Around Campus

JMU will honor Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

James Madison University will honor former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in September with its Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award.

The award recognizes the Carters' humanitarian efforts around the globe, said Sushil Mittal, director of JMU's Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence.

After leaving the White House, the Carters founded the Atlanta-based Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that seeks to resolve conflicts and improve health around the world.

This is the second time the center has given the award -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu received it in 2007.

The Carters will be honored Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace. Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate, will lecture on "The Path to Peace in the Middle East."

The ceremony, at 7 p.m. in the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, is open to the public. Admission is $10 for lower level seating or $5 for upper level. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.jmu.edu/gandhicenter/gandhiaward2009.shtml or at (540) 568-3853.

CNU prof picked by Yale to present his research

A Christopher Newport University professor has been selected by Yale University to present his research on the company that founded Jamestown in 1607.

Thomas W. Hall, CNU associate professor of economics and finance, will present his research paper, "Shareholder Activism in the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624," in November.

It was chosen competitively for presentation at the Origins of Shareholder Advocacy conference. Hall also was awarded a research grant to peruse original documents relating to the company at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in England this summer.

Grants of public interest law group given at U.Va.

The University of Virginia's Public Interest Law Association has distributed 81 grants worth $378,000 to U.Va. law students working in public service jobs this summer.

The grant money comes from fundraising campaigns such as an annual auction and sales of used books, plus contributions from the Law School Foundation.

Students receiving the grants will work for public defenders, civil legal services, public interest and advocacy organizations as well as local, state and federal agencies.

Awards and honors

Karin Kapsidelis reports on higher education. Contact her at (804) 649-6119 or .