Artist's rendering of the new student recreation center which features a glass-enclosed climbing wall.
The Sonoma Student Union at Sonoma State University will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 6, at noon to celebrate the start of construction on a new $15 million dollar Student Recreation Center.
Faced with the ever increasing need and desire for more recreational space on campus, the students of Sonoma State voted to increase their Student Union fee in November of 2000 to support construction of the new Recreation Center.
Collection of this increased fee began this past fall, when the Student Union fee increased by $80 per semester. In the Fall of '03, fees will step up again to $95 per semester.
"This rec center has been ten years in the making" says Pam Su, Recreational Sports Coordinator. "The increasing number of on-campus residents, unmet demand on the current facilities, and desire for new activity space all supported this project."
Located immediately south of Darwin Hall on the SSU campus, the two story 58,000 square foot facility will have two gymnasiums that will be usable for basketball, volleyball, and indoor soccer, and badminton.
An interesting feature of the facility will be the climbing wall, located in the front of the facility and accented by a glass enclosure.
More than 8,000 square feet will be devoted to aerobic exercise equipment and weights training and users will have access to a hot tub jacuzzi.
The building will also feature a jogging track and two large multi-purpose rooms for dance and leisure class instruction. A new OutDoor Pursuits area will provide opportunities for members of the campus community to obtain information and equipment for outdoor activities. A wellness center and massage therapy program is also included in the new facility.
Construction of the new Recreation Center is made possible through the Sonoma Student Union, a non-profit auxiliary corporation of Sonoma State University. Funded by the students of Sonoma State University, the Student Union will administer the improved and larger offerings of their recreational sports programs through the operation of this new facility.
"The new Recreation Center offers new opportunities in recreational programming for all members of the University community and will provide new jobs for students as well," says Stacey Nugent, student chair of the Student Union board of directors.
Construction is scheduled to begin this February and last roughly 14 months. Completion of construction is due in April of 2004. Architects are LPA, Incorporated.
The Student Union is funded strictly from student fees and uses no general fund money from the State.
An artist's rendering of the facility is available upon request.
Bill Hauck, President of the California Business Roundtable, will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming North Bay Economic Outlook Conference 2003 called "The North Bay Economy in the Business Cycle."
The conference, presented by SSU's School of Business and Economics takes place from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Vineyard Creek Hotel Spa and Conference Center located at 170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa.
Hauck has extensive experience working in the California State Government. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Governor Pete Wilson and Chief of Staff with former Assembly Speakers Willie Brown and Bob Moretti.
He has also been Chairman of the California Constitutional Revision Commission, the Director of the Assembly Office of Research and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Coro Foundation in Southern California.
In addition to Hauck, other influential local Sonoma County businesspeople also on the conference program include Gary Heck, chairman of Korbel Champagne Cellars and Sheila Walker, executive director for Sonoma County Tourism.
The objective of the conference is to review the health of the North Bay economy, and tackle issues regarding its outlook in the future. Topics discussed at the conference will range from technology development to market and management issues of wine and tourism.
The North Bay economic future for such industries as banking, health care, construction, and government agencies will also be included.
"The idea is to give participants new industry perspectives regarding the local economy's role within the regional economy and forecast the direction it may be headed," says business school dean Ahmad Hosseini.
The Economic Outlook Conference Planning Committee consists of: Brad Bollinger, Business Editor, Press Democrat; Lawrence R. Brackett, President and CEO, Frank Howard Allen Realtors; Dan Condron, Retired Public Affairs Manager, Agilent Technologies; Robert Eyler, Director, Center for Regional Economic Analysis (CREA), Sonoma State University; Ahmad Hosseini, Dean, School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University; Debbie Meekins, President and CEO, Sonoma National Bank; and Randy Sloan, Editor and Publisher, North Bay Business Journal.
For further information, phone Tracy Navas at (707) 664-2220.
The Wine Business Program within Sonoma State University's School of Business and Economics launches a new course, "Wine Entrepreneurship," as part of the Chalone Entreprenuer-in-Residence (EIR) program this spring.
Last May, David Stare, founder of Dry Creek Vineyard, and W. Reed
Foster , co-founder of Ravenswood Winery, were selected as the first
recipients of the Chalone EIR program.
David Stare and Reed Foster will instruct students on how to write a
business plan for a wine-related business or venture. The course syllabus is an all-star line-up of industry veterans who built and advised successful wine businesses.
TK. Clarke, acting Dean of the School of Business and Economics, commented: "We are honored to have entrepreneurs come and share their business experience with our students and the community. Their donation of time and financial resources during the current budget crisis is a great gift for the school."
The Chalone EIR program is designed to bring a wine industry entrepreneur to the university for a semester of teaching, working with faculty, and enriching student experiences.
Chalone Wine Foundation, an organization that awards scholarships to students studying the art or science of wine or food, provides financial grants to wine-related nonprofit groups, and administers the wine donations of the Chalone Wine Group, is underwriting the "Entrepreneur-in-Residence" program.
The class will meet Wednesday nights from 7 -9:40 p.m. Community members may enroll through Open University on a space available basis. For further information, visit
www.sonoma.edu/exed/openuniversity/ or call (707) 664-2394.
The science, policy, and ethics of human-caused climate change as it affects the North Bay is the focus of the first lecture in a series of events to be held at Sonoma State University.
A committee of Sonoma State University professors have teamed up with local environmentalists, government representatives, and businessmen and women to present a program that will include three all-day workshops on global warming later in the year.
The first lecture on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Cooperage includes Donald Aitken of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Daniel Kammen of U.C. Berkeley, and Paul Baer, author of Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming.
"Our first goal is to lay out the facts to our community regarding the science of global warming, and to separate political rhetoric from reality," says professor Dolly Friedel, one of the organizers of the series.
"Our second goal is to facilitate discussion among community leaders, from public agencies, industry and agriculture, local government, and education to formulate plans for response to changes brought to our region by global warming."
Admission is $10 at the door, but will be waived for all students (from SSU or elsewhere) and for all who register in advance at http://www.sonoma.edu/projects/climatechange.
Workshops on climate change mitigation in the region, emissions inventories in Sonoma County, and green building techniques will take place on three Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on March 29, May 3, and June 7.
The March 29 workshop will focus on mitigation: lessening the harmful impacts on the region, such as the reduction of available water and more severe winter storms.
Coordinator for the day will be Dr. Zeno Swijtink, SSU philosophy instructor and founder of the Atascadero Creek and Green Valley Watershed Council (or local watershed activist), who has recently joined the State Resources Agency's Climate Change Work Group.
May 3 will bring together community leaders to seek ways to slow global warming. Ann Hancock will explain her work with ICLEI, the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives, a global organization working with city and county governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their communities.
Coordinated by Dr. Debora Hammond, provost of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at SSU, the workshop will highlight results of emissions inventories being conducted in Sonoma County as the initial phase of the ICLEI Climate Protection Campaign.
On June 7, participants will get out from behind the desks to attend a Green Building Expo at the SSU Environmental Technology Center. Events of the day will demonstrate "green" building design and materials, and renewable energy and energy efficiency. Coordinator for the Expo will be Armando Navarro, assistant director of the Center.
Navarro will also coordinate a fall workshop, which will address transportation, the single activity that currently contributes the most to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Attendees may register for one or more events, or for the whole series. Teachers attending the whole series can receive academic credit for Continuing Education. Inquiries may be sent to climate.change@sonoma.edu.
For further information, call Armando Navarro, assistant director of the Environmental Technology Center, (707) 664-2577
The University Library Art Gallery at Sonoma State University celebrates Black History Month and the start of a new semester with the exhibition "We Want Freedom," a photo essay about the Black Panthers by Bay Area photographer Ilka Hartmann.
The exhibition, which opens Jan. 27 and runs through Feb. 28, includes photographs, original newspapers, documentary film footage, and an audio clip of Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party.
On Feb. 5, Hartmann will speak about the photographs in the University Library Art Gallery from noon until 1pm.
The title of the exhibit, "We Want Freedom," is from the first three words of the Party's Platform and Program of 1966. "We Want Freedom" displays over 40 black and white photographs taken from 1968 to 1970 at public events organized by the Black Panther Party in the Bay Area.
The images tell the story of the events of the times beginning with the memorial march and rally for Lil' Bobby Hutton who, at 16, was killed by Oakland Police, to the great May Day demonstration at the San Francisco Civic Center.
Photographer Ilka Hartmann, originally from Germany, was a graduate student at UC Berkeley during the period the images were taken. The majority of the photographs are being shown for the first time. A handful of the pictures have been published in such noted places as the Encyclopedia Britannica and the German publication Der Spiegel.
Hartmann says her photojournalism has been "documenting the life of those out the mainstream" for over 3 decades. Her largest body of work depicts the life of Native Americans, beginning with the Occupation of Alcatraz. These images have been published in many books and films, including the November 2002 PBS production "Alcatraz is Not an Island." For more information on Hartmann's other publications visit www.ilkahartmann.com
The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Friends of the University Library. The University Library Art Gallery is open Monday - Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and closed on Sundays. A daily parking permit ($2.50) is required M-TH 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. and 6 a.m .- 5 p.m. Fridays except holidays. Daily permits are not valid in reserved lots.
The nineteenth annual Art from the Heart silent art auction and party at the University Art Gallery is set for Saturday, Feb. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Art Gallery's exhibition, publication, and lecture programs.
There will be a free preview of the artwork from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 11a.m.-4 p.m., on Thursday, Feb. 6 and from 11 a.m. -8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7.
As always, the Art from the Heart auction will be an exciting evening of art, music, food and fine wine that has become one of the oldest continually-held fundraising events in the area and a "must" for novice and seasoned collectors alike. Art from the Heart features modestly priced works of art and other items, such as stays at local inns and hotels, theatre and museum tickets, and bottles of wine, that are sold during a silent auction.
This year more than 150 artists from Sonoma County and across the United States have created original works of art especially for Art from the Heart, including Chester Arnold, Sally Baker, Mary Black, Aryan Chappell, Deborah Colotti, Lowell Darling, Robert Ellison, Cynthia Hipkiss, Bob Hudson, Tony King, Judith Linhares, Monty Monty, Sylvia Seventy, Richard Shaw, Marg Starbuck, Jack Stuppin, John Watrous, William T. Wiley, and Sam Woolcott, among many others.
Delicious food and wine will be served, and a $15 donation is suggested at the door. For more information, please call the University Art Gallery at (707) 664-2295.
Biophysics, geophysics, and astrophysics are among the subjects to be described in the spring "What Physicists Do" public lecture series at Sonoma State University.
Lectures will be on Mondays at 4 p.m., from Feb. 10 to May 12 (excluding Feb. 17, Mar. 31 and Apr. 7), in room 108 Darwin Hall on the SSU campus.
Greg Madejski of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center will open the series Feb. 10 with "Astrophysics from Space." The Polish-born physicist will describe observations of great explosions, dark matter, and black holes made from present and future space-based observatories.
University of Nevada, Reno physicist Katherine McCall will speak on "Rocks in the Physics Laboratory" Feb. 24. On March 3, Chad Trujillo will fly up from Caltech to discuss Quaoar, a solar system object half the size of Pluto, which he and a colleague discovered in June.
Helene Grossman of Berkeley will discuss biophysical applications of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) March 10.
Renowned Berkeley biophysicist Carlos Bustamante will describe his studies of the packaging of DNA by a virus using optical tweezers March 17. Bustamante was awarded the American Physical Society Biological Physics Prize in 2002 for his pioneering work in single molecule biophysics.
On March 24 Mark Halpern of the University of British Columbia will present the long-awaited results of the Microwave Anisotropy Probe satellite, which has been observing the radiation left over from the Big Bang in order to measure the fundamental cosmological parameters.
Stanford University physicist Dean Wilkening will discuss recent technical developments regarding ballistic missile defense April 14.
Quantum logic will be the topic of the April 21 lecture by Steve Selenick, retired from the University of Missouri, St. Louis and author of a book on the subject.
There will be two physicists from industry, William Risk from IBM in San Jose and Daniel Roitman of Agilent Labs in Palo Alto. They will speak on quantum cryptography and nanoparticle-based biomolecular sensors, respectively.
The series will conclude May 12 with its second speaker from the University of Iowa, John Goree, who will describe "Making a Plasma Act Like a Crystal."
SSU professor Joe Tenn, who is directing the series, expresses his gratitude to the donors who have made it possible to bring such distinguished speakers to SSU for the privately-funded series.
For a free poster describing all twelve lectures, see http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/, send e-mail to gayle.walker@sonoma.edu, or call (707) 664-2119.
Sonoma State University will hold it spring convocation on Monday, Jan. 27 in Evert B. Person Theatre on the Rohnert Park campus.
Speakers will begin their remarks at 9 a.m. and continue until closing at 11:30 a.m.
A complete schedule of events follows:
8:30 a.m. - Coffee, tea & pastries - lobby of Evert B. Person Theatre
9 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks, Noel Byrne - Chair of the Faculty
9:25 a.m. - Bernie Goldstein - Provost/Vice President, Academic Affairs
9:35 a.m. - Jen Minnich - President, Associated Students
9:40 a.m. - Greg Tichava - Staff Employee Representative
9:45 a.m. - Victor Garlin - President, California Faculty Association
10 a.m. - Ruben Arminana - President of the University
10:20 a.m. - Opportunity to ask questions of any Convocation speaker
Convocation will adjourn by 11:30 a.m.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: Copies of some of the speeches made during the Spring Convocation will be available online after the program at www.sonoma.edu
In a unique program led by the Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics, students will work in a consulting role with small businesses during the spring semester.
According to SSU Professor Armand Gilinsky, the program is ideal for small for-profit businesses of more then one person that have been in business for at least a year.
SSU business students, working in small teams, will meet with businesses weekly and work under the guidance of a Business and Economics faculty member. They will help to define with owners and staff the problems and challenges of running a small business and speculate on how to fix them.
At the end of the semester, students will present a detailed report containing findings made during the 15 weeks and recommendations for action.
The students are adept in a number of different areas and will assist in the following tasks:
o General performance audits of business methods and systems
o Strategic and financial planning
o Personnel policies and employee handbooks
o Customer acquisition and retention
o Market research and competitor analyses
o Accounting and financial forecasting
The small business consultant program has won a myriad of honors including the Small Business Consulting Case of the Year awards from the Small Business Institute Director's Association in 1996 and 1998.
There is a voluntary participation fee of $500. Any donations received will be used to fund student scholarships to the Entrepreneurial Excellence Course scheduled for late spring.
Admission is selective and will be limited to ten small businesses.
For more information or to apply, contact professor Armand Gilinsky, (707) 664-2709 or e-mail: armand.gilinsky@sonoma.edu.
The pros and cons of joint ventures is the topic of a networking lunch for entrepreneurs from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park.
The speaker will be Sonoma State University business professor Robert Colman who opens this series of lunches for start-up entrepreneurs as part of the University's new Enterprise Partnership Program at the School of Business and Economics.
The lunch is the first in a series of programs to take place the fourth Tuesday of the month to give up entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet people of similar interests.
The series is also sponsored by PeopleConnect and the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE).
Cost of the lunch is $20 . To make a reservation or for further information, please contact Max Shapiro at (415) 479-3400 or
max@peopleconnectstaffing.com
EPP will address the needs of small businesses, entrepreneurs, inventors in the North Bay by providing hands-on assistance through faculty, interns, and mentors in the business community, says Colman who is director of the program.
It will provide strategic, financial, marketing, production and staffing support and seek to form alliances among businesses,
the University, and local and federal government agencies.
EPP will also assist in the development of business plans, financial offerings, and will facilitate access to office, manufacturing, and research facilities, and introduction to funding sources for small businesses.
For further information on EPP, contact Colman at (707) 664-2393.
Sonoma County's four-day celebration of the life and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King features leadership by the AmeriCorps program of the Sonoma State University Service Collaborative. Over three hundred AmeriCorps members have been preparing for the events that will take place Jan. 17-20. AmeriCorps is partnering with the Sonoma County Library and with Community Baptist Church in Santa Rosa.
On Friday, Jan. 17, a poetry reading by children and youth will be held from 6-9:30 p.m. in the Forum Room of the Santa Rosa Public Library. The children of the Project SCHOLARS reading program and the COOL SCHOOL after school mentoring program will give voice to poems, dreams, and raps for family and friends.
The children, assisted by their AmeriCorps mentors and tutors, will perform from 6 -8 p.m. At 8p.m., the program will continue with open mike by the Youth Volunteer Corps of the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. Sonoma State University Service Collaborative and the Sonoma County Library are partnering to host the program.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, an adult poetry reading/ music hootenanny will be held from 8-10 p.m. at Epiphany Music Store, Santa Rosa. Inspired by the life and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., local poets and musicians will sing out and speak out. Epiphany Music Store is located at 640 4th Street, Santa Rosa. The reading is co-hosted by the AmeriCorps Student Leaders program at Sonoma State University and will feature talented AmeriCorps members.
Sunday, Jan. 19, marks the official Birthday Celebration held from 4-9 p.m. at the Luther Burbank Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. AmeriCorps members and staff serve on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Committee, which plans the event. Speeches, choirs, children's presentation, and orations by the winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratory Contest highlight the main stage.
Tabling in the lobby presents information on community issues and displays of children's art illustrating the life and message of Dr. King. AmeriCorps members will assist in the children's room with activities and stories, and lead the children to the stage for the concluding "Happy Birthday" song.
On Monday, Jan. 20, the "Day ON, Not a Day Off" at Community Baptist Church, 1620 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, will set the example for service on Dr. King's birthday. Some 400 volunteers are expected from 10 a.m. -4 p.m.. Activities inside the church include community awareness presentations and children's carnival. Activities outside the church include two AmeriCorps-led projects of processing books from a massive book drive and assembling wooden stools and bookcases for children's literacy centers. All are welcome. Donors can drop books off at the Bookmobile on the day of the event.
A new Spanish translation service is being offered by the Spanish department at Sonoma State University that will utilize the talents of senior SSU Spanish majors. The program is free and available to any non-profit organization or state, local, or city government agency.
The translation service will be the core component of a new course offered within the SSU Foreign Language Department titled Spanish Translation: Theory and Practice. The class will take place during the Spring 2003 semester that stretches from late January through May.
Reeder says there will probably be a month's turn-around time on each project accepted.
All translations will be done by students that will work in teams translating documents from English to Spanish and vice versa. All work done by students will be reviewed by faculty on at least two different occasions before being returned. According to Reeder, materials for translation are wide reaching and could include brochures, pamphlets or other media.
Students will benefit by performing "real" translations, and gaining the added knowledge of events and happenings in the area, as opposed to simply transcribing textbook phrases.
For further information, contact Jeffrey Reeder at (707) 664-4268 or by e-mail reederj@sonoma.edu.
Executives, managers and other professionals who want to hone their leadership effectiveness in the public sector or non-profits will benefit by a series of workshops which will lead to a Certificate in Strategic Leadership being offered by Sonoma State University.
The workshops are offered once a month in Saturday sessions starting Feb. 8 on the Rohnert Park campus, Subject areas include Leadership and Empowerment, Marketing and Delivering Services to the Public, Financial Fundamentals, Legal Ecology of Management, Cultivating Talent and Initiative and Inspiring Your Staff, Creative Leadership, and Strategic Planning and Decision-making.
All workshops will be taught by management professionals with extensive experience.
The first workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 8 is about Leadership and Empowerment. It will be led by SSU professors Robert Colman and Robert Girling and Debra Mipos, Director of Physician Training at Kaiser Permanente.
Girling recommends the program for experienced or new managers in public service organizations or individuals wishing to prepare themselves to move into managerial positions, to upgrade their skills and knowledge base by practicing new skills in a safe environment, leaders who want to keep up with regulatory changes, as well as any professionals seeking active participation and role-playing experience for public service work.
Leading institutions are undergoing dramatic change as a result of increased regulation, shrinking resources and the greater threat of lawsuits.
Leaders need to understand and be able to develop strategies to cope with the recent and rapid changes in the environment, says Girling, director of the program.
"A successful leader is able to organize and enlist others in a common vision, foster cooperation, and build a strong team," says Girling.
"A good leader inspires trust and confidence, enabling the team to achieve superior performance. This program provides participants with the tools to help them increase their effectiveness as respected leaders."
For further information, call Robert Girling at (707) 664-2228. To register, call SSU's School of Extended Education (707) 664-2394. The cost of each workshop is $150 and includes a catered luncheon.
