A celebration to honor George Washington Carver, the first African-American student to graduate from Iowa State, kicked off Sunday and will continue throughout the school year. The program is meant to help students recognize the opportunities available at Iowa State.

“The celebration is to remind us of what Carver accomplished in his life, and how he can be an inspiration to the students and staff — that’s what the celebration is all about,” said Pat Miller, director of the ISU Committee on Lectures.

The theme for the Carver Celebration is “Inspiring Students to Become Their Best — The Legacy of George Washington Carver.”

The goal for the celebration is to encourage students to become involved in university activities and to show them the options from which they can choose.

“We have a lot of student involvement in the celebration, and we want everyone to know they can be a part of it,” said Bryan Burkhardt, Government of the Student Body president and member of the celebration planning committee.

The planning committee has organized many events for the first semester. Among the people on the committee are Burkhardt, Murray Blackwelder, vice president for external affairs, and other faculty, staff and students.

“All of the colleges, organizations and departments have been invited to participate and help out,” Burkhardt said.

Comedian Bill Cosby kicked off the Carver Celebration with two performances at C. Y. Stephens Auditorium on Sunday, which will be followed by a variety of events throughout September.

• Sept. 10 — “Through These Eyes: George Washington Carver at Tuskegee — The Photographs of P. H. Polk,” will be on display at Brunnier Art Museum. Agronomy Day ’98 will feature research completed at ISU for crop production.

• Sept. 14 — Hispanic Heritage Month will be recognized.

• Sept. 16 — “Minorities in Education” will be held in the Memorial Union, where Mike Nettles will be giving a George Washington Carver Scholar lecture.

• Sept. 17 — The Amalia Amaki will give a lecture titled, “To Make a Picture.”

• Sept. 22 — “Writing Across Boundaries” will be presented by Bhartati Mukherjee.

• Sept 27 — There will be a Carver Celebration family event involving peanut snacks and craft making.

• Oct. 2-3 — The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics will hold a conference, titled “Civic Discourse in a Global Community: Creating Cross-Cultural Connections.”

• Oct. 13 — “The Politics of Feminism: Across Race and Generations” is the keynote address of Gloria Steinem Week.

• Oct. 16 — Jothi Raghavan and Dancers will provide live entertainment.

• Oct. 21 — An open house of the George Washington Carver Exhibit will be held. Reginald Wilson will be giving a lecture on “Minority Education Issues.”

• Oct. 22 — Harold McNabb will speak on “The Legacy of George Washington Carver.”

• Nov. 5 — The Klezmatics will play music with Jewish roots.

• Nov. 8-12 — Many speakers from the Institute on World Affairs will address “Why Should America Care?” Also on Nov. 8, a lecture of “Carver and Pammel: Outstanding Student, Beloved Teacher, Lifelong Friends,” will be given by Deborah Lewis.

• Nov. 15 — Ondekoza — Demon Drummers of Japan will play some lively music.

• Dec. 6 — The sole event scheduled for December is a lecture from John Cunnally, “Artistry and Artifice in the Photographs of P. H. Polk.”