Gifts for the graduating gator
April
26, 2010 -- Congratulate
new graduates by treating them to a gift with a gator connection. Showcasing
the talent of SF State alumni and faculty, the following ideas include
gifts to entertain the mind, nourish the body and feed the soul.
Flying high
The high-flying adventure told in the animated 3-D movie "Up," now available on DVD, will inspire new graduates to pursue their dreams. This Pixar creation follows an elderly widower and his Boy Scout companion as they set sail in a house buoyed by balloons. Produced by alum Jonas Rivera (B.A. '96), "Up" was nominated for four Academy Awards and won Best Animated Feature Film.
Also with an airborne theme, the new book "Lift" by Kelly Corrigan (MA, ’97) takes its name from the turbulence that hang gliders must endure in order to fly, and offers a personal reflection on the risk and love involved in parenting.
Graduates will be inspired by "Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It" by Susan Wels (attended '97–'07). This biography-in-pictures will grace any coffee table with more than 300 images capturing the tenacity and bravery of Earhart and her record-setting aviation career.
Big questions
Help graduates wrestle with one of life's most challenging questions with
a copy of "What is
God?" the latest book by Professor of Philosophy Jacob Needleman. In
this memoir, Needleman recounts his journey from atheist to Zen Buddhist seeker
and finally to a believer with a newfound respect for the religious texts he
once rejected. Needleman’s previous works include "Why Can't We Be Good?" and "The
American Soul."
Gator poetry
Give poetry lovers a literary treat with one of these new collections. Alum
Rae Armantrout (MA '75) won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her latest
volume of poetry "Versed," which
also won the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award. The collection, which
is divided into two halves includes Armantrout's characteristically short
and incisive poems centering on life, language and the body, including her
own experience with cancer.
Another Pulitzer Prize-winning gator, Philip Schultz (B.A. ’67), has just released a major collection, titled "The God of Loneliness: Selected and New Poems." Following his book "Failure," which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, "The God of Loneliness" includes poems from Schultz' five books and 14 new poems.
Nature enthusiasts will enjoy "Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry," the first collection of poetry about the American landscape as told by black voices. Edited by Associate Professor of Creative Writing Camille Dungy, this collection of 180 poems, from more than four centuries, introduces readers to unique perspectives on the natural world. With poems about pests and pets, urban and rural settings, and works that are beautiful, humorous and political, "Black Nature" challenges accepted notions about what qualifies as nature poetry.
Health and fitness snapshot
A personalized fitness
test at the Exercise Physiology Lab on campus will encourage graduates
to get on track with their health and fitness goals. Operated by the Kinesiology
department, the lab offers three kinds of body composition tests, which calculate
fat–to-muscle ratio, as well as a range of cardiovascular fitness assessments.
Results allow individuals to devise effective weight management plans or
design workouts that push them to exercise at their optimal intensity.
Prices start at $15. For more information, e-mail exphys@sfs.edu
The gift of mobility
Consider making a gift to SF State's Whirlwind Wheelchair in honor of your
graduate. Whirlwind
Wheelchair has been designing and delivering rugged wheelchairs for
people in developing countries for more than 20 years, and this year the
program is sending hundreds of wheelchairs to earthquake victims in Haiti.
A donation of $220 buys one of Whirlwind's RoughRider wheelchairs, providing
a disabled person in the developing world with a quality set of wheels.
Alumni membership
Give the SF State alum an Alumni
Association membership and they will enjoy a multitude of benefits
including Library and Career Center access, discounted medical benefits
and interesting events at which to reminisce and reconnect with fellow
Gators.
For other gator gift ideas, visit previous listings at: http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/2009/spring/45.html and http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/2008/spring/45.html
-- Elaine Bible
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