FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

August 26, 2005

Contact: Shirley Melikian Armbruster

(559) 278-5292 or (559) 593-1815                 

University Lecture Series will kick off with health advocate Dr. Art Ulene on Sept. 13

The University Lecture Series at California State University, Fresno will present seven guest speakers in health, the arts, literature and the environment in 2005-06. Speakers will include Dr. Art Ulene, Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi, Joyce Carol Oates, Alfie Kohn, Dr. Patrick Moore, Dr. Edward Diener and Nouritza Matossian.

The programs will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union, 2485 E. San Ramon. Free parking will be available in Lots J, O and P beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Preventive health advocate and radio-TV personality Dr. Art Ulene will start the series on Tuesday, Sept. 13 by addressing “The Vitality Challenge: Rx for Health.” Since 1975, Ulene has spearheaded the use of television to promote public health. He appeared on NBC’s “Today” program for 23 years, and his nationally syndicated special health series are seen on local TV news programs around the country.

His lecture is co-sponsored by the High Point Foundation and the College of Health and Human Services at Fresno State. Ulene also will be the keynote speaker at the conference of childhood obesity sponsored by the College of Health and Human Services on Sept. 14.

On Oct. 11, the University Lecture Series and the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute will co-sponsor MTV Award Winning director Sergio Arau and acclaimed actress Yareli Arizmendi. The husband and wife are co-creators of the politically charged masterpiece “A Day without a Mexican.” Arau and Arizmendi’s multimedia lecture will explore topical news with a Latino point of view.

Their topic is “Making the Invisible Visible: The Task of the Artist.” The lecture will be in conjunction with the First Annual Diversity Conference, “Culture and Community Building: Transformative Practices,” on Oct. 11 at Fresno State.

On Nov. 1, the University Lecture Series, the English Department at Fresno State and the San Joaquin Literacy Association will host author Joyce Carol Oates. Oates is one of America’s most versatile writers and author of a number of distinguished books in several genres. John Gardner has called her “one of the greatest writers of our time.” Her address is entitled “An Evening With Joyce Carol Oates: A Selection of Readings with Commentary.

Alfie Kohn, who has written for most leading education periodicals, will speak on Feb. 7 about “Overhauling the Transmission Model.” Time magazine described him as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades and test scores.” His books include “What Does It Mean to be Well Educated?” (2004).

On Feb. 28, the lecture series will host Dr. Patrick Moore, who will addresses “Environmentalism for the 21^st Century.” Moore has been a leader in the international environmental field for more than 30 years and is one of the founding members of Greenpeace. He says there is ineffective communication between special interest groups and the business community and seeks to reveal the myths and misinformation that distort environmental debates. In 1991, he founded Greenspirit, a consultancy focusing on environmental policy and communications. 

The University Lecture Series and The High Point Foundation will present Fresno State alumnus Dr. Edward Diener and his address on the “Science of Happiness” on April 4. Diener, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, was called “Dr. Happiness” by Time magazine in January 2005. He is the editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies and author of 180 publications, most in the area of subjective well-being. He has received several awards, including the 2000 distinguished alumni award from Fresno State.

The final program will be held on April 18 as the lecture series, in cooperation with the Gorky Festival which is sponsored by the Fresno Art Museum and the Armenian Museum, present Nouritza Matossian. Her topic is “A Case of Mistaken Identity: Why Arshile Gorky Changed His Name.” Matossian is a British writer, actress, broadcaster and human rights activist in the arts, contemporary music and history of Armenia.

The University Lecture Series is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the University Student Union, Associated Students Inc., Coke and James Hallowell, KJWL Radio, KVPR Radio and Piccadilly Inn Hotels.

Season and advance individual tickets are available at the University Student Union Information Desk (278-2078). Season tickets are $50 general admission; $35 Fresno State faculty/staff/Alumni Association/seniors/other students; and $10 Fresno State students.

Individual tickets are $10 general admission; $6 Fresno State faculty/staff/Alumni Association/seniors/other students; and $2 Fresno State students. Prices on the day of the event increase by $2 for all buyers except Fresno State students.

For more information, contact the University Lecture Series office at (559) 278-2341 or visit www.csufresno.edu/universitylecture.

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(Copy by University Communications student-intern Megan Jacobsen.)