CSU, Chico News

Mark Stemen, professor of Geography and Planning, was named Sustainability Champion at the Seventh Annual UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference held at the beginning of August. Stemen, known to his students as “Dr. Mark,” is well known on the California State University, Chico campus for his inspiring and tireless work with students and with the community on issues of sustainability.

His dedication is such that he joined 17 students from CSU, Chico on the “Wheeled Migration,” a nine-day bicycle ride from Chico to the conference in San Luis Obispo.

Elvyra San Juan, assistant vice chancellor for the CSU, said in her introductory remarks, “This CSU faculty member has more energy than seems humanly possible. He is a tireless advocate for sustainability, incorporating the concept into every fabric of his campus as he champions sustainability with his students, fellow faculty, campus staff and the local community.”

“Dr. Mark has been an inspiring and effective champion, not only on his own campus,” said San Juan, “but also for the CSU system, where he serves on the systemwide sustainability committee. He has reached across California’s three higher education systems and advised both community colleges and UC campuses as well as the CSU.”

Stemen teaches environmental courses in sustainability and civic engagement. Under his direction, his students recently completed greenhouse gas inventories for CSU, Chico, Butte Community College and the City of Chico. He is advisor to eight student groups at CSU, Chico and faculty mentor to the new “Sustainability House” in the residence halls. Additionally, he is the executive director of Each One, Teach One of Northern California, a new community nonprofit focused on leadership development around issues of sustainability.

“Receiving recognition by one’s peers is always the best,” said Stemen. “It is an honor that recognizes Chico State and its leadership in the area of sustainability as much as me as an individual.”

CSU, Chico was well represented at the Sustainability Conference. Chico State representatives gave nine presentations, received two awards (Stemen’s award and an award for the Green Campus Energy Efficiency Program) and had more students at the conference than any other institution except the host university. The sizable contingent, including Stemen, that arrived by bicycle from Chico was a strong demonstration of Chico’s enthusiasm and dedication, said Stemen.

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Two key California State University, Chico offices assisting students with internships and career planning have merged, resulting in a “one-stop-shop” in the new Student Services Center.

The Career Center and the Office of Experiential Education (also known as the Internship Center) are both located in SSC 270. The name of the office will remain the Career Center.

According to Jamie Starmer, Career Center director, a key factor in the decision was the synergy of a single program for students needing help with any facet of their career plan, such as seeking an internship or career opportunity, choosing a major, or searching for and applying to graduate school.

“All career services will now be available in one location, and students will benefit by working with the same career development staff from their freshman year through graduation,” said Starmer.

CSU, Chico is one of the top recruited schools on the West Coast by well known employers such as Intel, IBM, PG&E, Chevron, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Mervyns, Union Pacific and Bose. Students benefit from approximately 700 on-campus employer visits each year from corporations, government and nonprofit organizations, health care institutions and school districts.

Students needing help with any facet of their career plan can contact the Career Center at 898-5253 to set an appointment, or stop by during the drop-in advising period between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. Employers wanting to post a job or get information about recruiting events should also call or e-mail placement@csuchico.edu. For more information, contact Starmer at 898-5253 or jstarmer@csuchico.edu

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Dave Chameides, whose quest to throw nothing away for one year has been picked up by media worldwide, will be teaching his seminar, Chasing Sustainability, to the freshman class of California State University, Chico on September 23 and 24. He’ll be meeting with students on both days and will present a free public lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 24 in PAC 144.

“We are delighted to welcome Dave Chameides back to campus,” says Scott McNall, director of CSU, Chico’s Institute for Sustainable Development. “Dave is one of those rare people who immediately connects with others, and with today’s students. His last visit was a definite hit. He packed the room, and people went away with the sense that the challenges he laid out are ones they wish to embrace. His own story, about living with a year’s worth of garbage, was an eye-opener for everyone.”

Chameides will meet with almost the entire CSU, Chico freshman class during his visit. The organizers of the visit anticipate that Chameides will have an impact on the way students think about sustainability and the choices they make.

Attendees at the public lecture will hear Chameides explain the problem with the world’s energy needs and talk about ways to fix that problem through the use of renewable energies and the practice of conservation. He will also talk about his present project, 365 Days of Trash, where he documents his one-year commitment to saving all of his trash in his basement. While Chameides recognizes the kitsch aspect of what he has done, his message is positive and simple: Consume Less, Conserve More—Be the Change!

If you would like to speak to Chameides prior to or during his visit please contact him at dave@sustainabledave.org. More information about Chameides and his projects is available at http://web.me.com/proteusmd/Chasing_Seminar/Chasing_Sustainablity.html and http://365daysoftrash.blogspot.com/2007/12/365-days-of-trash.html.

The Institute for Sustainable Development can be reached at 530-898-3333.

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California State University, Chico will be hosting approximately 120 teachers and administrators representing all grade levels from preschool through college at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) North State Summit Friday, Sept. 12. Activities will take place in the BMU Auditorium.

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the serious need for U.S. schools to produce more scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technology experts. The conference will promote inquiry-based, hands-on science in K-12 classrooms and showcase best practices, including how CSU, Chico faculty and staff can help school districts with STEM education.

Noting a steady decline in the number of U.S. citizens training to become scientists and engineers, the National Science Board states, “[I]f action is not taken now to change these trends, we could reach 2020 and find that the ability of U.S. research and education institutions to regenerate has been damaged, and their preeminence has been lost to other areas of the world.” The national crisis in STEM fields has been the topic of several recent books, including Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” and “Rising above the Gathering Storm,” published by the National Academies Press.

Margaret Owens, associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and an organizer of the North State STEM Summit, said the event “will provide an opportunity for educators and other stakeholders to come together to discuss ways in which we can work together to address the STEM workforce issue.”

Among the speakers will be biologist Stuart Sumida, CSU, San Bernardino, who will discuss how the sciences of anatomy and biomechanics have informed animation and special effects. Sumida’s teaching focus is primarily on comparative vertebrate anatomy and human anatomy. He has been a consultant to special effect artists and animators on more than 40 feature-length films for groups such as Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers and Pixar.

For more information on the North State STEM Summit, contact Owens at 898-6121.

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Butte College President Diana Van Der Ploeg and California State University, Chico President Paul Zingg announced a new partnership effort known as the “Cross Enrollment” program at the Butte College Chico Center, 2320 Forest Ave, on Sept. 5, 10:30 a.m.

“This partnership truly helps our students in their transfer experience. Since Butte College has the highest transfer rate to CSU, Chico, this new program makes the transition even easier for those working toward their bachelor’s degrees and helps ensure their academic success,” said Van Der Ploeg.

Cross Enrollment now allows Butte College students to enroll in a 3-unit class at CSU, Chico at no charge, with no extra fees.

“This program reflects a commitment that is shared and a partnership that works,” said Zingg. “Our students, our institutions, our region, and our state will all benefit.”

Goals of the program include:
• Improved student access to undergraduate education;
• Providing educational choices that best meet the individual student’s academic, social, career, and financial needs;
• Improved Associate of Arts/Transfer degree and baccalaureate degree completion rates;
• Greater ease of student movement between participating institutions;
• Individualized assistance in evaluating career options and designing educational plans;
• Greater public awareness of connections among high schools, Butte College, and California State University, Chico; and
• Enhanced student learning and success.

To qualify for the Cross Enrollment Program students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units between CSU, Chico and Butte College; earned a minimum of 30 transferable semester units or 45 transferable quarter units with an overall 2.00 GPA; show proof of completion of class prerequisites if required; and completed an Area A writing composition class with a grade of “C” or better and demonstrated progress in mathematics.

The deadline for applications for Cross Enrollment is Dec. 1 for spring semester. Registration remains free for a 3-unit class; however, the student will be responsible for any additional course fees, books and materials, and parking.

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The Northern California Natural History Museum (NCNHM) at California State University, Chico will present its fall Museum Without Walls presentation series in October.

The theme of the series is “Medical Mysteries Revealed” and features four dynamic programs. The programs are intended to be enjoyed by a general audience.

Each program will be on a Wednesday evening in October at the Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) building, 545 Vallombrosa Avenue, in Chico, beginning at 7:30 pm. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. Students with an ID are free.

On Oct. 1, radiologist Dr. James Schlund will present “Tumor Biology and the Imaging of Breast Cancer.”

On Oct. 8, anesthesiologist Dr. Mic Hieb will present “Uncovering the Secrets of Anesthesia.”

On Oct. 15 there is no MWOW program, and we encourage people to attend the Chico Performances presentation by Terry Tempest Williams at Laxson Auditorium at 7:30 pm. Tickets are required to this event and can be obtained at the University Box Office, (530) 898-6333, or visit the Web site for more information.

On Oct. 22, pathologist Dr. Lester Wong will present “The Art and Science of Making a Diagnosis.”

Finally, on Oct. 29, forensic anthropologist Dr. Turhon Murad will discuss “Matters of Life and Death.”

The programs are sponsored by Creative Composition, Enloe Medical Center, North Valley MRI & CT Center, Joan Stewart, Grace Jr., Gary and Judy Sitton, Marcia Moore, Stan and Joyce Basin, Chico Enterprise Record, KCHO Radio, Barbara and Garey Weibel, and Peggy Steel.

For additional information about this and other museum programs, visit the museum’s Web site.

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The Anthropology Museum and the Northern California Natural History Museum (NCNHM) at California State University, Chico will present the Leakey Book Club in anticipation of a visit by Dr. Richard Leakey on Oct. 3. Leakey’s visit is part of both the President’s Lecture Series and the On the Creek Lecture Series.

Prior to Leakey’s visit, faculty members from the Department of Anthropology will lead a series of discussions related to the book “Ancestral Passions: The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankinds Beginnings” by Virginia Morell.

The discussions will be held Wednesday evenings, Sept.10, 17, 24 and Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Chico. Copies of the book will be available, but it is not necessary to have read the book to enjoy the discussions.

Discussion topics include evolution of Neanderthals, forensic anthropology, fieldwork in Africa, social implications of museum collections, and the Leakey family legacy.

Richard Leakey is the second of three sons of the archaeologists Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey. He is an international spokesperson on wildlife conservation, a Kenyan politician and a paleontologist. Leakey was appointed the head of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department by President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya in response to the international outcry over the poaching of elephants. He served in that position from 1989 until 1994.

He is the author and co-author of eight books, including, “Wildlife Wars: My Battle to Save Kenya’s Elephants,” with Virginia Morell; “Origins Reconsidered,” with Roger Lewin; and “ The Sixth Extinction,” also with Lewin. Leakey continues to lecture on environmental themes and is currently involved in grassroots wildlife conservation projects.

The Department of Anthropology also presents weekly forums every Thursday at 4 p.m. in Ayres Hall 120 on the CSU, Chico campus. The public is welcome to attend.

Details on all these programs can be found at the museum’s Web page.

Information about Leakey’s appearance in Chico as part of the President’s Lecture Series can be found at the Web site.

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California State University, Chico Continuing Education has partnered with LearningChange to host The Facilitation Academy, a new training program aimed at helping people learn to develop and manage teams, design effective training programs, provide coaching services and lead performance improvement initiatives.

The first course in The Facilitation Academy series, Advanced Facilitation, will be offered September 18-19 on the CSU, Chico campus. Two additional courses, Facilitative Leadership on October 30-31 and Facilitating Change on December 11-12, complete the series.

The Facilitation Academy provides a rich opportunity for participants to practice innovative facilitation skills that will easily transfer into the workplace for the benefit of their businesses and organizations. In addition, participants will be able to improve and expand current learning initiatives and join an international community of trainers, facilitators, managers and leaders.

The Advanced Facilitation course will be presented by Barry Relaford, Lauren Ball and Scott Winter. Barry Relaford is the co-founder of CoveyLink Worldwide and contributor to the bestselling book, “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen Covey. Lauren Ball is an expert facilitator and former corporate trainer. Scott Winter is the co-founder and principal of LearningChange, a Chico-based performance improvement organization.

Launched May 2008, The Facilitation Academy was first presented to business managers in Australia through TRAC Consulting of Queensland. This fall’s program at CSU, Chico will be the first offering in the United States.

“LearningChange has had tremendous success in delivering The Facilitation Academy overseas, and we are proud to partner with LearningChange to extend this innovative program to professionals in our area. ‘The Speed of Trust’ is a very influential catalyst for positive organizational change, and hosting Barry Relaford from CoveyLink is a unique opportunity for business, government, community and organizational leaders throughout the state of California,” said Clare Roby, associate dean, CSU, Chico Continuing Education.

For more information please visit The Facilitation Academy Web site.

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California State University, Chico has received a gift commitment of $3 million from emeritus faculty member Valene Smith Posey to benefit the University’s anthropology program and its Museum of Anthropology.

The gift was announced by CSU, Chico President Paul Zingg at the fall 2008 Convocation for faculty and staff of the University on Thursday, Aug. 21.

Smith Posey taught in the anthropology department from 1967 to 1998. An expert on tourism and a frequent world traveler, Smith Posey has been a major supporter of the University’s Museum of Anthropology since its inception in 1971.

“Valene is a pioneer in the field of anthropology and cultural heritage tourism,” said Stacy Schaefer, chair of the Department of Anthropology and co-director of the Museum of Anthropology. “Her worldly knowledge and generosity to the Museum of Anthropology began decades ago when, as a faculty member in the department, she began collecting objects for the museum on her field travels around the globe. Valene is keenly aware that objects have stories to tell about peoples, cultures, inspiration, and artistic creativity. She also recognizes the vital role the museum has to educate children, University students and the public about humanity and the museum’s mission to train our students for careers in museums and in the field of anthropology.

“Valene’s generous gift will enable the Museum of Anthropology and the anthropology program to soar to new heights of excellence that build bridges of understanding about our place as humans in the world and in the universe,” said Schaefer.

A long-time Chico resident, Smith Posey has been involved in campus and community organizations for many years. She was founding president of the Chico Museum Association, a founding member of the Enloe Hospital Foundation and has been a member of Soroptimist International, Chico, since 1968. She currently sits on the University Foundation Board of Governors.

In addition to her $3 million bequest benefiting the anthropology program and the Museum of Anthropology, Smith Posey has made numerous prior gifts to support the campus and the community.

“Valene’s wonderful gift is all about vision,” said Zingg. “It supports the University’s mission to serve our students, community and region, and provides a powerful invitation and reason for others to do the same. We are thrilled that through such a gift Valene has found another way to support the work of the University and to accomplish her personal goals.”

The Museum of Anthropology, housed in Langdon Hall, was established by Keith Johnson, professor emeritus. Leadership funding included gifts from Smith Posey, who had extensive experience with museums beginning with the famed Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. Additional museum funding has come from bequests of Smith Posey’s two prior husbands, who shared her dream of supporting the museum: the late Edwin C. Golay (1916-1980) and the late Stanley G. McIntyre (1916-2000).

“I am very excited about the future of our anthropology program and the Museum of Anthropology,” said Smith Posey. “For example, I’m looking forward to how we can expand and enhance the museum certificate program, the graduates from which are now professionally employed in major museums across the USA as well as several in foreign national museums.

“The museum will become Chico’s ‘window to the world,’ as it adds to the existing holdings of artifacts from the Arctic, China’s historic past and local archaeology,” said Smith Posey.

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Student national champion teams from 13 high schools representing nine countries competed in the sixth annual Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup tournament in Abuja, Nigeria, at the end of July.

Founded by California State University, Chico business professor Curt DeBerg, SAGE is an international network that links secondary school student organizations to mentors from local universities and businesses. Its purpose is to create a global community of teenage entrepreneurs to make the world a better place. Under the direction of university student mentors, high school SAGE teams create ethical and socially responsible commercial and social ventures.

The SAGE team from Jikwoyi Junior Secondary School, located in Abuja, Nigeria, came in first after the week-long competition that concluded on July 28. The team also won at the 2007 championship in Odessa, Ukraine. A South Korean school placed second, Santa Monica High School from the United States placed third, and a Singapore school placed fourth in the 2008 competition.

The Santa Monica team earned the right to represent the United States by winning a national tournament in Cincinnati in May.

High school teams were judged on commercial entrepreneurship, social enterprise, civic engagement, environmental responsibility and global outreach. Following a 15-minute presentation, five minutes were set aside for judges to ask questions of the presenters.

DeBerg said examples of SAGE’s projects included providing clean drinking water in developing countries, planting trees in Nigeria, fighting the spread of malaria in West Africa, eliminating plastic bags in Santa Monica, and bringing new networking technology to South Korea.

DeBerg said SAGE effectively links businesses with youth through entrepreneurship and social enterprise. “Through SAGE, businesses can leverage their human capital by becoming involved with high school students, whose actions are literally making the world a better place,” he said.

Accompanying DeBerg on the trip to Nigeria were three CSU, Chico business students: David Wurlitzer, Gennifer Rose and Liz Wendorf. Wurlitzer, a senior accounting major from Healdsburg, said that his experience in Nigeria was life-changing and inspiring. “When one sees what these youngsters have accomplished, you cannot help but come away with optimism for our future,” he said.

SAGE California’s main sponsors this year were The Allstate Foundation, Bank of the West, GotVMail and the Elks National Foundation. Shelly Taliani, senior product consultant in the Product Management Department for Allstate, was one of the judges at the California regional tournament in April. She said she was fascinated that high school students could complete such creative projects under the guidance of role models from the University.

“This program is consistent with one of Allstate’s main goals in the community—to inspire young people to view entrepreneurship as an option for success,” said Taliani. “This program teaches the skills required to become successful business owners. With their college coaches supporting them, the teams are judged according to who had the most innovative business and community outreach projects.”

The Allstate Foundation provided a $15,000 grant to CSU, Chico to conduct the 2008 SAGE California competition. “This is a great social investment for us,” Taliani said. “SAGE brings high school students together with the university and business community to help them understand the importance of economic empowerment. I look forward to judging again.”

DeBerg’s goal next year is to expand SAGE to 10 U.S. states and 20 countries. “With continued support from socially-responsible companies like The Allstate Foundation, the sky is the limit for SAGE,” he said. “I dream that the SAGE World Cup will someday become the creativity and sustainability Olympics for youth.”

Additional information about SAGE can be found http://sageglobal.org and http://sageworldcup2008.org, or by sending an e-mail to cdeberg@csuchico.edu or phoning 530-520-7370.

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