Juan Battle, a presidential professor of sociology at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, will be the keynote speaker when Phi Beta Delta (Honor Society for International Scholars), Gamma Lambda Chapter, hosts its Winter Banquet and 2019 Induction Ceremony on Thursday, March 7. Battle will present “Africa, Refugees, and (Lack of) Tertiary Education: A Perfect Storm for Peril … or Progress!” at the banquet, which begins at 5 p.m. in the Obershaw Dining Room. The banquet will also include the induction of faculty and student members into the honor society. Annika Anderson, assistant professor of sociology, research and social support chair of the untenured faculty organization, and director of Project Rebound at CSUSB, was awarded funds from several sources to bring Battle to campus. “With so many sponsors across different colleges, disciplines and organizations, his talk serves as an opportunity to illustrate our unified goal of serving our diverse, non-traditional populations and our surrounding communities,” Anderson said. “Furthermore, as an avid advocate for social justice issues, Dr. Battle’s talk can generate discussion amongst faculty regarding the connection between the classroom and the community and stimulate suggestions for community engagement, locally and globally.” Employing public sociology and ecological systems theory as theoretical frameworks, and the Global Education Movement – a program currently operating in Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Lebanon – as a case study, Battle’s talk will explore conduits and barriers to tertiary education for refugees in Africa. Further, opportunities for activism around programs and policies will be explored. “Students (particularly those who are recent immigrants and/or undocumented) and community members may see their narratives and similar struggles reflected in the talk,” Anderson said. “Therefore, the event will serve as an opportunity to highlight the university’s commitment to an inclusive environment that reflects our diverse student populations.” In addition to his teaching duties, Battle is the coordinator of The Graduate Center’s Africana Studies Certificate Program. His research focuses on race, sexuality and social justice. He is the coeditor of “Black Sexualities: Probing Powers, Passions, Practices, and Policies (2010),” and he has also authored dozens of book chapters, academic articles and encyclopedia entries. Battle has delivered lectures at a multitude of universities, colleges, community-based organizations and funding agencies throughout the world, and his scholarship has included work throughout North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe. His work has been highlighted in popular national magazines, radio shows and newspapers, among them Black Entertainment Television (BET), Essence, and the Advocate. Battle was recently a Fulbright Senior Specialist and the Fulbright Distinguished Chair of Gender Studies at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria; he is currently an affiliate faculty member of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Before the banquet, Battle will also present the following: 

  • Noon: “Navigating Academia as an Untenured Person,” Faculty Center for Excellence, John M. Pfau Library, PL-4005;
  • 2 p.m.: “Tools for Applying to Graduate School,” a meeting with Model United Nations, SAGES and Sociology clubs, Pine Room; and
  • 3 p.m.: “Keys to Increasing Your Grantsmanship,” Pine Room.

 The Phi Beta Delta banquet is co-sponsored by Acto Latino, Center of International Studies & Programs, Dean’s Office of the College of Education, Dean’s Office of the College of Natural Sciences, Dean’s Office of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Department of Sociology, Project Rebound, and University Diversity Committee. Phi Beta Delta, founded at California State University, Long Beach in 1986, was established as an organization in 1987 with 38 chartered chapters, many of which had existed for a considerable time previously at the local level. It is the first honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievement in international education. As of December 2012, 192 chapters have been chartered. Its goals are to recognize scholarly achievement of international students and scholars who have studied abroad, and staff who are involved in international activities, according to the Phi Beta Delta website. It also serves as a vehicle for the development of academic-based international programming, as well as providing a network for faculty, staff and students involved in international endeavors. Phi Beta Delta traces its background to the 18th-century founding of Phi Beta Kappa. In the 19th century, Greek fraternities divided into the social, professional and academic Greeks. Phi Beta Delta is an academic and professional society, unique because it is resolutely interdisciplinary and international. Its formal organization brought together numerous pre-existing, internally oriented campus groups. For more information on Phi Beta Delta, Gamma Lambda Chapter, call (909) 537-5913, or visit the CSUSB Phi Beta Delta chapter website or the national Phi Beta Delta Honor Society website.