CSU, Chico News

One Hundred and seventy high school juniors and seniors who are interested in becoming teachers will attend the Celebrate Teaching Conference at California State University, Chico on Wednesday, March 5. The conference, sponsored by the CSU, Chico Department of Education, provides high school students from around the North State with a day to explore teaching as a career.

The working title of the conference, said Darryl Eisele, director of Integrated Teacher Core and University Connection and one of the planners of the event, is “Inspiration, Information and Perspiration.” Attendees will receive input in all of these areas, said Eisele. They will hear from an inspirational speaker and teacher, get information about college entry and hear from student teachers about what the actual work of teaching is like.

A local motivational speaker, Scott Winter from LearningChange in Chico, will lead sessions in team building at the beginning and end of the conference. Winter was a college student when he became involved with student leadership activities that ultimately took him around the world, into high schools and college campuses. He has helped develop team dynamics and service learning programs as far away as Russia.

The event is co-sponsored by Integrated Teacher Core and the University Connection, a program for local high school seniors that are interested in careers in teaching. Through University Connection, students complete their high school studies on the CSU, Chico campus and, at the same time, are enrolled as university students.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Lynn Maurer, Department of Education, at lmaurer@csuchico.edu or call 898-6421.

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California State University, Chico’s College of Business Ethics Initiative presents Forbes Magazine Senior Editor Neil Weinberg for a talk about white collar crime and the sub-prime mortgage crisis Monday, March 24, at 5 p.m. in the BMU Auditorium.

Weinberg, co-author of “Stolen Without a Gun,” discusses the pressures that encourage workers to engage in accounting fraud, theft and other misdeeds, the rationalizations they use to justify their acts and the devastating personal consequences.

The presentation will focus on a case involving workers at telecom firm MCI, who are the focus of Weinberg’s book, and how the same pressures and patterns of criminal conduct are again at work in the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

As senior editor at Forbes magazine in New York, Weinberg focuses on investigative reporting of controversial practices in business and politics. Over the past few years he has profiled corporate, mutual fund and pension scandals, the dark side of whistle-blowing and problems with private equity and hedge funds.

Weinberg served as Forbes’ Tokyo bureau chief from 1995 to 1998 and has reported extensively abroad. He received the Overseas Press Club’s annual award in 2006 for the best business story in a magazine. Weinberg appears regularly on “Forbes on Fox” and other TV news programs. He holds an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Funded by generous donations from alumni, the College of Business Ethics Initiative at CSU, Chico is dedicated to preparing business students to become effective and principled leaders. Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to attend the lecture. Admission is free. For more information, contact Shirley Hopkins, 530-898-6215, sahopkins@csuchico.edu.

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Lorraine Hoffman has accepted the position of vice president for business and finance at California State University, Chico. She is the former deputy senior vice president for business and finance for the University of California Office of the President, and most recently the chief finance and administrative officer for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with students and faculty again,” said Hoffman, “and I look forward to getting to know all the staff who work to make CSU, Chico such a great campus.”

Hoffman will begin her new position April 21. She replaces Dennis Graham, who has served as vice president for business and finance since February 1997.

“We’re delighted to attract Lori to Chico,” said Paul Zingg, president of CSU, Chico, in a note to campus announcing the news. “There has been strong enthusiasm for her candidacy, not just in Business and Finance but throughout the University. This has generated high expectations, and I share the broad confidence that Lori will bring great energy and ability to us in this key leadership role.”

Zingg also thanked Graham for his many years of service to the University. “Dennis and the committed staff members of his division do so many things to maintain the high quality of our campus, and often with few of us knowing the work that it required. With Dennis’ guidance and expertise, the University has become a leader in the CSU in sustainable building practices, audit compliance and facilities planning.”

Hoffman served the UC Office of the President as deputy senior vice president for business and finance from 2004 to 2006, managing the departments of Financial Management, Clinical Services, Human Resources and Benefits, Facilities Administration, Office of Technology Transfer, Information Resources and Communications, Audit, External Finance and Treasurer’s Office. From 2000 to 2006, she served as director of non-state capital development and facilities planning for the UC President’s Office.

Prior to joining the UC, Hoffman was a fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in San Francisco, and a faculty member and affordable housing developer in San Luis Obispo.

In 2006, Hoffman joined CIRM, overseeing overall financial and administrative matters including budget, financial accounting, facilities planning, human resources, information technology and office management.

Hoffman has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Santa Cruz and a master of city and regional planning degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as well as certificates from Stanford University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

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California State University, Chico Department of Construction Management students took home honors at the prestigious 21st Annual Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Student Competition, Feb. 13-16 at Sparks, Nev.

From among 34 universities representing over 900 students and 15 states, CSU, Chico construction management student teams garnered a third place national championship in the Marine Construction Division and a third place regional championship in the Design/Build Division.

In addition to the two teams that placed, seven other teams from CSU, Chico competed, including teams in the divisions of Heavy Civil, Multi-Family, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Information Modeling (BIM), Commercial, Pre-Construction, and Mechanical. Construction management faculty advisors were Lori Brown, Denny Gier, Doug Chelson, Chris Souder, Willem Kymmell, Mark Maybee, Joel Arthur, Kris Knapp and David Shirah.

“Participating in any of the team competitions is an honor in its own right, and coming home with a national third place in the Marine Division and a regional third place in the Design/Build Division is just great”” said Lori Brown, chair of the Department of Construction Management and this year’s director of the ASC Student Competition. “It’s a real tribute to all our CM teams’ and faculty coaches’ hard work and the quality of their education.”

During the grueling competition, students are given 24 hours to map out the process a construction firm would go through—developing work schedules, estimates, bids and other tasks—on an actual construction project, and then present it to a team of expert judges.

Some of the other universities represented in the competition were Oregon State University, University of Washington, Stanford University, University of Southern California, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University and Arizona State University.

The marine problem for the national competition was to estimate, schedule and evaluate subcontractor quotes and develop a bid for the renovation of an existing U.S. Navy facility in Puget Sound. Each team was given a set of plans and specifications, subcontractor quotes, productivity rates, labor rates, material unit costs, contract, general conditions and bid forms. The Chico marine team’s project bid was based on their overall project estimate, a realistic construction schedule, bid review presentation and overall understanding of the scope of work.

This is the first time in CSU, Chico’s history that the construction management department has won in the Marine Construction Division’s national competition. “It is a very tough competition,” said Denny Gier, advisor to the successful team. “This year’s marine team really gave a ‘peak performance’ at the competition. They were on their game and really demonstrated their technical knowledge, communication skills, personal strength and persistence at the competition.” The Marine Construction Division is sponsored by General Construction, Seattle, Wash.

The design/build team worked on a problem which required a building design as well as a cost estimate, construction schedule and management plan. Division sponsor Swinerton Construction used an actual project they recently completed as the competition project. After the student presentations, Swinerton showed all the teams the solution that was actually built and answered students’ questions.

“This year’s competition was the largest ever in its 21-year history,” said Brown. “It is a great competition that definitely mirrors the strong competitive spirit of the construction industry.”

The event also presents CSU, Chico’s students to potential employers. More than 85 companies participated in the job fair accompanying the competition.

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The Northern California Writing Project, California State University, Chico is holding a winter conference on Saturday, March 1 on the Teaching of Writing K-College. Lynn Jacobs, English as a Second Language coordinator for NCWP and a program development coordinator in Marysville, will deliver the keynote talk, “Love Still Ties My Shoes: Engaging Long-Term English Learners.”

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Selvester’s Café by the Creek on the CSU, Chico campus. The cost is $20. Morning and afternoon breakout sessions will be held that address the needs of teachers and students.

All interested teachers are invited. Six hours of professional development credit is available.

Jacobs taught English language development at the high school level for 15 years before becoming the coordinator of Program Development at Marysville Joint Unified School District. She is ELL coordinator for NCWP and is a member of the English Language Learner Leadership Team of the National Writing Project. Her articles have appeared in “English Journal,” “California English” and “Oklahoma English Journal.” Her latest publication is “Resources for Educators of English Language Learners: An Annotated Bibliography,” co-authored with Judith Rance-Roney.

NCWP is a professional development organization devoted to improving the teaching of writing. It is affiliated with both the California Writing Project and the National Writing Project, and has been serving teachers in Northern California since 1977.

For more information, call Peter Kittle at 530-898-5305 or e-mail him at pkittle@csuchico.edu.

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The Museum of Anthropology at California State University, Chico is reissuing two ethnographic documentaries based on the fieldwork of anthropologist Valene Smith Posey and filmed by photographer and cinematographer Ira Latour. “Three Stone Blades” was filmed in 1970, and “Visual Pioneers of the 19th Century: The World of Theodore Wores” was filmed in 1981.

The films have been reconfigured in a DVD format. “These films are treasures, both in their beauty and their importance in telling two ethnographic stories,” said Adrienne Scott, curator of the Museum of Anthropology. “These stories would literally disappear without them. Reissuing them is part of our mission to be ambassadors of multicultural education and preservation.”

“Three Stone Blades” provides a window into the world of Arctic peoples, whose wilderness and frozen lands have already disappeared. Posey and Latour filmed the 1970 documentary in Point Hope, a remote Alaskan village that has gradually been flooded by melting ice. Posey had done fieldwork with the Inupiat in the area. Since then, area residents have been relocated, said Scott. Part of the purpose of the film was to record the last inhabited sod igloo supported by whale ribs in the North American Arctic.

“Three Stone Blades” dramatizes an Inupiat legend of the Bering Straits regions and reconstructs aboriginal Eskimo customs and values concerning family, reciprocal sharing and shamanism. It is the story of a starving wife who goes to her sister-in-law for food, and instead, the greedy sister-in-law gives her three stone blades. The brother finds out and leaves her to go help the starving family of his dead brother.

“Visual Pioneers of the 19th Century: The World of Theodore Wores” tells the story of Wores, a San Francisco artist (1859-1939) who studied art in Europe. He became an “ethnographer with a palette,” said Posey, who made the film in 1981. Wores painted subjects in Japan, in Samoa, in San Francisco’s Chinatown and among the Indian Pueblos of the American Southwest.

Wores was widely acclaimed by 1915 and became dean of the San Francisco Art Institute. However, said Posey, he disdained emerging “modern art,” withdrew from exhibitions and dropped off from public recognition. He continued to paint California landscapes.

Two posthumous exhibits were mounted at CSU, Chico in 1978 (Indian Pueblos) and 1979 (Japanese years). Posey’s film is an outgrowth of those exhibits, created as an art history documentary to re-establish Wores’ position as an important Impressionist and major contributor to the preservation of cultural heritage. This film has never been released to the public.

The films are available through the Museum of Anthropology for $25 each, or both for $40. For information, contact Scott at (530) 898-5397 or e-mail her at ascott@csuchico.edu.

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Five Concrete Industry Management (CIM) students from California State University, Chico have the rare opportunity of traveling to France to assist in the evaluation of concrete bunkers on Pointe du Hoc, Normandy. Pointe du Hoc was the site of the historic World War II D-day landing in June 1944.

Tanya Wattenburg Komas, professor of a class in Concrete Repair and Preservation, part of the CIM program, holds a PhD in architecture and a certificate in historic preservation from Texas A&M University. Her colleagues at Texas A&M are part of an effort to evaluate the entire site of the historic landing for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Texas A&M will survey the site and evaluate the cliffs on which the concrete structures rest. Komas and the CIM students are evaluating the concrete used in bunkers and other structures. They have already completed laboratory tests on concrete samples from the site.

In March, the team will travel to Normandy and conduct on-site testing of the structures. “We will be using state-of-the-art ultra-sonic pulse testing equipment loaned to us by companies that use this same equipment to evaluate new bridges, dams and other structures,” said Komas. The students will produce an “existing conditions” report that will combine the previous laboratory testing results and the upcoming fieldwork results. It will serve as the basis for proposing the next phase of the work at the site for which federal funding is being sought.

According to Richard, Burt, Ph.D., Texas A&M, and a colleague of Komas’s, Pointe du Hoc is the most culturally important site of the 1944 World War II Normandy invasion.

This was where Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder led elements of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in a mission to destroy 155 mm cannon capable of firing on troops and ships landing on Utah and Omaha beaches (Ambrose 1989, Historical Division, U.S. War Department 1946, Lane 1994, McDonald 2000). An American military cemetery is located above the cliffs.

Pointe du Hoc is a medium coastal battery consisting of a variety of structures such as gun emplacements, casemates, and personnel and ammunition bunkers. Constructed as part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall campaign, it was strategically placed between the Utah and Omaha invasion beaches. Komas quoted Burt as saying that the site was designated a class A Historic Site by the French Government on Feb. 28, 1955. It was formally transferred to the ABMC, a small, independent agency of the Executive Branch of the federal government, on Jan. 11, 1979.

“What the students and I will be doing is part of the documentation phase of this project,” said Komas. “The work the students do will be used in developing a proposal for the next stages. There are many important historical questions that will be posed during the next phase regarding the events of D-Day and the construction of the bunkers as well as technological questions focusing on what the most appropriate structural stabilization approaches should be. That the students will be participating in research of this magnitude is very exciting for them and for me,” said Komas.

Komas can still take more students if additional travel sponsorship funds become available. If you would like to learn more about the research trip to Normandy or sponsor a student to go on the trip and participate in the research, you can contact Komas at 530-514-4341 or e-mail her at tkomas@csuchico.edu.

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Professor Cris Guenter, graduate coordinator in the Department of Education, California State University, Chico, was selected by the National Art Education Association to receive the 2008 National Art Educator of the Year Award. This annual award recognizes the exemplary contributions, service and achievements of one outstanding NAEA member.

Guenter will accept the award at the NAEA National Convention in New Orleans, March 26-30. She is scheduled to give two presentations at the convention—one on the use of wikis, blogs and podcasting for state associations and the other on using oil pastels.

NAEA President Bonnie Rushlow said, “This award is given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Dr. Guenter exemplifies the highly qualified individuals who are active in the field of art education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars and advocates who give their best to the profession.”

Guenter has been at CSU, Chico since 1987 and has contributed to the advancement of arts education at every level, within the University and beyond, while teaching and continuing to practice her art.

Guenter has helped her department and other teachers integrate technology into the teaching of art. Her research interests include technology’s intersection with the arts, assessment and electronic portfolios, and effective online rural/distance education. She specializes in teaching that focuses on arts education, computer graphics and technology in education, and creativity across the curriculum.

Her service and awards include serving as the first chair of the Arts Commission for the City of Chico, from 1990 to 1996. She was named CSU, Chico’s Outstanding Teacher for 2000 and California’s Outstanding Visual Art Educator for 2001-2002. The Kennedy Center in Washington asked her in 2000 to collaborate on arts education and online instruction. She received the International MERLOT Teacher Education Classics Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources in 2002. From 2002 to 2007, she served as president-elect, president and past president of the California Art Education Association.

Beyond her CSU, Chico workload, she currently chairs the National Art Education Association Web Site Advisory Committee and does teacher education online work for the California State University Chancellor’s Office.

Guenter began painting in elementary school, sold her first painting in junior high and held her first solo exhibit in high school. She is a Smethport, Penn., native and an alumna of Penn State, where she received a BS in Art Education and a BFA in art, and the University of Wyoming, where she received an MAT in painting and graphics and an EdD in education foundations.

Guenter has been exhibiting her photographs and paintings in regional, national and international exhibitions since 1972. She has participated in two national juried exhibits: NAEA Electronic Gallery 2006, hosted by the National Art Education Association in Chicago, Ill. in 2005; and Painting Sherwood Forest, a national juried plein air competition celebrating the 2005 Centennial of Bidwell Park in Chico, Calif. She was one of 40 artists selected to participate from a national pool.

Guenter served as editorial consultant and contributor in the areas of educational technology, portfolio development and assessment for updating Glencoe McGraw Hill Publishers’ middle school textbook series. She is the author of “Portfolio and Assessment Techniques,” second edition (Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 2005).

“This is an extreme honor for me, my department and Chico State,” said Guenter. “I have been an active member in NAEA since my days as a student teacher. Then and now, others figure into this rich, varied and sometimes surprising tapestry that is my life. You do not receive recognition like this for working alone; you earn it by sharing, collaborating and learning from others. I will accept this award on behalf of all those with whom I work, teach and learn.”

In addition to traveling to New Orleans to receive this award, Guenter will give two invited presentations this year, one at the SAP University Alliance Congress in Atlanta on March 1 and the other the keynote address in St. Cloud for Art Educators of Minnesota on Nov. 8.

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California State University, Chico College of Agriculture student Grace Berryhill won first place in the 2008 American Farm Bureau Federation Collegiate Discussion Meet in Baltimore this past weekend. She received $2,500 for winning the national title.

Berryhill, a junior, has a double major in agricultural education and animal science and a minor in Spanish. In the final round of the national competition, Berryhill competed against statewide champions from Texas, Tennessee and Florida to take the title.

Berryhill was chosen to represent California in December at the statewide Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion meet held as part of the California Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Sparks, Nev. At the state competition, Berryhill spoke on the role of U.S. agriculture in responding to global issues that include trade, climate change and the threat of agricultural terrorism.

Shannon Douglass, a 2005 CSU, Chico graduate in animal science, coached the collegiate team at the state competition and Berryhill for the national competition. Douglass said that students are judged on their knowledge of the agriculture industry, presentation skills and cooperative attitude. “The state and national competitions provide such a great opportunity for students to learn about the important issues facing agriculture and to practice the kinds of communication skills that they will use in their careers,” said Douglass.

Berryhill has been preparing for the state and national competitions since August and even more heavily during the past two months since her state-level win. “It was Grace’s first time competing, and we are so proud to have her win the national title for Chico on her first try,” said Douglass.

The California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF), the state’s largest farm organization, sponsored Berryhill’s trip to Baltimore. The Young Farmers and Ranchers program, part of the CFBF, encourages members aged 18 to 35 to be active leaders in agriculture.

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On Feb. 26, University Housing and Food Service, California State University, Chico, will recognize students living in on-campus residence halls during the fall semester for their excellent grade point averages.

At a dinner attended by President Paul Zingg, 152 students achieving grade point averages of 3.5 and above will be honored. During fall 2007, 17 students living in the residence halls achieved a 4.0 grade point average, 67 achieved a 3.75 or better and 138 received a 3.5 or better.

Except for the resident advisors, most of the residents living in on-campus housing are first-year students. Ten resident advisors making the dean’s list (3.5 or above) will be honored at the dinner.

Aren Dawkins is one of the first-year students being honored. “My experience in the residence halls has been helpful in achieving good grades,” said Dawkins. “It is easy to study because my room is quiet and my resident advisor is helpful. Everyone, from my professors to my track coaches, has supported me in and out of the classroom.”

Antonio Hernandez is another of the first-year students who achieved excellent grades during his first semester at CSU, Chico. “My first year at Chico has been memorable. The people here are great and the teachers even better! They have provided me with all the help necessary to achieve scholastically,” said Hernandez. “Chico is preparing me for my future venture into the field of criminal justice.”

Zingg will talk about being new to CSU, Chico, the importance of a balance between academics and extracurricular involvement, and the value of living in university housing for academic success.

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