Robert Gipe is a graduate of Wake Forest University, with a master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in Harlan, Kentucky, and works as the director of the Appalachian Program at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College, where he is a key producer of Higher Ground, a series of community-based musical dramas inspired by oral histories and local issues.

As part of a continued exploration of Civil War themes this semester, the Department of History at Appalachian will host Dr. Curt Fields for “An Evening with General Ulysses S. Grant: The Man Behind the Uniform.” Fields is the National Park Service representative for Grant. He has portrayed the commanding general of the Union Army in films, posters and re-enactments.

This year’s conference will highlight the importance of sustainable practices in the Brazilian Amazon while raising the broader question of how business can balance the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit in environments throughout the globe. During the morning session, speakers Victor Salviati and Gabriel Ribenboim of the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) will share innovative entrepreneurial solutions that balance the needs of people and planet in this region of ecological importance.

Appalachian State University has made Phi Theta Kappa’s 2017 Transfer Honor Roll, which recognizes four-year colleges and universities for creating “dynamic pathways” to support the transfer of students from community colleges.

LUNAFEST – an annual fundraising festival of short films dedicated to promoting awareness about women’s issues, highlighting women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities – will be presented in two local screenings in April.

Dr. Michael Thomas Smith, an associate professor of history at McNeese State University, will present “General Benjamin Butler, Politics, Warfare and Masculinity in the Civil War North” as part of the Civil War Speaker Series at Appalachian.

Directed by Dr. Robert J. Falvo, a professor of percussion at Appalachian, the group will present the ninth concert in its “Open Mind” series.

Brothers Like These, a staged reading of stories and poems written by Vietnam combat veterans, is an unforgettable testimony of courage, brotherhood, and the transformative power of language. Sponsored by the Appalachian Veterans Arts & Humanities Collective.

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University will present two lectures in April that complement “Collective Vigilance: Speaking for the New River,” an exhibit on view at the center through July 29.