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ASU SkySong company wins innovation award

jabrewe — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:04 -0700

Ubidyne, a manufacturer of digital antenna embedded radio systems for wireless communications, won the 2009 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation (GCOI) Award for Start-Up Companies and shared the credit for their accomplishment with SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center.

“Arizona is known for its strong culture of independent thinking and innovation and ASU SkySong was instrumental in bringing Ubidyne to Arizona,” said Ubidyne CEO Ken Hawk. “They helped us get organized here, establish our home at SkySong and connect us to the incredible resources available through ASU. We are extremely grateful for the support from SkySong and proud to have been one if its early partners.”

ASU SkySong serves as a portal for companies to the resources and services of the University, offering entrepreneurship training, workforce development, research integration and business development assistance. ASU SkySong supports new technology start-ups with office space, access to business services and continuing training geared toward local innovators and global firms seeking to start operations in the United States. Ubidyne has taken advantage of many of these programs and services.

“We are truly proud to play a role in Ubidyne’s success,” said Julia Rosen, ASU’s associate vice president of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “The whole building was buzzing when we received the news that they had won the Innovation award. We just couldn’t be happier for Ken and his entire team.”

The GCOI Awards are presented by the Arizona Technology Council in partnership with the Arizona Department of Commerce and are selected by an independent committee of experts. The GCOI was established in 2003 and has become the premier technology community gathering in Arizona. This year’s gala event was held on Nov. 19, 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix.

“Throughout the turbulent economy of 2009, innovation became more important than ever,” said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. “It is essential that we celebrate the creative spirit of Arizona by recognizing and honoring the state’s most innovative thinkers.” Ubidyne’s Antenna Embedded RadioTM technology integrates digital micro-radio units directly into the conventional antenna housing, eliminating the need for coaxial feeder cables, remote electrical tilt, and additional amplifiers on antenna towers and masts. This will help lower the basic costs of text and voice communications in developing nations while enabling more reliable, lower cost broadband wireless connections in more developed regions.

“We are developing a technology that has true global impact,” Hawk said.

In addition to Ubidyne’s award, ASU also received recognition as professors Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld, co-directors of the Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology, won the Innovator of the Year Award for Academia. Hu and Sommerfeld have developed a sustainable algal feedstock technology for production of a renewable petroleum substitute that can be converted to aviation fuel.

New canine officer is official member of ASU Police

jnewberg — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Every dog has at least one special day, and ASU’s new canine police officer had hers when she was sworn in as an official member of the department.

Disney received a doggie-sized badge and an identification tag that her handler, Parker Dunwoody, an ASU Police Department detective, assumed custody of after the yellow Labrador retriever was asked to protect the United States Constitution during the ceremony.

ASU’s Police Department first became interested in acquiring a canine in 2001. Disney came on board earlier this year after she and Dunwoody completed 10 weeks of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) training. She also spent six weeks becoming proficient in recognizing approximately 19,000 explosive scents.

Canine officers that are trained to detect explosives have a responsibility to protect the public including the students on campuses in Arizona, said William D. Newell, ATF Phoenix Field Division's special agent in charge.

“There’s a long waiting list around the country (for dogs),” Newell said.

Disney is a star around campus where she attracts attention from students, faculty and staff. It also takes the canine and her handler quite a while at times to get through the police station.

“Everybody stops and plays with Disney,” said John Pickens, chief of the ASU Police Department.

Disney doesn’t just work the four ASU campuses. She’s on call to work other events where she may be needed such as a U2 and Black Eyed Peas concert where former President Bill Clinton was in attendance.

Dunwoody spoke at the ceremony about working every day with his best friend.

“This is why I got into law enforcement,” Dunwoody said. “It’s the best thing when you’re a dog person.”

Financial expertise advances Wamsley to new role

lambraki — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Arizona State University is pleased to announce the appointment of executive director of student business services and investment management Joanne Wamsley as the new senior associate vice president for finance and deputy treasurer, effective Dec. 1.

Wamsley replaces Jerry Snyder, who retired from ASU after 37 years of service in the financial management area.

Wamsley, a 25-year ASU veteran and Gilbert resident, was chosen after a national search, for her breadth of financial management knowledge and experience in higher education.

“Joanne has done an excellent job directing a diverse array of functions at ASU,” said Morgan R. Olsen, ASU executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. “We appreciate Jerry’s many years of exemplary service to ASU, and look forward to Joanne’s leadership of these critical financial management functions.”

Joanne will provide leadership and direction as ASU’s chief accounting officer, overseeing student business services, investment management, tax compliance, business technology services, debt issuance, general accounting and other financial management services. During Wamsley’s tenure at ASU, she has led the effort to update the 30-year-old student financial services applications, allowing Student Business Services to be more customer focused as part of the PeopleSoft initiative; furthered university e-commerce services; oversaw the disbursement of more than $600 million annually in student aid; and managed numerous banking relationships.

“Working in a large university setting, I have had many opportunities to work collaboratively on system and business process projects,” said Wamsley. “Jerry is leaving behind a department with a solid reputation, and I plan to continue to emphasize excellent service, effective financial management tools, and strong financial systems and controls.”

Her goals and understanding of ASU’s role in the economic vitality of the state and the nation will help the university as it navigates through the current financial challenges it’s facing.

“Developing strategies to advance President Crow’s vision of the New American University in a challenging financial environment is an immediate priority,” said Wamsley. “Longer term, the replacement of ASU’s aging financial accounting system is a project that Financial Services will be undertaking.”

Wamsley is a certified public accountant and certified government financial manager. She earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and accounting, as well as an MBA, all from ASU.

Gordon Knox named new ASU Art Museum director

wcraft — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:33:44 -0700

The ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts announced the appointment of Gordon Knox as the new director for the ASU Art Museum. Knox, currently a core collaborator for the Stanford Humanities Lab (SHL) at Stanford University, will begin his duties as museum director on a part-time basis on Jan. 11, 2010, assuming the position full-time July 1.

“Gordon Knox will be a visionary leader for the ASU Art Museum, bringing unique perspectives to the work of redefining the role and purpose of a university art museum” says Kwang-Wu Kim, dean and director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. “Gordon has a track record of conceiving and directing creative, thought provoking, collaborative programs resulting in opportunities to effect social change and to transform our understanding about art and artists.”

Knox, whose work explores the transformative role of the arts in society, was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine for his work on collaborative projects at the SHL that brings together experts in the arts, humanities and sciences and engages them in on-the-ground efforts to effect social change. Knox brings to ASU an extensive background in establishing and developing environments that recognize and foster new talents across all art disciplines and mediums.

"Gordon Knox is deeply committed to engaging with community while connecting the museum to his broad global networks,” Kim says. “Working with our excellent curators and staff, I am confident he will engage artists and audiences in exciting, new conversations about art in the 21st century.”

Knox believes that ASU’s commitment to broad, lateral access to excellence in education defines much of the still to be explored potential of the ASU Art Museum.

“The ASU Art Museum is the right place at the right time to activate a new model of how ideas flow from the past to the present to animate the thinking of today and build the communities of tomorrow,” Knox says. “A museum’s job is to provide public access to the full range of humanity’s thinking; combining that commitment with the radical possibilities of ASU today offers the greatest imaginable opportunity. I am both honored and fully activated by being invited to join the ASU team.”

Previous to the SHL, Knox was the artistic director of the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, Calif., developing ambitious projects such as Edge of Desire, the only West Coast exhibition of a comprehensive collection of recent art from India, and FUSE, a new media collaboration with the CADRE laboratory at San Jose State University. Knox also was the founding director of the Lucas Artists Program, a residency program at Montalvo that identifies exceptional international artists and supports them as they develop new work while in residence in eleven newly designed live/work studios.

During the 1990s as the founding Director of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy, Knox envisioned and established a center for the arts designed to advance and widen the discourse of contemporary cultural practice by engaging the voices and thinking of practitioners from all parts of the world and providing them with excellent conditions to advance their work. Civitella quickly became a new model for international, multidisciplinary residency programs.

As a part of the transition to Knox’s directorship, current interim director Heather Lineberry has been named Interim Associate Director and Senior Curator, effective on Knox’s arrival. In that role, Lineberry will work closely with Knox as an administrative partner while also continuing to pursue her curatorial interests.

The ASU Art Museum continues to examine contemporary issues through multiple ongoing exhibits, highlighted by the ongoing Defining Sustainability season. Defining Sustainability is a series of dynamic and interactive projects to illustrate sustainability ideas on display at the ASU Art Museum and its Ceramics Research Center through January, 2010. Other featured exhibitions include the latest subject of the Social Studies project, Jillian McDonald: Alone Together in the Dark, and I’m Keeping an Eye On You, a video exploration of the broad and lasting effects of our curiosity in and intrusions upon others.

Comprised of a dynamic combination of disciplines, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University is at the forefront of the investigation of creativity and creative practice shaping the 21st century. Many of the institute's programs consistently rank in the top ten of national peers and encompass over 45 areas of study within its seven schools: architecture and landscape architecture; art; arts, media and engineering; dance; design; music; and theatre and film. The ASU Art Museum, the Herberger Institute Research Center, and Future Arts Research @ ASU support our research initiatives. The Community School for Design and the Arts and our Community Engagement projects enable students and faculty to interact with the public through meaningful partnerships. To learn more about the institute, visit herbergerinstitute.asu.edu.

ASU students seek meaningful change in Africa

sdesgeor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:17:56 -0700

The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.
- British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, Feb. 3, 1960, in remarks to Parliament of South Africa

The wind of change British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan spoke of nearly 50 years ago in an address to the Parliament of South Africa is still in the air, and half-way around the world, three Arizona State University students are feeling it, thanks to a recent weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., and the Ron H. Brown African Affairs Series.

The series is focused on the role and responsibility of today’s youth in Africa’s future. The students, all enrolled in African and African American Studies program in ASU’s School of Social Transformation, have returned with a greater focus on the roles they might play in effecting meaningful change across Africa and an enthusiasm to match.

Senior Lafayette Newsome, junior Tabitha Sarabo, and sophomore Briana Tyson participated in a wide range of leadership forums, roundtables, panel discussions and one-on-one meetings with members of the Congressional Black Caucus; African political, NGO and civic leaders; and other series participants.

The students were joined on the trip by Lisa Aubrey, a political scientist and associate professor who teaches courses on politics, foreign policy, democracy and development, Africa and its Diaspora, race, and gender in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Aubrey, a former Fulbright Scholar doing work at the University of Ghana, has led students to the Brown Series the past two years.

“This was again a wonderful opportunity for a select group of students to see on-the-ground manifestations of the theoretical debates they read about, while also helping them realize they are empowered to learn and act,” she says.

“By being able to participate in the discussions and deliberations allows them to not only utilize their knowledge and skills, but also realize that someday they can be local, national and global leaders in their own right.”

Upon their return from the nation’s capital, Newsome, Sarabo and Tyson presented a forum on their experience to faculty, students and community members at the Tempe campus. Newsome, a first-generation student from Elizabeth, N.J., who also majors in political science, says the trip was both re-energizing and important.

“The trip, for me, was life-changing and has continued to add gasoline to a fire already lit,” he says. “I have a strong desire to see humanity live up to its potential, as well as a strong desire to improve the current conditions in Africa and the conditions here in America and beyond. The RHB Series was a way for me to build bridges with people committed to improving conditions.”

At the forum, Newsome presented an argument against the corporate and private intervention in Africa he believes is self-serving and destructive rather than beneficial. He notes that oppressive conditions half a globe away should be of interest to people in the Valley community and that, without the proper commitment and the right strategy, the wind of change is little more than a 50-year-old promise.

“Challenges in Africa impact me because I have a conscience. I care about people not only in my community, my state and my country, but everywhere. It is important that we are informed about issues in Africa because it is up to us to put pressure on officials and decision makers to improve the conditions. Without that pressure on officials and corporations, it is ridiculous to think they are going to change their behavior.”

Sarabo left her native Guyana, South America, in 2007 to attend ASU where her father, David Hinds, is an assistant professor in the School of Social Transformation.

A member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and a mentor to freshman recipients of financial aid through the university’s President Barack Obama Scholars Program, attended last year’s conference, which she was an “appetizer” to this year’s meeting.

“Last year’s conference encouraged me to pursue my current goals, which are study, study, study, and go to graduate school,” she says. “I am passionate about Africa and the African Diaspora political and economic progress. This conference opened my eyes to past and current issues faced by both Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora, and the various strategies being used to combat those challenges.”

The two conferences have helped her identify the continent’s challenges and how they might be resolved.

“I think the greatest challenge of most African countries is holding onto and asserting their rights as sovereign nations. Countries need to ensure that their leaders are not self serving, but are there to help progress the development of their countries. Also, these leaders must assert their rights and ensure that the profits gained from their countries’ natural resources are predominantly going to further develop their countries, and not leaving the country.

“Endogenous and exogenous forces have to be set in place to effectively address the challenges. On the continent, civil society has to demand that its leaders end the corruption, and govern in the best interests of the people. Everyone has to challenge the U.S. president and Congress, the international financial institutions and the corporations to ensure that their engagement with African countries is one that would lead to sustainable development in Africa.”

For Goodyear, Ariz., resident Briana Tyson, the series represented a chance to learn more about Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as meet people intimately involved in the discussion. A National Honors Society graduate of Agua Fria High School in 2008, Fria High School in 2008, and a member of the of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars, Tyson liked the learning experience of the week in Washington, D.C.

“The trip has helped me grow by informing me of the issues in Africa, as well as hearing different perspectives on how to solve the different problems. It has helped me to refocus my career aspirations by making me want to be more active on issues in Africa and possibly join some NGOs (non-governmental organization) to help make a difference.

“I believe I have grown a lot for the series; I am more informed.”

She sees the challenges in Africa as a matter of control.

“The continent’s biggest challenge moving forward is other countries trying to control Africa, as well as the huge amount of debt Africa carries. This is a problem because African countries cannot support their citizens properly because of the influence of other countries and the massive amount of debt they are faced with.”

While Aubrey’s students consider Africa’s past, present and future, and the role they and Africa’s Diaspora may someday play in finding solutions, the former research associate at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, says the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series moves students from classroom experiences to real-world applications.

“This series represents a unique and educational experience for our students,” says Aubrey, who received her doctoral degree from Ohio State University. “The fact that students are learning more about a place, a people, and its progeny helps them to better understand African peoples in a historical context, as well as in contemporary world systems.

“It sharpens their perspectives and inspires them to bridge what they are learning in the classroom to the real world. It feeds into their scholarly experience here.”

Aubrey and students Newsome, Sarabo and Tyson are currently working on an African Diaspora summit through which they will stay connected to colleagues and cohorts they met while in Washington, D.C.

ASU plays key role in Arizona’s landing of Suntech

cderra — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:17:56 -0700

The sun shines bright in the Valley, but that is not the reason why China’s leading manufacturer of solar panels, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., decided to locate its first manufacturing plant here. It is its longstanding ties to Arizona State University that helped convince the manufacturer of the benefits of metropolitan Phoenix, said Jonathan Fink, a Foundation Professor professor in ASU’s School of Sustainability and the School of Earth and Space Exploration.

“These earlier steps, which date back more than a decade, represent the apolitical, technology based cultivation that universities are best suited to carry out, usually behind the scenes,” Fink said.

Suntech announced its choice of the Phoenix metropolitan area for its first U.S. plant on Nov. 15 and cited several reasons, including the research strengths of ASU, Arizona’s statewide renewable energy policies and the favorable local business climate fostered by groups like the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. While Suntech will provide a modest initial commitment of about 75 new jobs and a facility of about 100,000 sq feet of space, it is the fact that they chose the Valley that has many people excited.

“It is great news for the Valley,” said R.F. “Rick” Shangraw, ASU vice president for Research and Economic Affairs. “This is the place where the largest solar module manufacturer in the world chose to have its first U.S. manufacturing base. They chose it in large measure due to the value they see in industry university partnerships.”

But it took a personal touch to get them interested in the Valley.

"If it wasn’t for ASU and Jon Fink, I doubt Suntech, especially Dr. Zhengrong Shi its CEO, would have taken much interest in Arizona in the first place,” said Rob Melnick, executive dean of ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability.

Suntech first learned about ASU in the 1990s through the school’s Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory (PTL), where their solar modules were tested and certified. In 2006, PTL’s director, Mani Tamizhmani, provided a group of ASU administrators a letter of introduction to Suntech’s Shi. Fink, who at the time was ASU’s vice president for Research and Economic Affairs, traveled with a small group to Suntech’s headquarters in Wuxi, China, to meet with Shi.

At the time, Fink and Melnick (then the associate vice president for economic affairs) were talking to many solar companies in Germany and China about possibly setting up operations in the Valley. Their message was simple and powerful.

“We took all of our solar pieces, some of which dated back to the 1960s, packaged them into a coherent program and then described ASU as the one place that has an end-to-end approach to solar,” Fink explained. “Not only did we have scientists discovering new materials and making new types of devices, but also architects creating new kinds of building-integrated photovoltaics (PV), the only PV testing lab in the U.S. (PTL), and dialogues with real estate developers about how you can design new communities that best incorporate renewable energy, particularly solar.”

After several formal meetings and, more importantly, many informal email exchanges, Shi and Fink found that there was more than just a good technical match between Suntech and ASU.

“Dr. Shi has a deep philosophical commitment towards sustainability,” said Fink, who also is director of the Center for Sustainability Science Applications. “As one of China’s strongest proponents of environmentally sound economic policies, he was impressed by the leading role ASU was taking in sustainability research and education.”

In 2007, Shi invited Fink to give a presentation in China on the many ways that universities can support the solar industry. “I was the only American academic to talk at this gathering of several hundred Chinese industrialists, government officials and academics, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and Suntech,” Fink said. “It was excellent exposure for Arizona.”

When ASU sought to expand the solar expertise on its faculty, Fink turned to Shi for advice. Two recent senior recruits, Christiana Honsberg and Stuart Bowden, had been colleagues of Shi when he got his Ph.D. in Australia.

One of the most crucial pieces in the Suntech recruitment was a meeting in China in June 2007 when Shi mentioned to Fink that he and his senior leadership were planning a trip to the U.S. the following month to meet with political leaders. Along with representatives from Arizona Public Service, Fink was able to persuade the Suntech team to make their first visit to Phoenix, where he arranged for them to meet with former Governor Napolitano, William Harris of Science Foundation Arizona, staff from the Arizona Department of Commerce and several local business leaders. In the months that followed, the Suntech leaders frequently referred back to the positive impression of that early visit.

“Suntech coming to Phoenix says a great deal about how research universities, if they choose to, can help with economic development,” Fink said. “If you want to advance these new technologies, you need places where new ideas will be generated and that usually occurs in research labs. We hope their local manufacturing presence will lead Suntech to build scientific and technical collaborations with ASU, so they can tell us which important questions need to be answered to improve their ability to bring solar to market.

ASU’s expanded role in driving the Valley’s economic development has been an important part of Michael Crow’s presidency. Other recent steps include the securing of funding for several key alternative energy projects, like its new Energy Frontier Research Center, two large and highly competitive ARPA-E grants and the start up of the LightWorks initiative. Fink sees all of these as reflections of how ASU can help the Valley diversify its economy.

“We weren’t just suggesting Suntech should come here because there is a lot of sunshine,” he added. “We were saying there is also the potential for a lot of new ideas and if we partner with you, you can incorporate those into your R&D strategy.”

Arizona's Teacher of the Year is ASU grad, current student

mattcrum — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:27:20 -0700

She describes herself as “born to teach,” and it shows. Arizona State University graduate Joy Weiss was honored Nov. 5 as Arizona’s 2010 Teacher of the Year by the Arizona Educational Foundation.

“Being a teacher is much more than teaching students, but an opportunity to inspire, encourage and support others to become the best they can be,” says Weiss, a Mesa native who earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 1998 and is currently taking graduate courses through ASU’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL) to obtain a reading endorsement.

Weiss, who now lives in Phoenix and teaches first grade at Balsz Elementary School, regularly serves as a mentor and role model for future teachers who work as interns and student teachers in her classroom. “These experiences with ASU students push me to continue learning,” she says. “It is so exciting to work with ‘fresh’ minds and gain perspective on your career through new eyes. I am excited to work with each ASU student who enters my classroom.”

Not being one to do things half-heartedly, Weiss also excels in the CTEL reading classes she has been taking at ASU’s West campus. One of her professors, Frank Serafini, describes Weiss as an excellent, dedicated student. “Her work is some of the best I've seen, and her dedication to her students comes through in her work,” says Serafini, an associate professor of literacy education and an award-winning author of children’s books.

Weiss’ current studies at ASU represent a continuation of a mutually beneficial relationship between her and the university. “As an undergraduate I had many professors who pushed me beyond my comfort zone and provided safe environments for me and my fellow students to discuss issues without fear of ridicule or embarrassment,” she says.

In addition to mentoring current college students, Weiss goes above and beyond in a myriad ways at Balsz Elementary School. She trains and supports other Balsz teachers in the integration of technology in the classroom; mentors new teachers; coaches fellow teachers on English Language Development (ELD) issues as well as the school’s new math curriculum; coordinates supplemental summer and fall programs; assists with a weekly Family Night program for the local community and more.

Weiss says her career path was set in her first few weeks of kindergarten. “When I met Mrs. Walker, I knew that someday I would be a teacher,” she says.

“The satisfaction I get from teaching is difficult to express in words because it looks different every day. In some cases it’s from the simple way that I show love to a student who needs extra care that day. Other times it’s the triumphs of students understanding the knowledge that's been taught and being able to help others gain the same understanding. I don't believe there is any other profession that allows such a great opportunity to be an active participant with one’s ‘clients’ – the students.”

The Teacher of the Year honor brings with it a $20,000 award, a laptop computer, a trip to space camp in Huntsville, Ala., and a scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree. Weiss also is now Arizona’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year award.

“I am very excited for what this honor brings to me,” Weiss says. “The opportunities for professional growth are profound, as well as the chance to work with colleagues around the state and shed new insights on the triumphs and tribulations of education. I look forward to working with others to do my best to bring hope and inspiration back into the classrooms. This award is very humbling, and the process which took me here has made me think very deeply and has shown me who I am at the deepest part of me and what I truly believe as an educator.”

ASU leads country in AIEF scholarship students

sdesgeor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:32:14 -0700

Arizona State University is the country’s higher education destination of choice for undergraduate Native Americans attending college on an American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) scholarship, according to numbers recently released by the foundation.

Of 176 undergraduate scholarships awarded this year by AIEF, 41 of the recipients are attending Arizona colleges and universities. Eighteen of those students are enrolled at ASU for the 2009-10 academic year. Northern Arizona University and the University of Alaska-Anchorage are second, with eight students each.

“We are just elated to see so many American Indian students seek and apply for scholarships at ASU, and particularly these from AIEF,” says Michael Begaye, executive director of ASU’s American Indian Student Support Services.

“We work very closely with 25 different reservations in Arizona and New Mexico alone, two states that AIEF and the NRC (National Relief Charities) recognize as the most impoverished or to have the least access to outside resources. This is an issue of access, and we are proud of making the programs and resources of this university available to so many students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue higher education.”

Helen Oliff, NRC public relations manager, echoes Begaye’s emphasis on providing greater opportunities to Native American students.

“Many Americans believe that college is free for Native Americans. U.S.-Tribal treaties mention schools and teachers, but do not mention college," she says. “Today, when more Native American students hope to go to college, the competition for available scholarships is fierce. Native American students are half as likely as non-Natives to have a college degree in this country. AIEF and NRC want them to have more of an opportunity.”

For Angela Matus, her AIEF scholarship is the realization of an unreachable dream. A member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Matus graduated early from Tempe Marcos de Niza High School in 2008 as a member of the dean’s list. The 20-year-old biological sciences major in ASU’s School of Life Sciences is following in the footsteps of her mother, who graduated from the Tempe campus with a B.A. in education and is currently working on her master’s in American Indian education. The younger Matus says the scholarship to ASU not only provides her with a university education, but also will allow her to pursue a dream.

“In this economic crisis, I needed to help myself – education was important to me,” she says.

“My mom brings me strength and courage to do what she did, to surpass the limits and come back home to help our people, and to receive this scholarship brings me great joy. Now, AIEF has given me the empowerment and passion to live proudly and work harder.”

She says she has found her calling at ASU.

“This year, as a college student, I have been able to do what I want to do, which is to help educate the Native American students in the ASU community the value of fitness.”

Matus has pursued her interest in fitness through her leadership of the Native American Wellness Society (NAWS) at ASU, where she serves the club as president.

“While at ASU, I am gaining knowledge, leadership and friends," she says. "Being president of NAWS is one thing that was not in my plans while attending ASU, but I am very proud to have the opportunity.

“If I didn’t have the friends I have met at ASU, native or not, I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am now – at the top of the world with an aspiration to change it.”

Laine Evans Nelson, whose tribal heritage is Navajo, Mojave and Papago, graduated with honors from River Valley High School in Mohave Valley, Ariz. The AIEF scholarship will allow the junior theater major to pursue his acting aspirations.

“Simply put, the AIEF scholarship removed my financial worry," he says. "This year in particular, my career and my life almost hinges around being able to afford the things my craft requires. From a computer to communicate, design and research; to papers, books, workshops and seminars; to acquire new skills in acting.

“I have a concentration in acting for the theater program here, but I will either stay here for a while doing theater or move directly on to graduate school.I am honing my skills as an actor to be a voice for those who want to speak but oftentimes are never heard,” says Laine, 20, who notes the large Native American student population at ASU played a part in his selection of the university.

AIEF is one of the country’s largest grantors of scholarships to Native Americans, funding about $450,000 for more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Of these recipients, nearly half are first-generation students. AIEF awards look beyond grade point averages and standardized test scores for students who exhibit passion, resiliency and leadership skills.

AIEF scholarships are awarded by a selection committee that includes enrolled tribal members from around the country. “Many American Indian students are in need of financial assistance, but do not meet the criteria that other scholarships require,” says Lyn Tysdal, program manager of AIEF’s six educational services. “ASU has a strong commitment to American Indian students, as evidenced by its American Indian Support Services office and the great support it provides.”

New College offers wide variety of Winter Session classes

mattcrum — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:35:20 -0700

World politics, abnormal psychology and leadership in group communication are just a few of the courses that will be offered in the Winter Session from Dec. 2 to Jan. 14 by Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. Other classes focus on writing for the professions, popular music, religions around the world and more.

Twenty classes total are scheduled. Three are in-person classes to be held at ASU’s West campus in northwest Phoenix, while the other 17 will be taught online.

“These course offerings provide an excellent opportunity for students to complete a three-credit course in a short time period,” says Rob Taylor, director of graduate studies and special programs in New College. “Doing so can help lessen a student’s course load during the upcoming spring semester.”

Taylor says students planning to take a Winter Session course should be prepared for a demanding, fast-paced academic experience. “These are not ‘watered down’ courses – they are taught by full-time faculty and cover the same breadth and depth of material as courses taught during a regular semester,” he says.

The 17 online courses offer time flexibility while still providing plenty of interaction with one’s professor and fellow students, Taylor says.

Freshman through senior-level courses are among the offerings. Many of the courses fulfill ASU General Studies graduation requirements.

Registration for the Winter Session is now under way. A full listing of the 20 courses offered through New College is available at http://newcollege.asu.edu/classes/. Academic advisers may be reached at (602) 543-7000.

Headquartered at ASU’s West campus, the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences offers 18 bachelor’s and five master’s degrees. Academic programs blend theory with experiential learning to prepare students for the social, economic, political and cultural challenges they will face in a diverse and rapidly expanding global marketplace.

ASU distributes H1N1 vaccines to high-priority groups

jnewberg — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Arizona State University has received part of its vaccine order for the H1N1 virus (also known as swine flu). Following state and federal guidelines, ASU is making vaccines available to those in the high-priority groups as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Members of the ASU community who are 24 years old or younger or who have one of these medical conditions may receive the vaccine: pregnant; obese; heart disease; lung disease; asthma; kidney or liver disease; diabetes or metabolic disease; anemia or blood disorder; or other immune-compromising conditions. Vaccines for students, faculty and staff in these high-risk groups will be administered during health centers normal business hours at all campuses. Students may also receive vaccines at the Campus Health Service clinic in the Sonora Residence Hall.

ASU health officials will update messages when vaccine is available for the general university population.

Students, faculty and staff must show their ASU SunCard to receive a vaccine. There is a $10 fee for the vaccine for students. ABOR Aetna Student Health Insurance will cover the cost of the vaccination for those students.

Benefit-eligible employees’ administration fee will be covered in the same manner as the seasonal flu vaccinations.

People who have already had H1N1 flu that has been confirmed through testing do not need to get the vaccine.

For more information, go to www.asu.edu/pandemic or http://students.asu.edu/health.