John_Klocke.jpg“Sounds of Sinatra!,” a one-man tribute show featuring the great hits of “old blue eyes,” is planned for Thursday evening, March 30, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Mayville State University Old Main Theatre. John Klocke, executive director of the MSU Foundation, will present a tribute to Sinatra that features his best-loved songs and John’s own take on “The Chairman.” Learn a little about Frankie’s life and music. Tickets for the “Sounds of Sinatra!” show are $25.00 each.

All proceeds from “Sounds of Sinatra!” will benefit a team of six Mayville State University students who will be going on a month-long research trip to Japan in May. Meet the students, hear the music, and enjoy a 90-minute show guaranteed to make a Sinatra fan happy. Tickets are limited and there is one performance only. They may be purchased at www.mayvillestate.edu/soundsofsinatra or at the MSU Foundation office, 701-788-4687.

Six Mayville State students and two faculty mentors will be in Japan May 13 to June 14. Professors Aaron Kingsbury and Lonamalia Parsons Smith and their students have been awarded a $40,000 “ASIANetwork Freeman Student-Faculty Fellows” (SFF) grant. The group’s project is titled “The future of the back roads and little farm towns in an urbanizing Asia: A case study in exploring cultural change in the rural communities of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.”

Students on the research team are Cherokee Durant, Devils Lake, N.D.; Cheyenne Durant, Devils Lake, N.D.; Ingrid Hefta, Mayville, N.D.; Megan Maassel, Fargo, N.D.; Nicholas Peterson, Rutland, N.D.; and Donte Stevens, Opa-Locka, Fla. The Mayville State group understands the little farm towns in the U.S.A. They now seek to investigate the culture and people of smaller and less studied Japanese communities, and in so doing, re-conceptualize their own notions of rurality and explore options for more sustained maintenance of socio-economic vitality in peripheral places.

The grant will cover all the expenses directly related to the research project, but there is no additional funding for cultural experiences. You can help these students make the most of the trip with some additional spending money to incorporate cultural experiences. These kinds of experiences are very expensive in Japan, so any help the students can get will be greatly appreciated. To learn more about the trip and how you can help, go to www.mayvillestate.edu/japan.