Part-time volunteering leads to top job at renowned veterans center

A combat veteran, book author and pastor who first started working in Arizona State University's Pat Tillman Veterans Center as an unpaid volunteer six years ago was named the center’s new leader, effective Monday, Nov. 28.

Shawn Banzhaf, a retired Nebraska Army National Guard sergeant first class and former police officer, rose to the top of a candidate pool for the executive director’s position during a national search initiated in October.

“Through the process, it became evident that Shawn’s people-first leadership style, exemplary record of service to ASU’s veteran and military-affiliated students, and rich, vibrant vision for the Pat Tillman Veterans Center distinguished him as the top choice,” said Kent Hopkins, vice president of Academic Enterprise Enrollment at ASU. “As executive director, Shawn will primarily be responsible for conceiving and implementing a bold, expansive vision of what veteran and military-affiliated services should be at ASU.”

Banzhaf becomes the third director to lead the Tillman Center since its opening in 2011, but he is the first one to come from the enlisted military ranks. The previous directors were former commissioned senior military officers.

“The Pat Tillman Veterans Center has had two incredible leaders up to this point in Steve Borden and Jeff Guimarin,” said Brett Hunt, ASU professor of practice and former executive director of the Public Service Academy in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. “Shawn is the ideal leader to take the work of the center to the next level. As a retired noncommissioned officer and combat veteran, he is an incredible role model for veterans here at ASU.

“He has stood in front of their formations and walked in their boots.”  

Banzhaf started working in the veterans center in 2016 as a volunteer chaplain, coming in twice a week to offer counseling to student veterans and staff. After a year and a half of volunteering, a paid military advocate position opened up. He went for it but fell short. He wasn’t chosen, at first.

“They offered the job to someone else, and they declined it,” said Banzhaf, a native of Chadron, Nebraska. “So they offered me the job, and I jumped at the chance and became the military advocate.”

Marine veteran Edward Brady, a graduate student with Watts College, has worked at the Tillman Center since 2020 and has gotten to know Banzhaf. 

“Shawn has always served as a leader, a mentor and a friend,” Brady said. “He has helped me in many ways, most notably helping me get accepted into my graduate program. Shawn has an amazing passion for helping the veteran community. 

“As director, I know that he will put our community before himself, will serve with compassion and will do everything he can to make ASU the place for student veterans.”

4 professors are considered among the top researchers at the nation's most innovative school

Arizona State University announced Thursday its four Regents Professors for 2023 — the most prestigious and highest faculty award possible.

Considered the best and brightest scholars, Regents Professors bring honor and distinction to their disciplines and are considered the top researchers that ASU has to offer. Fewer than 3% of all ASU faculty carry the title.

To receive this designation, they must be recognized by peers nationally and internationally. On Nov. 17, their names were submitted by ASU President Michael M. Crow and quickly approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.

“Arizona State University is home to a gifted and inventive world-class faculty,” Crow said. “The 2023 cohort of Regents Professors represents the highest standard of leading-edge scholarship and instruction, as well as the tremendous impact that an individual commitment to leadership and discovery can make in helping to propel learners, higher education and society forward.”

ASU requires all nominations for Regents Professor to come from groups of tenured faculty members. An advisory committee evaluates all nominations following an established review process. Crow then considers the recommendations and forwards them to the Arizona Board of Regents for final approval.

“These Regents Professors are a nationally recognized cohort of scholars and trailblazers in their fields,” said Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost. “The varied disciplines from which they come is characteristic of the culture of faculty excellence found throughout all fields of study at ASU.”

The new Regents Professors

Stacy Leeds — the newly announced dean of the Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law, as well as a Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership. Leeds has served on the judiciaries of 10 tribal nations. She has also served on several institutions within the Department of the Interior and the National Judicial College.

Huan Liu — a professor of computer science and engineering with the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He is a fellow in the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 2014 received the ASU’s President’s Award for Innovation.

Michael Lynch — a professor in the School of Life Sciences and director of the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution. He was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 2009 and has received several lifetime achievement awards for his work in genetics and molecular biology.

Alexandra Navrotsky — a professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, and the director of the Navrotsky Eyring Center for the Materials of the Universe. She is also the first female faculty member from Princeton University to be elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the first woman to win the Harry H. Hess Medal.

Learn more about them

Stacy Leeds

Leeds is considered one of the most important figures in the world of Indian law and policy. She is a frequent contributor to leading Native American law publications, a regular panelist and guest speaker at Indian law events around the globe and has delivered more than 20 keynote or distinguished addresses. Leeds was the first Indigenous woman in the United States to serve as a law school dean at the University of Arkansas School of Law from 2011 to 2018.

She has earned several awards for her work and scholarship. In 2006, she received the American Association of Law School’s Clyde Ferguson Jr. Award, and in 2013, she earned the Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association. Leeds received the Cherokee National Statesmanship Award in 2014. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

Leeds’ accomplishments include publication of books and articles, development of new courses, connections to the Native American community, grants and mentoring of Indigenous students.

Huan Liu

Liu is widely regarded as a pioneer in AI research who is exceptionally broad-based relative to most other AI researchers. He focuses on developing computational methods for data mining, machine learning and social computing.

His contributions in big data include development of AI models that can impact health care, social media and mis/disinformation, among other areas. In terms of use-inspired research, he actively collaborates across disciplines to tackle today’s societal problems. They include detecting disinformation, battling cyberbullying for teenagers, preserving user privacy, developing algorithmic solutions for socially responsible AI and, in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers, improving our nation’s water sustainability.

Liu’s research has led to 10 U.S. patents, and he has graduated 33 PhD students whose work has been recognized with numerous awards.

Michael Lynch

Lynch’s research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms driving evolution at the genomic, cellular and organismic levels. In recognition of his impact on the field of evolutionary biology, he has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Aging, National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of the Army.

He has been hailed as the world’s leading quantitative geneticist, and his 1998 book “Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits” has received nearly 10,000 citations and is considered the foundational work in quantitative genetics. His book “The Origins of Cellular Architecture” became the go-to primer on the domains of biodiversity, the evolution of genomic complexity, and the roles of genomic complexity and population size on mutation and evolution. His upcoming book “The Origins of Cellular Architecture” will be the first to strongly integrate evolutionary theory into cell biology.

In addition to his research leadership, Lynch has counseled 51 postdoctoral fellows, 34 PhD students and 17 master’s degree students, many of whom went on to become leaders in academia.

Alexandra Navrotsky

Navrotsky has been described as the world’s leading scientist in the field of thermochemistry of minerals and related solid-state materials. Her discoveries have been of fundamental importance in solid-state chemistry, geochemistry, materials science and engineering, exoplanetary chemistry and materials for space exploration.

She is a driving force for inception of eight large, cross-disciplinary programs at ASU and around the United States. The impact of her research can further be measured by almost 1,000 pieces of scholarly work, with more than 35,000 citations and collaborations with academics and researchers in industry and government.

More recently, the American Ceramic Society established the Navrotsky Award for Experimental Thermodynamics of Solids, named for the ASU professor. The award is considered one of the highest bestowed upon a scientist.

Editor's note: The titles will be officially conferred at a ceremony Feb. 9.

Nathaniel Ross is the 1st ASU student awarded an American Rhodes Scholarship in more than 20 years

Editor’s note: This story is featured in the 2022 year in review.

Arizona State University senior Nathaniel Ross has been awarded the coveted Rhodes Scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, the American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust recently announced.  

ASU senior Nathaniel Ross has been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship for postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

“I am incredibly grateful to have been selected,” Ross said. “The finalists in my district were all so incredibly kind and impressive in their own right. Being selected among them was an absolute honor. I am beyond excited to be part of the Rhodes community and study at Oxford next year.”

Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. It is the oldest international postgraduate award in existence, and many consider it to be among the most prestigious. The scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of mining magnate Cecil Rhodes and are now supported by a cohort of philanthropies and benefactors.

At Oxford, Ross will study comparative social policy, after which he will attend law school and specialize in disability law. His long-term objective is to shape disability policy as an attorney-advisor for a national disability advocacy organization, federal agency or global non-governmental organization.

“Arizona State University empowers elite scholars who want to have a meaningful social impact,” ASU President Michael M. Crow said. “Nathaniel Ross is a uniquely gifted thinker capable of simultaneously synthesizing ideas across diverse subjects and applying his knowledge to improve the lives of others. As such, Nathaniel embodies our highest aspirations as a national service university.”

Ross acknowledges the role his time at ASU has played in his success.

“I don't believe there is a single Rhodes scholar that accomplished the feat without a community of support, and I am no exception,” he said.

Ross also acknowledges the immense opportunity the Rhodes Scholarship presents.

“As part of the Rhodes community, I know I can have an even greater impact on the issues I care about," he said. "The fraction of Rhodes scholars who are disabled, attend a state school or are first-generation university students is rather small. After my selection, I hope to encourage other people from similar backgrounds to apply for nationally competitive scholarships.”

The application process for the Rhodes Scholarship is arduous, and competition is intense. In his will, Cecil Rhodes stipulated several criteria for the selection of scholars, most of which are still applied today.

“The first and most obvious criterion is ‘scholarly attainment,’” said Kyle Mox, associate dean for national scholarships and ASU representative for the Rhodes Scholarship. “To be competitive, an applicant must have posted near-perfect grades while completing an exceptionally challenging curriculum.”

Ross clearly fits the bill. In 2019, he was selected as a Flinn Scholar, and he will graduate ASU with honors from Barrett, The Honors College in December with bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences, political science, applied quantitative science and history. In May 2023, he will receive a Master of Science in biology and society. To date, he has achieved no grade lower than an A in any course.

But, per Rhodes’s stipulations, Rhodes Scholars are not “mere bookworms” — they must also demonstrate devotion to enacting lasting social impact and be committed to making a strong difference for good in the world.

“We often refer to this quality as ‘fighting the world’s fight,’” Mox said, adding that, “Rhodes Scholars must show extraordinary leadership potential.”

Ross’s achievements in civic engagement and as an activist have already been well recognized. In 2021, he was selected as a Udall Scholar for his commitment to environmental and disability activism, and in spring 2022, he was selected as the national finalist for the Truman Scholarship in recognition of his devotion to public service.

As a committed disability rights activist, Ross founded EosFighter Connection, a nationwide support network for youth who suffer from eosinophilic and other disorders. He also is politically active, having interned with progressive lobbying firm Creosote Partners. Recently, he launched a bid for a seat on the Mesa City Council and became the youngest candidate to ever make the ballot, falling just 200 votes shy of qualifying for the general election.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, applicants must be endorsed by their college or university. For the 2023 cycle, the applications of six ASU students and recent graduates were endorsed by a faculty committee on the basis of their academic records, leadership and service activities, previous awards and honors, and letters of recommendation.

Nationally, more than 2,500 students began the application process. Of that number, 840 were endorsed by 244 different colleges and universities. Selection committees in 16 districts then invite the strongest applicants to appear before them for interview. Each district interviews at least 14 finalists over the course of two days. Once again, this year, the interviews were conducted virtually. At the conclusion of the interviews, each district immediately announces two recipients.

Ross said the announcement of his selection came as a shock.

“I honestly was not sure if I heard my name correctly. I kept waiting for the selection committee to say my name again in order to confirm I really was a winner,” he said. “Even days later, I don't think I have even begun to process what this means for my future. All I could think about was the years of work that went into this moment. Although applications only opened up this summer, the process of becoming a Rhodes Scholar often begins during freshman year or even earlier.”

Initially offered only to male applicants from British Commonwealth countries, the program has become far more inclusive over the years, first admitting women in 1977. In recent years, the number of scholarships awarded globally has risen to more than 100 and now includes more than 20 different constituencies that encompass 64 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Israel and in Southern Africa. In recent years, two ASU candidates were awarded Rhodes Scholarships in the Zimbabwean constituency: Ngoni Mugwisi in 2017 and Shantel Marekera in 2019.

The largest single constituency is the United States, which is allotted 32 scholarships per year. Historically, the bulk of Rhodes Scholarships are awarded to highly selective private institutions: In the 2023 cycle, six graduates of Harvard and five graduates of Yale received Rhodes Scholarships, and 19 of the 32 awards were netted by either Ivy League universities or U.S. service academies.

The value of the Rhodes Scholarship varies depending on the academic field and the degree. The Rhodes Trust pays all college and university fees, provides a stipend to cover necessary expenses while in residence in Oxford as well as during vacations, and transportation to and from England. The total value of the Scholarship averages approximately $75,000 per year.

Now that the process is finished, Ross will begin planning for his journey to England and his studies at Oxford.

“I have never been to the U.K., and now I will spend the next two to three years of my life studying at the top university in the world. For the first time in my life, moving to another country is a reality for me. I have realized that this homegrown East Valley boy is going to have to buy his first real winter coat to survive the U.K. winters!”

Since the inception of the Rhodes Scholarship in 1904, six ASU graduates have been awarded the American Rhodes, with the most recent being music education major Philip Mann in 2001. Mann went on to study and teach music at Oxford and won the annual competition to become principal conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia. In 2010, he was named music director and conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and in April 2022, joined the faculty of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County as an assistant professor of music and conductor of the UMBC Symphony.

The American Rhodes Scholarship is available to U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 24. Current ASU students or recent graduates who wish to be nominated by ASU should contact the Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement.

Story submitted by the Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement.