Rutgers Student Scholars Will Be Honored Nov. 12
for Papers on Persian Culture and Literature

WHO: Rutgers University in Newark and the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton; Dr. Akbar Ghahary, president of the Persian Cultural Foundation and sponsor of the awards presentation and the literature competition; Dr. Minoo Varzegar, director, Rutgers Program in American Language Studies; Steven Diner, chancellor of Rutgers in Newark; three speakers: Professor  Olga Davidson (Women’s Lamentations and the Ethics of War in Ancient Greece and Medieval Persia); Dr. Maboud Ansari (Iranian-American Identity and Persian Literature); and Ghazal Behreini (An Overview of the Persian Cultural Foundation).

WHAT: Rutgers students Kevin Shim of Ridgefield, N.J., and Tiffany Frez of Union, N.J., will each receive a $500 Rutgers-Persian Cultural Foundation Award for the best papers on Persian culture and literature in a competition organized by Rutgers and sponsored by the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton. Three other students also will be honored (see attached list). The awards ceremony will include Persian dancing by Rutgers students Natasha Carles-Novikov and Atra Rouzbehnia; and songs by vocalist Haale and her ensemble; a reception will follow, featuring Persian dishes.

WHEN: November 12, 2008, 2: 30 - 4 p.m.

 WHERE:  Paul Robeson Campus Center, Multipurpose Room, second floor, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark N.J.

BACKGROUND:  This is the third annual Persian cultural awards presentation at Rutgers in Newark.  To promote Persian culture and literature among young people of multinational backgrounds, the Persian Cultural Foundation in Clifton, in collaboration with Rutgers University, again sponsored a contest to select the two best papers on Persian culture and literature.  A committee of reviewers, comprised of a research specialist and a faculty member and director of PALS from Rutgers and a professor of Sociology from William Paterson University, selected the winning papers from more than 80 entries submitted by college students from Rutgers.  Information: http://persiancultural.org

CONTACT: Dr. Minoo Varzegar, Director, Program in American Language Studies,
973-535-5013.