NewsBytes

Initiative Launches for Global Study; Panel on April 26

There is a vital need to advance
the exchange of knowledge and understanding between cultures in an increasingly inter-connected world.

Out of that idea, SSU has established the Global and International Education Initiative, aimed at combining academic excellence with an
international education. In an effort to generate ideas and inspiration for the Initiative, a panel event has been scheduled entitled "Educating for Global Perspectives: An International Panel" from at 3-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26 in Schulz 3001.

Panelists include Provost Eduardo Ochoa, a native of Argentina; Leny Strobel, from the Philippines, Assistant Professor of American
Multi-Cultural Studies; Mutombo M'Panya, from the Congo, Assistant Professor in the Hutchins School; Roshni Rustomji-Kerns, from Pakistan,
SSU Emerita in the Hutchins School; and an SSU student with international experience.

Panelists will share information about the global experiences that have enhanced their lives, both professionally and personally. They will also share the vision they have for SSU students regarding educating for a global perspective.

Through the effort of the Global and International Initiative, SSU hopes to establish a plan for increasing the admission, retention and graduation
of international students to SSU, promote and facilitate the development of faculty-led international travel programs, and significantly increase
the number of international students who attend SSU.

For more information, contact Vice-Provost Carol Blackshire-Belay, 4-3236.

Forget Your Worries at the "Stress Less Fair"

The Student Health Advisory Committee is sponsoring a "Stress Less Fair" from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 in the Salazar Quad. Stress Balls, Bubbles, Art, Massage, and more will be provided as part of
a "SAFE Spring Break." Staff and faculty are invited to attend. For more information, call Toni Boracchia at 4-2927.

Catherine Cumberland lays a drip-irrigation system for newly- planted trees alongside Copeland Creek as part of a service learning effort.

Adventures in Service Learning
- Restoring a Watershed

Catherine Cumberland, an AmeriCorps Students in Service Volunteer, is serving as volunteer coordinator for the Bay Institute's STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed) Project this year. SSU has partnered with STRAW for several years and this new position demonstrates the growing relationship between the community and the university. Cumberland is growing this commitment by encouraging SSU faculty to develop service-learning and volunteer experiences for their students with STRAW.

A December 2005 graduate of Sonoma State with degrees in Biology and ENSP, Cumberland has worked as a naturalist and land steward at Fairfield Osborn Preserve and as a gardener in SSU’s Native Plant Garden. She also completed an independent study at Galbreath Wildlands Preserve. Recently, Cumberland has focused on Copeland Creek, across from SSU behind Grossi Farms, where STRAW has organized almost 200 students from Waldo-Rohnert Elementary and Rancho Cotati High School to plant over 160 native plants in the past two years. These plantings include big leaf maple, live oak, coyote bush, white alder, box elder, valley oak, and elderberry.

The project goal is to return the site to the condition in which it existed before human alteration. Planting native riparian vegetation provides food and shelter for native species, prevents accelerated erosion, keeps water temperatures cooler and acts as a filtration system from runoff. More service learning stories

Faculty Research Expo is Wednesday

Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend the annual research and scholarly activity exposition from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in the Commons. The event provides an opportunity for recent grant recipients and other faculty to share their research and scholarly pursuits with colleagues from all disciplines and with the campus community. Exhibitors will display the results of their work and will be present to talk with attendees about their projects. Refreshments will be served throughout the event.

SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE MONTH:

NEWSPAPERS: CAN THEY SURVIVE THE REVOLUTION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY? - Lecture by Robert Rosenthal, Managing Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. Sponsored by the Communication Studies Department. Noon, Tuesday, April 25, Schulz 3001, 4-2149.

THE PEOPLING OF SONOMA COUNTY - Lecture presented by Gaye LeBaron and Dan Markwyn. Sonoma County in the Balance Lecture Series, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 Cooperage, 4-2691.

CONVERSATION PEACE: WILMA MANKILLER - Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller will lecture. As the leader of the Cherokee people she represented the second largest tribe in the United States. Mankiller was the first female in modern history to lead a major Native American tribe. $10 general admission, free to SSU students. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Cooperage, 4-2780.

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