A new College of Arts and Humanities Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series adds to the lively cultural landscape at California State University, Fresno this new academic year.

The College of Arts and Humanities launched a new-look, better-organized, interactive Web site on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The site offers links to calendars, details and ticket information about campus cultural events, including the new lecture series. The Web address is www.csufresno.edu/artshum.

The Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series begins Sept. 26 with a reading and book signing by Dr. Diana Meehan, whose “Learning Like a Girl: Educating our Daughters in Schools of their Own” was published earlier this year. Meehan is a founder of the groundbreaking Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, which is based on research about the ways girls learn.

The series will feature movie scorer Jeff Atmajian, artist and art gallery owner Doug Walla, Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Robert Gauthier, intellectual property rights attorney Dennis Wilson and TV executive Howard Bolter.

The academic year’s musical calendar begins Aug. 31 with a concert by Earplay, a San Francisco-based ensemble of composers and musicians who perform new American chamber music. Faculty and student performances occur throughout the year, as do concerts by touring musical groups and individuals.

Fresno State also is home to the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concert series, which annually invites artists from a variety of musical genres. The series, which begins Sept. 30 with a performance by pianist Sa Chen, also sponsors special events, including a Nov. 25 performance by jazz master pianist Bill Mays.

Visual artist and faculty member Joan Sharma opens the 2007-08 art exhibit year at Fresno State with a collection of photographs from a study tour she helped lead to Northern India. The exhibit in the President’s Gallery in the Thomas Administration building runs through Oct. 17.

Faculty, student and guest artwork is displayed in the President’s Gallery, the Conley Gallery of the Phebe Conley Art Building, the Dean’s Gallery, the University Restaurant and at other venues around campus.

The Master of Fine Arts Program in the English Department sponsors readings of prose and poetry by students, faculty members and guests. Steve Almond, whose newest book, “(Now that You Asked),” is scheduled for publication Sept. 11, will speak Sept. 21. Almond’s earlier works include the story collection “My Life in Heavy Metal,” nonfiction “Candyfreak” and a novel, “Which Brings Me to You,” co-written with Julianna Baggott.

“The Polish Joke,” David Ives’ semiautobiographical play about dealing with the search for self-identity, begins the University Theatre season Oct. 5. The Fresno debut of John Patrick Shanley’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning drama “Doubt” follows Nov. 2.

CineCulture, a club that promotes diversity and cultural awareness through films, presents weekly screenings and discussions. On Friday, Aug. 24, the series offers the award-winning “Life and Debt” from Jamaica, which looks at the impact of the global economy on people seemingly far removed from the decisions.

More information on Fresno State’s cultural arts events for 2007-08 is available at http://artshum.csufresno.edu/index.html.

Keyboard Concerts information is at http://www.keyboardconcerts.com/index.htm.

The CineCulture Web site is at http://cineculture.csufresno.edu.

Media questions about the arts programs should be directed to Lanny Larson at 278.4620.