Johnson C. Smith University News March 197 2014 JCSU Represented at Clinton Global Initiative University Three students from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) will present their Commitment to Action projects at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)<http://www.cgiu.org/> annual meeting at Arizona State University March 21-23. The meeting hosted by President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton will convene more than 1,000 student leaders from around the world. The JCSU students will have an opportunity to showcase their work as they hear from specialists in the field of global development, brainstorm ideas and form effective partnerships with government and private sectors. For his Commitment to Action, JCSU chemistry and biology major Omar Cossio from Asheboro, N.C., will present an update on Sustainability Village at JCSU. The village is an innovative living-learning prototype incorporating academic coursework, service-learning activities and humanitarian work that will be replicated in Haiti. It features an aquaponic garden that combines growing crops and cultivating fish in a closed loop environment. The produce from the garden is available for the campus and the surrounding community to help solve the food desert in the Northwest Corridor. Karla Mendoza, a biology major from Aiken, S.C., and Korey Smith, a biology and psychology major from Merrillville, Ind., will present a new STEM tutoring initiative with Bruns Academy in Charlotte, N.C., that includes a small-scale aquaponic system for educating students about sustainability and sparking their interest in STEM-related fields. The JCSU students will compete at CGI U with some of the nation's top institutions for funding awards. Winners may receive $5,000 to support their projects. These undergraduate and graduate students will engage in developing solutions to some of the most pressing concerns of the Millennial generation, including human rights, women's social and economic empowerment, and combatting HIV/AIDS in the United States. They will be joined by experts, entrepreneurs, and civically-engaged celebrities such as Bill Drayton, Chief Executive Officer, Ashoka; Gabrielle Giffords, Former U.S. Representative and Founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions; Mark Kelly, Former Astronaut and Founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions; Jimmy Kimmel, Host and Executive Producer, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"; John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona; Cindy Hensley McCain, Founding Member, Eastern Congo Initiative; Reeta Roy, President and Chief Executive Officer, The MasterCard Foundation; María Elena Salinas, Anchor, Univision News; Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia; and Lauryn Williams, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist in Sprinting and Silver Medalist in Bobsledding. "Johnson C. Smith University plays a pivotal role in the community by preparing a cadre of students who are solutions driven and prepared to solve a myriad of global development challenges," said Philip Otienoburu, assistant professor of biology at JCSU. "As a member of the Clinton Global Initiative University network, JCSU is part of a rapidly growing consortium of academic institutions committed to contributing sustainable solutions through student-driven, action-oriented projects all geared towards alleviating our most pressing global concerns such as poverty, food security, environmental sustainability and conservation. This meeting offers the students a unique platform to share their ideas and highlight the importance of sustainable food systems, especially in marginalized communities and highly dynamic humanitarian settings." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!