial Day holiday
Next Monday, May 30, is Memorial Day. All ASU offices and departments will be closed in honor of the holiday and will reopen on Tuesday, May 31. Inside ASU will be published on Tuesday next week, instead of Monday. The first day of classes for Session I of the summer term will begin on Wednesday, June 1.

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