A former skinhead, a Chinese architect and four other distinguished speakers are the latest to join the UniverCity 2002 line-up.
A steering committee of Ball State and Muncie community members chose the UniverCity speakers based on suggestions from within the committee and Ball State colleges.
"We were looking at people who join the university spirit and community spirit together," said Rita Stewart, steering committee member and director of conferences and special events. "We try to make the two into one for a week of activities."
Stewart said the speakers were chosen to appeal to a combined crowd of people, and the steering committee is proud of the results.
UniverCity, held from Sept. 22-27, is aimed at bridging the gap between the Muncie and Ball State communities, said former provost and distinguished professor of environmental studies Warren Vander Hill.
Vander Hill said this year the steering committee is trying to reach an even larger audience.
"Now we are trying to reach people in Indianapolis and other parts of the state," Vander Hill said. "We've had some success with that in the past, but it was not as much as we would have liked."
Vander Hill said UniverCity has evolved since its beginning in the late 1980s.
"This year it involves the community much more and really focuses on trying to use venues off-campus," he said.
Venues in downtown Muncie and Minnetrista Cultural Center will be used for some UniverCity events.
Stewart is optimistic about this year's lineup.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity to listen and talk with people who normally we would never have the opportunity to spend time with," she said.
"UniverCity offers a personalized atmosphere where the speakers are in a crowd and are part of what's going on, providing personal interaction."
The latest speakers to be added to the lineup include:
Tom "TJ" Leyden was a leading recruiter and activist in the neo-Nazi white supremacist movement for 15 years but has turned away from hate to teach tolerance. Today he is one of the nation's most compelling advocates for the importance of diversity and cultural appreciation. He has spoken to more than 650,000 students and has testified in hate crime trials.
Col. Wanda E. Rogers Wilson is one of the Army's highest ranking Black female officers and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. She is chief of staff for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky., and previously commanded the 3rd Recruiting Brigade in the Midwest. Her numerous awards include the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal.
Glenn D. Hinson is a University of North Carolina anthropologist whose research focuses on musical, poetic and belief systems in African-American communities. He is the author of "Fire in My Bones: Transcendence and the Holy Spirit in African American Gospel" and has done work for the Smithsonian Institution and National Endowment for the Arts.
Jack Petrash is a former Waldorf School teacher and the founder and director of the Nova Institute, working with parents and teachers to promote a deeper understanding of children. He advocates Waldorf education and wrote "Covering Home: Lessons on the Art of Fathering From the Game of Baseball," which received the National Parenting Publications' Gold Award.
Andrew Moemeka is an award-winning teacher and researcher in mass media, communication and social change and the author of "Development Communication in Action: Building Understanding and Creating Participation." He has chaired the Nigerian National Mass Communication Policy Experts Committee and is on the faculty of Central Connecticut State University.
Yung Ho Chang is principal architect of Atelier Feichang Jianzhu, the only studio practice in Beijing, China, and has won a number of prizes in international design competitions. A Ball State alumnus, Chang is professor and head of Peking University's Graduate Center of Architecture and has taught at various architecture schools in the United States.
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