Volume VIII Number 4 Fall 2013 Provost Betty Phillips Announces Her New Role in Florida After seven years of service as Under her leadership, retention Executive Vice President and Provost and graduation rates have increased, of the University, Betty Phillips will the student population has become be returning to the University of more diversified, and the faculty Florida, where she previously served has grown. She has designed as Provost. In her new role she will nationally known efforts in lead a statewide project funded by academic innovation, technology the Florida legislature. The purpose development and pedagogical will be enhancement of online design. As a psychologist, she has education, linking all online efforts led ASU’s obesity research initiative. across Florida. Her connections with From the very beginning of plans ASU, however, will not be severed for the Emeritus College, Betty has as she designs cooperative ventures provided invaluable support. We between Florida and ASU online. are pleased to know she has stated According to President Michael that the Emeritus College (EC) “is Crow, Betty has “served ASU one of the best things here” at ASU. with distinction and has led ASU We will miss Betty while to the highest levels of academic extending to her our gratitude and achievement in our history.” Betty Phillips best wishes in her new endeavors. Eighth Annual Emeritus Project Humanities from Booker T. Washington, “…We can College Symposium In the last few years, the teaching be as separate as the fingers, yet as one as On November 2, 2013, colleagues of humanities-related classes has the hand in all things essential to mutual share their views on the theme: “Leisure diminished in classrooms ranging progress.” Time: Personal, Social and Economic from kindergarten through graduate For three years now, the Emeritus Dimensions.” school. Part of the reason has been College and Project Humanities have At the opening session, Mark Searle, financial, while another part relates to partnered in sponsoring community- former Vice President in the Provost's the increased emphasis in our high-tech based events designed to encourage Office and nationally-recognized culture on STEM (Science, Technology, participants to “Talk, Listen, and researcher on leisure, presents “Does Engineering, and Math). Connect.” Leisure Matter? Observations on the Out of this climate, thoughtful people Under the direction of Professor Benefits of Leisure.” began focusing on ways to reinvigorate Lester, who has served as chair of ASU’s At the banquet luncheon, Maria the humanities, not in classrooms, but in English Department Chair and as Chair Allison, Vice Provost for Academic the larger society. In 2010, when Neal of the Arizona Humanities Council Excellence, speaks on “Flow and the Lester was Dean of Humanities in the Board of Directors, the Emeritus College Playful Spirit.” College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Project Humanities partnership The rest of the day is filled with he led the planning for ASU’s Project began in the summer of 2011. a variety of sessions provided by Humanities. The partnership continued and on members of the Emeritus College. The idea is illustrated through the logo through 2012 when the Emeritus College Below is a complete list of scheduled of a hand that is made from silhouettes co-sponsored the showing of thought- presenters and their topics: of many individuals grouped together in provoking films in various local libraries. ►Per Aannestad, “Target Earth: the shape of a hand. You’ve probably Emeritus College members brought Asteroids, Comets, and Near-Earth seen this hand printed in yellow on black refreshments, recruited participants, and Objects” posters, T-shirts, carry-all bags, and served as group discussion leaders. See Symposium on p. 5 banners. It was inspired by a statement See Project Humanities on p. 3 Emeritus College Newsletter Page 2 Volume VIII Number 4 Outreach Lectures and e-mail at [email protected]. Courses: Fall 2013 Online copies of this guide can also The Emeritus College (EC) be found at: http://emerituscollege. provides lectures and short courses asu.edu/Guide2013.pdf. through its Academy for Continued Learning under the direction of Per Aannestad. These include fee-based courses co-sponsored by the ASU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and pro bono lectures listed annually in the College’s Guide to Lectures and Courses. Those given by EC members for the fall semester follow. LECTURES The lecture series for the fall began with presentations by Len Gordon, Gary Kleemann, Eric vanSonnenberg, Emeritus Voices, Fall 2013, Volume 13 Lattie Coor, Alvin Swimmer and Jay Braun. Please mark your calendars sometimes need to define specialized for these upcoming lectures: terms and explain certain allusions. ►Jay Braun, Part Two of lecture You are also invited to try your series on Brain Development and hand at new genres, including opinion Ageing, Nov. 4, Merrill Ranch, Emeritus Voices Update pieces, poetry, observations, memoirs, Florence Of course we want our regular travel stories, humorous essays, and ►Lou-ellen Finter, The Apache, a contributors to continue their good work. even crossword puzzles. Book and 5-session series, Nov. 7, Sun City But we also want to make room for new film reviews are also being solicited, Festival, Buckeye; George Fredrick contributors so that more of us benefit including the short kind meant to Handel, Dec. 16, Sun City Festival, from the largess of ASU and its generosity inspire people to read the book and the Buckeye in supporting the publication of a glossy, longer kind meant to replace personal ►Mathew Betz, Southern Sudan full-color journal at a time when many reading. And to take advantage of our Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, magazines and journals are ceasing paper beautiful, full-color printing, artists Nov. 13, New Frontiers, Mesa publication and going online. and photographers are especially Community College One of the underlying goals of encouraged to contribute. ►Paul Burgess, The Economics of Emeritus Voices is to encourage all of Send all written material Almost Everything, Nov. 15, New us to continue thinking, doing research, electronically in Microsoft Word Frontiers, Mesa Community College and writing in our own fields, and format, 12-point Times New Roman ►David Berman, Arizona maybe to experiment and develop font to [email protected]. Progressives: The Life and Legacy of new fields of endeavor. This is why Submission guidelines are published George W.P. Hunt, Nov. 19, Sun City we want to encourage more people to in the back of each issue of EV and Anthem at Merrill Ranch, Florence contribute to Emeritus Voices, which address the submission of photographs ►Alleen Nilsen, Gender Issues: Are receives high levels of praise both and other art work. You may also Men Really from Mars and Women within ASU and out in the broader contact the editor for assistance. from Venus?, Nov. 20, RECOM community where other universities are Even people who have won Pulitzer (Retired Employees City of Mesa) considering the formation of Emeritus Prizes—or as one of our students said, The Emeritus College Guide to Colleges. The only caution we offer “Pullet Surprises”—enjoy seeing their Lectures and Courses is distributed is that Emeritus Voices is published for names in print. So please consider annually to many local organizations. a general audience of readers who are availing yourselves of this pleasure. Questions about these presentations well educated, but not necessarily in -Alleen Nilsen may be sent to Per Aannestad by your particular field, and so authors will Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus Voices Emeritus College Newsletter Fall 2013 Page 3 Project Humanities (from p. 1) Project Humanities, and New Frontiers Saturday, September 21, sixteen Out of this relatively small beginning, from Mesa Community College. This different events were held, scattered a stronger partnership developed. One involved bringing Professor John across all of our campuses, plus one reason is that the purpose of Project Morreall from the College of William at the Phoenix Burton Barr library. Humanities is to make connections and Mary to Arizona to speak about the The sessions dealt with the among people who don’t usually “hang role of humor in politics. On campus, humor and comedy of women, out” together. Professor Morreall spoke mainly to blacks, science fiction, health care, This concept means crossing the students in the Honors College, while his business, sociology, religion, art, invisible lines that separate people larger community event was held at the history, cartooning, and stand-up because of such social factors as Tempe Historical Museum’s Community comedy. There were also sections age, gender, religious, and racial Room. on how to write humor, how to be identifications. In keeping with this idea When Neal Lester heard Professor a clown, and how to “spit poetry.” of outreach, events are held throughout Morreall, he was so impressed with Additionally there was a panel of the valley, sometimes on ASU campuses, some of his observations that he invited Arizona State University’s “funniest but other times in public libraries, Professor Morreall to come back as the professors.” community rooms, parks, or churches. kick-off speaker for this fall’s Project As we go to press, the Project Each semester, Project Humanities Humanities "Humor...Seriously" week. Humanities Spring 2014 focus has chooses a focus theme. Recent themes Other speakers included Mexican not yet been chosen, but upcoming have been “Are We Losing Our humorist Gustavo Arellano, author events will be listed online at www. Humanity?” and “What Does It Mean to Laurie Notaro, comic book writer Alison humanities.asu.edu. These events Be a Hero?” The theme for fall 2013 has Bechdel, screenwriter Bambi Haggins, are all free and open to the public, been “Humor…Seriously” which grew our own Dean Leonard Gordon, and and Emeritus College members are partially from a spring 2013 activity ASU professor Matthew Whitaker.