The Good Person of Szechwan

"The Good Person of Szechwan", a play by Berholt Brecht, will be performed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday (19 February) in Ransburg Auditorium's Esch Hall on the campus of the University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets (available at the door) are $10.

Here's a summary of the plot: When three gods come to earth in search of a thoroughly good person, they encounter Shen Teh, a goodhearted but penniless prostitute, who offers them shelter. Rewarded with enough money to open a tobacco shop, the “Angel of the Slums” Shen Teh soon becomes so overwhelmed by the demands of people seeking assistance that she invents a male alter ego, “Tobacco King” Shui Ta, to deal ruthlessly with the business of living in an evil world. One of Bertolt Brecht’s most celebrated works, this intercultural play blends his fascination with Chinese theatricality, German politics, and American detective novels into a fast-moving, comic consideration of Right and Wrong in the real world.

For more information, contact Valerie K. Miller Wahlstrom, 317:788-2183.

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Indiana's Global Connectedness in its Schools

Promoting global connectedness is one of the goals of the 2009 Indiana Education Transformation Conference to be held 16 and 17 November. It is sponsored by the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis.

Indiana’s Future: Bold Choices. Better Schools. will bring together nearly 600 school administrators, teachers, community and business leaders, university faculty, and policy-makers with the goal of transforming education across the state. Sessions begin at 1 p.m. 16 November in the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, 350 West Maryland Street, Indianapolis.

Registration information is online. Cost is $135 (if you sign up on or before 11 November); on-site registration is $175.

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"Freedom Without Walls"

"Freedom Without Walls", concert by Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, is set for 8 p.m. 7 November in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. Tickets ($10-25) are available at 317:940-9607.

The concert celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On the schedule are compositions by two Germans: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet and Viola. In addition, Norbert Krapf, Indiana Poet Laureate, will read "Questions on a Wall", a poem he wrote with inspiration from his experiences in Berlin."

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The Surging Spring Tide

A reception is planned from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Wednesday (23 September) for the opening of "The Surging Spring Tide" in Ransburg Gallery, Good Hall, University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. After the reception, there will be a talk about Chinese painting.

The exhibit, by painter Xiao Jinhui, Shandong University of Art & Design, China, will be open through Friday (25 September). It's sponsored by Asian Programs at UIndy. Information, Dr. Phylis Lan Lin, 317:788-3288.

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Thinking Big about China?

John Watkins (pictured), chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in the People’s Republic of China, will discuss "Thinking Big About China" during an "Ideas in Indiana" luncheon sponsored by Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and co-hosted by Asian Programs of University of Indianapolis.

The event, to be held in the Museum of Master Au Ho-nien at UIndy, is scheduled for 6 May, with registration at 11 a.m. and the luncheon set for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Watkins is Corporate Vice President of Cummins Inc. and President of Cummins East Asia, which employs more than 6,000 across China in 14 manufacturing plants, two R&D centers, and many sales and service centers.

Following the talk, a small group of leading researchers, businesspeople and policymakers will discuss what can “bring out the best” in Indiana businesses and universities that are engaged in China.

As John Clark of SIPR notes, "China's rise is seen by some as a threat and by others as an opportunity. It has the potential to bring out the best or the worst in both societies. The risks of China's rise are real---but less threatening than most think and the opportunities are far greater than most can envision. American stakeholders who want improvements in the trade and overall bi-lateral relationship will be better served by focusing more time, energy and resources on maximizing our opportunities through a solution-oriented, innovative and can-do winning attitude and approach---in the way President John F. Kennedy challenged Americans to think big and go after an audacious goal. To use a sports metaphor, we have to play offense as well as defense."

The Museum of Master Au Ho-nien is in the basement of the Schwitzer Student Center at UIndy, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. Required reservations are due by 4 May; contact Susan Stinn, 317:472-2053.

Clark adds: "Indiana possesses many “hidden treasures” linking the state to China. Watkins' lunch talk and the discussion will take place in one of these little known assets, the museum of Master Au Ho-nien at the University of Indianapolis. Master Au is one of the greatest living traditional Chinese artists."

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Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Conference

More than 100 high school business students from throughout central Indiana are getting a taste of international business issues today (15 April) during an entrepreneurship conference at the University of Indianapolis.

Highlights include live competitions before judging panels of UIndy faculty and students, with prizes including an iPod Touch. In the Global Ethics Competition, now in its third year, 15 entrants (individuals or pairs) will present five-minute PowerPoint responses to an international business case study. In the Entrepreneurship “Elevator Speech” Competition, now in its second year, four finalists will deliver brief business proposals, and then submit to 10-15 minutes of grilling from the judges.

Participating high schools include North Central, Perry Meridian, Pike, Whiteland Community, Columbus East and Knightstown. The day’s keynote speaker is Mark Cooper, director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Indiana Export Assistance Center. Later, the visiting teens can pose questions to a Global Leadership Panel of UIndy students from Asia, Africa and Europe.

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Kuijken visits UIndy for IBO concert

Baroque flutist and conductor Barthold Kuijken will perform at the University of Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra's concert tomorrow (23 February).

Kuijken, a native of Belgium and the IBO's new artistic director, will lead the orchestra in a program of music from the four principal nations of Baroque music: Italy (represented by the music of Corelli), France (Rebel and Campra), Germany (Handel) and England (Purcell).

"Les Nations" begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, UIndy, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

Admission is $15; $10 students and seniors and free for UIndy faculty, staff and students. For tickets and additional information, call 317:202-0546.

Blasted Allegories

Dutch-born painter Henk Pander is the focus of the latest exhibition in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery on the campus of the University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

"Blasted Allegories", which runs through 13 February, features 10 large-scale oil paintings by the Oregon-based artist. The exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.

Pander will attend a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. 2 February in the gallery. Admission is free. His 7 p.m. lecture is sponsored by Talbot Street Art Fair Inc.

For the past few decades, Pander’s work has thematically dealt with his life as an immigrant in terms of loss and memory of what was left in Europe, discovery of and learning about a new culture, and trying to find overlaps and connections between what was there and what is here. Through paintings that reflect personal experience, he gives form to events he has witnessed, where individual experience meets historical time. His work often focuses on the passage of time, entropy, and loss in an attempt to make visual sense out of contemporary dilemma.

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"Great Decisions" Series Starts Next Month

The Great Decisions Lecture Series addresses eight current international issues important to the United States. The series includes a lecture followed by group discussion.

Participation in this Indy-based series, sponsored by the Indiana Council on World Affairs, is open to the public, with sessions scheduled for eight Tuesday evenings. They will be held in the Pharmacy Building, Butler University, Indianapolis. Registration begins at 7 p.m. with the program following at 7:30 p.m.

THE ARCTIC AGE - 3 February - Richard Fredland, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis

AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN - 10 February - Milind Thakar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of International Relations, University of Indianapolis

ENERGY & THE GLOBAL ECONOMY - 17 February - Jesse Kharbanda, Executive Director, Hoosier Environmental Council

THE U.S. AND RISING POWERS - 24 February - Pierre Atlas, Ph.D., Director of the Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies, Marian College

EGYPT IN THE 21ST CENTURY - 3 March - Amira Mashhour, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, World Languages and Cultures, IUPUI

GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY - 17 March - James Morris, Former Executive Director of the U.N. World Food Program

CUBA AFTER CASTRO - 24 March - Gaston Fernandez, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Indiana State University

UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS? - 31 March - Paul Hanson, Ph.D., Professor of History, Butler University

For further information on the local, contact Annette Johansson, 317:879-1338.

"Great Decisions" is a program of the Foreign Policy Association.

International Reading Assn. Honors UIndy

The University of Indianapolis’ Elementary Education Program will receive a Certificate of Distinction from the International Reading Association at its conference next May, reports the UIndy news bureau. The certificate honors outstanding preparation of future reading teachers.

In its announcement of the award, the association praised the UIndy program for having “an exemplary commitment to personal and professional support for teacher candidates that continues well after graduation.”

The International Reading Association is a not-for-profit professional organization with 85,000 members and councils and affiliates in more than 100 countries.

Students from Ningbo Institute in China Come to UIndy

Among the more than 900 freshman and transfer students attending the University of Indianapolis this year are 60 new students from China.

UIndy has an ongoing joint-degree program with the Ningbo Institute of Technology, part of Zhejiang University.

This year’s student population is expected to surpass the record numbers of 2007-2008, when the university hosted 2,562 full-time undergraduates and, with the inclusion of part-time students and graduate and adult evening programs, 4,604 students overall.

UIndy Basketball Star Named MVP in Poland

Former University of Indianapolis superstar David Logan (pictured) was recently named the Most Valuable Player of Poland's Dominet Banke Ekstraliga basketball league, reports the UIndy news bureau.

His phenomenal campaign, which also included an All-Star team nod, was highlighted by his team's advancement to the Finals, where it eventually fell to five-time defending champion Prokom Trefl Sopot.

The 6-1 guard has spent three years playing professionally in Europe. He originally signed with Edimes Pavia in the Italian League, averaging 17.1 points per game in 12 contests with the club. He then went on to Ramat-Hasharon in Turkey, where he played in 22 contests and averaged 15.4 points per game. He has played in Poland the past two seasons, playing for Polphamra-Pakmet Starogard before his stint with the Turow squad.

The Indianapolis native compiled 2,352 points in his fabulous career at UIndy.

Bracelet Project Aids West African Education

Lydia Fischer and Lyndsay McBride (pictured), students at the University of Indianapolis, created Inches International after a service trip to Liberia last year.

Fischer, McBride and several other UIndy students, staff and faculty members raised money and spent three weeks in Liberia in May 2007 working alongside residents of a rural village – without running water or power tools – to build a six-classroom schoolhouse. Fischer and McBride couldn’t shake the idea that they should somehow continue the mission, the school reported.

The two students, both graphic design majors, designed the bracelets, a logo, a brochure and a Web site to publicize the project. Available in nine colors, the bracelets bear ruler marks and the phrase "by inches". The students contracted with a sheet metal company to produce the items at a cost of about a dollar each, which means the vast majority of the $5 purchase price is funneled to a United Methodist-affiliated charity, Operation Classroom, to fund schooling for children in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

They've already sold more than 1,000 bracelets -- for every 20 bracelets sold, an impoverished African child can attend a year of school.

A Musical Tour of Three Continents

The University of Indianapolis Faculty Artist Series will conclude its 2007-2008 season 7 April with a whirlwind tour of three continents.

The free concert features music of French, Spanish, Hungarian and Argentinean composers, along with the premiere of a newly commissioned work by Assistant Professor John Berners (at right), who teaches music composition at UIndy.

Highlights will include soprano Kathleen Hacker performing the music of Saint-Saëns, Marko Petričić playing works by Soler and Ginastera on the bayan accordion, and the premiere of Berners’ Divertimento for oboe, trombone and string bass. Harry Miedema and friends conclude the evening with a unique jazz rendition of Gershwin’s “Summertime.”

The concert will take place in the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall of the university's Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. For more information, call 317:788-3255 or visit the website.

Performers include Kathleen Hacker, soprano; Marko Petričić, bayan accordion; David Bellman, clarinet; Cathryn Gross, clarinet; Louise Alexander, violin; Michael Isaac Strauss, viola; Perry Scott, cello; Pamela French, oboe; Blake Schlabach, trombone; Peter Hansen, bass; Richard Ratliff, piano; Harry Miedema, tenor saxophone; Gary Walters, piano; and Jack Helsley, bass.

Presentation on African Chimpanzees at UIndy

An anthropologist who is making headlines with her pioneering studies of African primates will speak on 28 March at the University of Indianapolis.

Jill Pruetz (right) shattered preconceptions about animal intelligence by documenting a group of chimpanzees in Senegal that use deliberately sharpened sticks to spear small mammals hiding in tree hollows, according to UIndy. Before she and a colleague published their observations last year, the use of tools to hunt vertebrate animals was thought to be an exclusively human ability.

An associate professor of anthropology at Iowa State University, Pruetz will discuss her work in a free public presentation at 7 p.m. 28 March in UIndy’s Ransburg Auditorium, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

Huangshan Encounter at University of Indianapolis

Music is combined with art in "Huangshan Encounter: Joyful Gathering at Mount Huang". the innovative event is set for 7 p.m. 27 March in the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center at University of Indianapolis, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

In addition to Sesin Jong, an ink-brush painting artist who lives in New York City and Shanghai, China, there will be singers from the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble and musicians from Shanghai Normal University.

It's sponsored by Asian Programs at UIndy. Although admission is free, they'd like reservations. Contact Patricia Cabrera, 317:788-3288.

Samuel Pieh to Speak at University of Indianapolis

Samuel Pieh (left), a alumnus of the University of Indianapolis who served as a dialect coach and played a small role in the Steven Spielberg movie based on the 1839 incident when slaves on board a Spanish schooner off the coast of North America rebelled, will discuss "The Amistad: Timeless Values in the Footprints of History" during a program beginning at noon 21 January. Pieh is a descendant of Sengbe Pieh (also known as Joseph Cinqué) whose actions led his fellow captives to freedom in a landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Open to the public, the free event will be in UIndy’s Ransburg Auditorium, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis. The program also will include music by the university’s "Voices of Worship" gospel choir. A reception follows in the Schwitzer Student Center atrium. Pieh, who graduated from UIndy in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, is the executive director of the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone.

Taiwan: From Within the Mist

Taiwan: From Within the Mist is an exhibit featuring the work of 21 artists in media such as painting, photography, digital imagery, sculpture, printmaking, video and multimedia installations. The exhibition, in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center at the University of Indianapolis, highlights Taiwanese avant-garde art as presented by a new generation of artists. It's sponsored by the Department of Art and Design at the University of Indianapolis, in conjunction with the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the Culture Division of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office, and the University of Indianapolis Asian Programs. The exhibit is open to the public at no charge through 7 December -- look for free parking in the lot located on the corner of Hanna Avenue and Shelby Street, Indianapolis. For more information, call 317:788-3253.

University of Indianapolis Athens Campus

The University of Indianapolis has a campus in Athens, Greece, that was chartered in 1989 to offer a quality American educational experience there. The Athens Campus includes 30 undergraduate and eight graduate programs.

In 1998 the University established a center in Tripolis, Greece, and in 2002, became a Cisco Networking Academy, offering courses in networking in cooperation with Cisco Systems.

The Athens Campus is located at the foot of the Acropolis and is the only wholly owned branch campus of a U.S. university operating in Greece. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, and is also a founding member of the Association of American Colleges in Greece.

The University sponsors the Odyssey in Athens study abroad program designed to provide American college students with a rich cultural experience in the birthplace of Western civilization while taking accredited upper level courses in their chosen fields of study alongside Greek and other international students.

The University also cooperates with AHEPA (the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) to sponsor "The Journey to Greece Program", a study tour that provides students with six transferable university credits. The required core course is Modern Greek Language, Society & Culture. For a second course, students will then choose between Greek Art, Architecture and Archaeology, or Olympics – the Origins.

Check it out here.

UIndy commencement features UN aid director, charity doctor

Charles J. Dietzen, M.D. (left), will speak during the graduate programs commencement at 7:30 p.m. Friday (4 May) at University of Indianapolis. Dietzen is founder and president of the Timmy Foundation, an Indianapolis-based charitable organization that supports health projects in developing countries.

James T. Morris (right), who just stepped down after five years as executive director of the Rome-based United Nations World Food Programme, will be the featured speaker for undergraduate commencement, which begins at 2 p.m. Saturday (5 May).