Les Adler, Dean
On any given day this summer in the School of Extended Education, there were several hundred EXCEL students, fourth through eigth graders, accelerating their learning through exciting, unique courses in the arts, sciences or humanities; 125 Osher Lifelong Learners, returning to campus to study film with faculty experts; high school students learning about video production and Global Climate Change; groups of Korean teachers studying science education and English language instruction with SSU faculty experts; and 80 K-12 teachers from across the nation studying the life, times and writings of Jack London in two NEH Landmarks of American Culture workshops.
Along with SSALI students from around the world attending Sonoma State's intensive English language program, there were also Americans earning a TESOL certificate, GREENFARM music courses for young artists, special workshops for teachers, educational travel programs and a variety of innovative courses and workshops for other community members and professionals.
As described in our new Fall catalog, Extended Education will also be offering B.A. degree completion programs, an M.S. degree program in Computer and Engineering Science, M.A. degree programs in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies through the Hutchins School, Wine Business seminars, professional certificate programs ranging from Green Building to Child/Infant Mental Health and our newest certificate in Legal/Court Interpretation.
An exciting offering open to both campus and community members is our new Healthy Living for Life program, a creative partnership between SSU's Schools of Science and Technology and Extended Education, and Kaiser Permanente.
Barbara Butler, Dean
As always, change is afoot in the University Library! Over the summer, we've made many exciting changes to provide our campus community with the technology-rich learning and information environment necessary for success.
The Library website, http://library.sonoma.edu, is transitioning to a new look which will allow a more flexible use of new technologies. Be sure to check Library URLs before posting them on syllabi or on WebCT, as some may have changed.
We are now offering very convenient, online delivery of interlibrary loan articles. Students, staff, and faculty can now set their preference for online delivery within their Interlibrary Services (ILS) account. Contact the ILS office, document.delivery@sonoma.edu or Raye Lynn Thomas, thomasra@sonoma.edu, with questions.
The new semester also brings the arrival of many new online resources for students, staff, and faculty. One of our most intriguing additions is Early English Books Online (EEBO), which contains online facsimiles of 80% of all materials printed in English before 1700. For EEBO, and other new resources, go to the Library's web page at http://library.sonoma.edu and click on "Articles & More."
This fall, the Library will open the new Learning and Teaching Center. The Center will serve as the hub for information literacy and technology training for students and faculty. The Center will house the Library's Digital Lab, the Library's Instruction Program, the IT Web Office, and training sessions hosted by the Center for Teaching and Professional Development.
On the entertaining side of life, the Library will host The Big Brain Bash: A Trivia Event for all students. It will be an evening of multimedia trivia, fun, prizes, and competitive spirit! The Bash is Friday, August 24, 7-9 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Library. Spread the word!
Also, we are very excited to welcome our new librarian, Sheila Cunningham. She joins us from UC Davis and brings a wealth of experience in the areas of information literacy, new technologies and assessment. Sheila will be coordinating the Library's information literacy e-learning initiatives.
Please feel free to contact your liaison librarian at http://library.sonoma.edu for any questions about library services, collections, or information literacy instruction. We're looking forward to a great year!
William Babula, Dean
During the summer two of our faculty were awarded summer fellowship stipends through the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Program. Michael Ezra of the American Multicultural Studies Department was recognized for his proposal "Owning Cassius Clay: A Book Manuscript" and Michaela Grobbel of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department was recognized for her proposal, "Theatre as a Meeting Place of Cultures: Contemporary "Gypsy" Performance in Vienna."
Six new faculty members have joined the Arts & Humanities faculty
for the
2007-2008 academic year. Jennifer Roberson has come from University of
Minnesota to become an Art History faculty member, Daniel Malpica has come
from University of California Los Angeles to join the Chicano Latino
Studies Department, Ed Beebout has come from the Channel 50 news department
in Santa Rosa to join the Communication Studies Department. Beebout has
been teaching as a lecturer at Sonoma State University in the Communication
Studies
Department and serving as the advisor to the student newspaper. Brantley
Bryant has come from Columbia University to join the English Department,
Ajay Gehlawat has come from City University of New York to join the Hutchins
School of Liberal Studies, and John Palmer has come from University of
California Davis to join the Music Department. We look forward to a new
exciting year.
Elaine Leeder, Dean
While many were away for the summer, lots of activity took place here on campus and in the School of Social Sciences. Ten faculty members in the School were granted funds to engage in summer research: Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp of the History Department did work on "Bending Borders and Bodies," Glenn Brassington (Psychology) worked on mental strength and psychological problems of elite athletes, Maureen Buckley (Counseling) went to a Summer Institute in School Counseling, James Dean (Sociology) studied "Racial Heterosexual Feminities and Gay and Lesbian Visabilities," while Karin Enstam (Anthropology) worked on a book about "Early Human Behavior: Narratives of Hominid Origins."
Steve Estes (History) worked on a book, "In the Heat of the Nacht: Black, Jewish Police Chief and the Politics of Post-Civil Rights South," and Michelle Jolly (History) worked on a gallery exhibit on her Sonoma County Women's Oral History Project." David McCuan (Political Science) studied the problems of nuclear disarmament with focus on Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War. He also attended a workshop in Israel on terrorism. Kathleen Noonan (History) studied Pocahontas, "a picturesque episode in the history of two nations," and Geri Olson (Psychology) continued her study of dolls, this time focusing on "Picaninnies, Sambos, Golliwogs and Mammies: The doll as a narrative of racism, stereotypes and social class."
It was a busy summer in the School. We have a new administrative coordinator in the Dean's Office, with Holly Sautner moving from the School of Education to become the Dean's Assistant and three new faculty members have joined the Social Sciences faculty. Ian Feinhandler has come from University of Colorado to become a Geography and Global Studies faculty member, Josh Meisel has come from Humboldt State to join the Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies Department and Amy Kittelstrom has come from Harvard University to join the History faculty. We are thrilled with these additions to our School.
Mary Gendernalik-Cooper, Dean
Welcome to 2007-2008. The School of Education was busy this summer with our first, and very successful, foray into YRO. Courses ranging from credential program pre-requisites through master's thesis work generated over 80 FTES. Additionally, the joint doctoral program in Educational Leadership admitted its third cohort of students this summer. They began their coursework here at SSU in an intensive six-day class during early August with Dr. Paul Porter as the instructor; Dr. Porter also serves as the joint doctoral program's co-director.
School of Education faculty led and participated in a number of special projects over the summer as well. Drs. Emiliano Ayala, Jim Fouche and Brett Christie shepherded the second summer institute of the federal Department of Education funded EnAct grant. Faculty from seven CSU universities participated in the institute. Dr. Kelly Estrada and the university's Early Assessment Program director, Katheryn Horton, directed the second Reading Institute for Academic Preparation. This institute hosted high school teachers from Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties.
Dr. MaryAnn Nickel directed and taught the Summer Academy for Reading and Writing. Over sixty elementary school students from area school districts participated with our graduate students in this program.
Dr. Hee-Won Kang and Dr. Paula Lane directed and taught a science pedagogy program for 30 teachers from Korea. This four-week program included a curriculum focused on science inquiry and English language development. Dr. Lane directed a number of field trips with the students; Dr. Matt James and Dr. Carlos Ayala served as guest presenters. Dr. Hee-Won Kang also coordinated and taught a course in methodology of English language instruction to a different group of 22 Korean teachers. Both of these programs were collaboratively developed and implemented with the School of Extended Education.
With the opening of fall semester, we will welcome Dr. Chiara Bacigalupa to the faculty of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education; her specialization is early childhood education. Dr. Virginia Lea will be on sabbatical during fall semester; Dr. Paul Crowley will be on a difference in pay leave for the entire academic year; and Dr. Perry Marker will be on sabbatical during spring semester. Dr. Carlos Ayala is assuming the role of accreditation and assessment director for the School of Education and Dr. Karen Grady is our new director of graduate studies.
Dr. John Kornfeld is becoming the university-wide coordinator of the Freshman Year Experience, as well as chair of the university RTP committee. We are also re-activating our graduate coursework in support of area teachers pursuing National Board Certification, Dr. Kathy Morris will be coordinating this initiative.
We anticipate seven faculty searches this year, and we are gearing up for the mandated California Teacher Performance Assessment through our affiliation with the Stanford University based Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) consortium. Our Circle of Excellence celebration of alumni and P-12 partners is scheduled for Oct. 17 and the 21st annual Jack London Awards are scheduled for May 7, 2008.
T.K. Clarke, Interim Dean
The School of Business and Economics would like to welcome our new and returning students, faculty and staff.Having earned AACSB accreditation, we are looking forward to an exciting and productive year. We are fortunate to welcome Terry Lease as he embarks on his new role as Acting Chair for the Department of Business Administration. The School is also pleased to welcome our four new faculty members: Chong-Uk Kim, Economics; Florence Bouvet, Economics; David Horowitz, Marketing; and John Urbanski, Management.
Chong-Uk Kim earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oregon, in addition to an M.A. in Economics, an MBA, and a B.A. in International Trade. His areas of interest include international economics, economic growth and development, and econometrics.
Florence Bouvet earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Davis. She also holds an M.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Public Affairs and a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. Dr. Bouvet’s research interests include regional economics, economic growth and European integration.
David Horowitz earned his Ph.D. in Marketing from Florida State University at Tallahassee, in addition to an MBA and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. His areas of interest include cultural research methods in consumer culture, corporate social responsibility and services marketing.
John Urbanski earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina Columbia, as well as an MBA. His research interests include organizational behavior phenomena at the entrepreneurial and small business level, impact of diverse immigrant workforces on organization processes and cross-cultural management.
The 2007-2008 academic year marks an exciting time of new achievements and opportunity for growth in the School of Business and Economics. The receipt of a still anonymous $5 million endowment will provide needed funds for student and faculty activities. We have also just begun our new Wine MBA program, the first of its kind in the nation. This program, developed in response to student and industry need, will provide graduates with marketable skills in wine business management.
A new task the School is challenged with in the coming year is the revision of our Internship Program. A committee comprised of School faculty and staff, along with community business partners, is already active in researching a more effective way to meet the needs of our students and business community by developing a well-designed center for internship and career placement. With the semester already up and running, we look forward to joining with the University in making this a successful and exciting year!
Saeid Rahimi, Dean
This summer has been quite busy for faculty, staff and administrators of Science and Technology. In addition to offering several summer courses, our faculty have been conducting research at our laboratories and at off-campus locations. Our technical staff have been very active in setting up our laboratories and facilities for Fall 2007 instruction.
Due to the limited available space I would like to describe only some of our summer activities.
Dr. Lynn Cominsky organized the Roseland University Prep Summer experience which brought 60 high school seniors and juniors to SSU to see what it is like to experience the University environment. Many other S&T faculty participated in this highly publicized and successful event which included an inspirational speech by President Ruben Armiñana. Over the summer, the Computer Science Department’s computer malware course continued to draw attention to the challenges faced in training computer professionals in combating malicious software practices. Many members of the tech community pledged their support to the learning outcomes of this innovative course.
A few exciting events regarding our Nursing Department are noteworthy: Dr. Wendy Smith of the Nursing department received federal funding of $685,000 to continue distance delivery of the graduate FNP program; the department received a$125,000 gift from the College Network and in partnership with them and Indiana State University began delivery of an online LVN-BSN program in California; a new Health Maintenance Center and Clinical Nursing Skills laboratory has been completed downstairs in Nichols Hall with $400,000 funding from the Chancellor's Office; as a partner in the Marin Simulation Center at the Indian Valley Campus of the College of Marin, the Nursing Department received a $200,000 grant for equipment from the Betty Irene Moore Foundation.
The Kinesiology Department within Science and Technology continued its
high profile activities during the summer. Thirty-six children with disabilities
from around the state participated in the 7th annual "Sidekicks Cycle" Bike-Swim
Camp, directed by Professor Elaine McHugh. Participants swam, played outdoor
games, and learned to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle during the
week-long camp, which was co-sponsored by Easter Seals of Northern California
and United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay.
The Chemistry Department spent its summer on doing research and reviewing chemistry curriculum. The four member faculty stayed on campus through the entire summer to mentor 13 undergraduate students on a wide variety of research projects. The research effort also included three papers accepted for publication and the other two submitted. In addition, a week long departmental retreat, involving all faculty and staff, focused on curricular design for improving the effectiveness of student learning. A comprehensive program report was also submitted to American Chemical Society (ACS) for renewing the department’s accreditation of ACS certified BS chemistry degree.
Dr. Jeremy Qualls, one of the five new S&T faculty, arrived in the Physics and Astronomy Department bringing with him approximately $400,000 worth of laboratory equipment that he will setup in new facilities in Darwin Hall. Originally purchased as part of an NSF grant that he received at University of Texas Pan American, the equipment includes a 17 Tesla magnet (more than 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field), which Dr. Qualls uses to study novel properties of materials.
At the same time, the Engineering Science department prepared a survey to be sent to about 200 North Bay companies and businesses with the goal of collecting information about the job opportunities in the fields of science, technology and engineering. We plan to share the results with our students and community in about two months. The preliminary reports indicate that the School of Science and Technology has exceeded its enrollment target and we are running many of our classes at full capacity.
I wish a productive and successful semester for our students and would like to emphasize that all of our faculty, staff and administrators are ready to respond to the needs of our students to the best of our ability.