Sonoma State University holds its 42nd annual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 31 in an event expected to draw more than 15,000 people to the Rohnert Park campus.
The ceremonies are scheduled at 10 a.m. for the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, and Education and 3 p.m. for the School of Science and Technology and the School of Social Sciences.
Keynote speaker is Bernie Goldstein of Petaluma, the provost and vice president of academic affairs at SSU, who has been involved with the California State University system for over 40 years,
Last week, San Francisco State University awarded Goldstein the President's Service Medal for his inspirational teaching and contributions to SFSU where he first arrived on the campus as an undergraduate student. State Senator John Vasconcellos also issued a proclamation in his honor for his many years of service to higher education.
On Saturday, SSU will award Goldstein an honorary degree. His keynote speech is called "Moments That Make a Lifetime."
A similar degree will also go to Ed Stolman of Glen Ellen who helped the university create its highly successful Lifelong Learning Institute.
Student speakers at the commencement include Jonnetta L. Woods who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology and Armen Khachaturian who is getting his bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in wine business strategies. Woods speech is entitled "Adapt, Improvise and Overcome." Khachaturian's remarks are called "The Journey."
Excellence in Teaching Awards will go to psychology professor Maria Hess of Sebastopol and mathematics professor Bill Barnier of Santa Rosa.
Donors supporting these awards are Wayne Rowlands, who graduated from Sonoma State University in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in biology, and the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.
Staff Excellence Awards will go to Henry Amaral of Petaluma, a member of Facilities Services, and Vanessa Franklin of Santa Rosa, an administrative analyst in Admissions and Records.
Reservations and tickets are not needed to attend Commencement 2003 and the public is invited to attend. Parking is free in designated areas. The campus is located at 1801 E. Cotati Ave. in Rohnert Park.
For further information see the Commencment 2003 website at www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/commencement/
Two special graduation celebrations take place on the SSU campus on Friday, May 30. These special ceremonies are organized by the students themselves to honor their efforts and achievements. Graduates in these two ceremonies take part in the university-wide Commencement 2003 ceremony on Saturday, May 31.
Raza Graduation Celebration Allows Students to Thank Their Mentors and Familia
Each year graduating Sonoma State University students with Native American, Latino or Chicano heritage gather for Raza Graduation.
This year's 26th annual Raza Graduation ceremony is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 30 in Evert B. Person Theatre. The ceremony includes cultural music, bilingual keynote speakers, and a unique opportunity for the graduates to thank the individuals who have assisted them in obtaining their degree.
A reception follows and provides personal time for graduates, family, faculty, and friends to celebrate with traditional food and music.
Many of the 25 graduates attending are first-generation college graduates and this special celebration allows them to personally thank their advisors, professors, family and friends.
The ceremony includes a keynote speech by SSU professor Arturo Ramirez and several student speakers.
This years graduation will celebrate not only the graduates but also the faculty who have gone out of their way to work with the students. A special award will go to Ronnie Respress, a much loved student who died this year in an automobile accident .
A personal powerpoint presentation with a montage of photographs is projected on a screen behind each graduate as they speak from the stage.
Graduating students will have the opportunity to address the audience and thank those who have helped them through college. Last year's event drew several hundred people.
"I think that this year's graduating class will be leave a mark at SSU because we have worked very closely in order to bring it together," says Raza organizer Mariana Garcia. " We are very excited because it is our turn to wear our caps and gowns, shed a few tears of sadness and joy, and to thank all of the amazing people that have crossed our paths."
"Last year, I was quite moved when the students came up on stage and thanked those who supported them.," says Richard A. Rodriguez, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at SSU and advisor to Raza Graduation.
The event is co-sponsored by Raza/Native American Council and Chicano and Latino Studies. The bilingual ceremony is conducted in Spanish and English and is open to the general public.
African-American Graduation Celebration Features Gospel Choir
The 11th annual Black Graduation Celebration will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 30 in the Cooperage. More than 40 African-American students will receive their bachelor's or master's degree this May.
The Black Graduation Celebration is an opportunity for the University to acknowledge the achievements of African-American students and their families.
SSU president Ruben Arminana will greet the graduates and the program will feature a student speaker, musical selections by the Sonoma State Gospel Ensemble, and guest speaker Vallera Johnson, administrative law judge in San Diego County.
A reception follows the program.
Ed StolmanEdward R. Stolman of Glen Ellen will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters at Sonoma State University's
Commencement on Saturday, May 31.
Stolman has distinguished himself throughout his life as an astute businessman, energetic philanthropist and an individual with a passion for learning.
As a visionary businessman, Stolman was an early leader in the health care industry. He served as Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman of Hospital Affiliates International.
A past president and chairman of the Federation of American Hospitals, he has worked throughout his career as a consultant on health care and hospital issues. Stolman also served as a Board Member of numerous companies and national organizations promoting the delivery of health care.
Stolman has also used his keen marketing acumen to build a diverse array of businesses, from the development of the famous Dove ice cream bar to the creation of a thriving olive oil retail business in Glen Ellen, Calif. In
addition, he has supported the cultural arts and social services with energy and zeal in every community where he has resided.
He played a central role in the creation of the Lifelong Leaning Institute at Sonoma State University, a highly successful program for students fifty years of age "and better" that is addressing the intellectual interests of a
growing segment of the population and contributing to the vibrant academic environment of the campus.
Stolman has been instrumental in formulating the program and attracting substantial donor support, including an endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The Lifelong Learning Institute has now become the model for
similar programs at other campuses throughout the California State University and the University of California systems.
Mack Schwing of Santa Rosa is the new director of the Wine Business Program in the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University. He joins the University after retiring from a thirty-year career as a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche. He replaces David Hehman who left the position earlier in the year.
Schwing has consulted and worked with many not-for-profit organizations over his career on issues of strategy, budgets, systems, international marketing, customer relationships and management process.
Most recently Schwing was a senior partner and global director of Programs and Initiatives at Deloitte Consulting in New York City. During his career with Deloitte & Touche, he worked and lived in Tokyo, where he was chairman of the wine committee at the Tokyo American Club and active in the Japanese wine import market. He holds an M.B.A. in Production Management and a B.S. in Mathematics from Michigan State University.
As an offshoot of his passion for wine, he has visited and tasted in the major wine regions of France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
T.K. Clarke, Acting Dean of the School of Business and Economics welcomes Schwing to the program and says, "We believe that his business experience and relationships throughout the world will bring a new global perspective to our Wine Business Program. "
Schwing and his wife, Joan, have lived in Santa Rosa since 1990 and have been active in the local food and wine community. He is a member of the Building Committee for the Sonoma County Food and Wine Center and a member of the Sonoma County Wine Library Association. Both have served as volunteers at many local food and wine events.
The Wine Business Program offers a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Wine Business Strategies. The Program also offers Professional Development Courses for Wine Industry Professionals in areas of Wine Marketing, Government Regulations, Finance and Accounting, and other topics of current interest.
For further information, contact Mack Schwing at (707) 664-2260.
NOTE: A high-resolution digital photo of Mack Schwing is available upon request.
Sonoma State University's EXCEL students will thrust back through time as they assist local archeologists in the reconstruction of the early 19th-century Russian fur warehouse at the historic Fort Ross in northern California.
The students will camp over on the site, located west of Highway 1 near Jenner, on June 7 and 8 as they work with professional archaeologists.
Leading the eager young discoverers is Michael Newland, a staff archeologist from the Anthropological Studies Center at SSU, and the Crew Supervisor for the Fort Ross project. The Department of Parks and Recreation contracted SSU's Anthropological Studies Center (ASC) to assist in the reconstruction from May 27 through June 13.
In the summer of 2002, Newland taught an intensive class in archaeology to a group of students, ages ranging from 8-13 years old, through the EXCEL program at SSU. "I threw everything in the book at my students last summer and they tore right through the material. I was completely surprised at how sharp and capable they were," said Newland.
This unique opportunity to scope out the Fort Ross project is a gift to remember. "It's really going to be an amazing experience -- to use the techniques we learned, to get dirty, and to start digging," said Elena Hoffnagle, 13-year-old EXCEL alumni.
Newland said, "I want to give these kids, who have already expressed a strong interest in archaeology, the chance to do the real thing This experience will expand their training and engage them with the past."
The EXCEL Program give students entering the fourth through tenth grades an opportunity to attend accelerated enrichment courses. This three-time award-winning program for youth gives enthusiastic students the opportunity to explore their interests in depth by professionals and mentors.
For further information, contact Mike Newland, Anthropological Studies Center, (707) 664-2734.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the student archaeological activity on June 8. Please call for details.
Can a building take the environment into account and offer a healthy, comfortable and beautiful structure for its occupants?
The answer is yes for the organizers of the "Building for the Future: Green Building Expo" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at the Environmental Technology Center on the Sonoma State University campus.
Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey, a proponent of sustainable energy legislation at the federal level, is the guest speaker at the event which offers participants a chance to see how green building design and materials, renewable energy and energy efficiency can lead to a sustainable future.
The Expo offers product exhibits, seminars, and hands-on demonstrations in topics ranging from alternative building materials such as straw bale construction and certified sustainable lumber, and earthen plasters to larger scale issues like on local government green building initiatives and managing a green construction project.
Admission is $10 with online pre-registration before June 1, which can be purchased by visiting
www.sonoma.edu/ensp/etc/registration/default.html, or $20 after June 1.
For more information, call the Environmental Technology Center at (707) 664-2577.
One Sonoma County school has found a solution to improving the poor writing skills of many students.
Gina Cloud, Rae Galeazzi, Keri Bryski, Beth Williams, and Amy McKenna, creators of "Write to the Point" program at Mountain Shadows Middle School, won top honors at the spring 2003 Jack London Awards for Educational Excellence given at Sonoma State University yesterday.
Every teacher at Mountain Shadows, regardless of their subject area, uses "Write to the Point." The program was created in response to two specific needs: first to create a more authentic and ongoing assessment tool that students and teachers could use throughout the year, and secondly for an assessment with a scoring process that could be reasonably managed on a school site. The evaluation data supports the efficacy of this program through higher test scores and student achievement.
In recognizing innovative programs, the Jack London Award occasionally gives a special community award. "Hahn Tutoring Time" from Marguerite Hahn and Rancho Cotate High schools received the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation.
"Tutoring Time" started with a high school senior, Melissa Smuck, and her idea to create a time for elementary students to work on their homework in a safe and quiet environment.
Melissa approached Principal Rosaschi of Hahn School to see if there was a need. And there was. Melissa recruited high school students to serve as tutors.
Since the time of implementation this tutoring time has expanded to include all fourth and fifth grade classes. Their main goals are to provide a safe, supportive, quiet atmosphere for homework as well as make the connection with the high school and elementary school.
Other nominees for this year's awards were: "English and Language Development"; Washington Preparatory; Cloverdale Unified School District; coordinators: Rosemary Schwan, Nuevo Leon, coordinators Victor Kunst and Carin Johnson, and "Special Education Training"; Sonoma County Office of Education; coordinators: Buddy Steele and Kathleen La Mar.
The Jack London Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding K-12 programs and individuals responsible for them. It is sponsored by Sonoma State University, the California Faculty Association, and the Sonoma County Office of Education. SSU faculty, staff and community members serve as judges for the awards program.
Tamim Ansary, whose life spiraled into celebrity status in the wake of 9/11 when his privately written e-mail about Afghanistan to 20 friends spread through the Internet to touch millions of people around the world, will be speaking at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27 in the Cooperage.
The event is sponsored by SSU's Lifelong Learning Institute and is open to the public. A $5 donation is requested.
Ansary's e-mail discussed the attack on the World Trade Center and the then impending US bombing of his home country Afghanistan from his perspective as an Afghan-American.
He has since written eloquently on the plight of Afghanistan as its peoples struggle to rise from the cultural and moral devastation incurred there by the Soviet invasion in 1979, the rise of the Taliban, and the US military bombing campaign to rout Al Queda terrorists in 2001.
In his writings and public lectures, Ansary evokes the cost--in human and moral terms--of policies driven by the tenets of economic and political "progress" throughout the world.
A new edition of his recently published book "West of Kabul, East of New York" has garnered accolades in newspaper book reviews throughout the United States.
It is at once a warm, personal memoir about his growing up in Afghanistan, as well as a searing depiction of a later journey through the Islamic world that hellped clarify his duel identity as an Afghan-American.
Tamim Ansary has published numerous essays and books for children and is a columnist for Encarta. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and their two children.
For further information, contact Barbara Brooks, Lifelong Learning Institute, (707) 664-2691.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: For an interview with Tamim Ansary, please contact Jean Wasp, (707) 664-2057.
Students, faculty and staff of Sonoma State University are digging into their own pockets to create a safety net for lecturers whose positions may be endangered by the state budget crisis in the next few years.
In a mailing to the 1500 employees of the campus recently, organizers of the SSU Community Solidarity Fund ask for donations through payroll deduction, a one-time pledge, or one-time contribution to pay the salaries of the part-time faculty.
The idea came from the new president of SSU's Associated Students, Jason Spencer. Faculty quickly caught on and opened a special account for donations.
The emergency fund is to be used only after other funding for instruction has been exhausted, says Birch Moonwomon, one of the fund creators. "The larger the number of of employees who contribute, the larger the number of course sections and faculty positions can be retained," says Skip Robinson, another fund organizer.
Eligible recipients are any currently employed lecturers who would become unemployed or underemployed from 2003-2005.
"This is a forward-thinking way to protect classroom instruction in a difficult economic time" says Moonwomon.
Organizers says they hope to raise over $100,000.
The account allows SSU employees to make voluntary, tax deductible donations. Anyone else in the area can make a donation by contacting Kate McClintock, (707) 664-2693.
He is beloved wherever he goes, that Bernie Goldstein.
Goldstein, who lives with his wife Estelle in Petaluma, retires this year after nearly four decades in the California State University system. He will be honored in several ways this month by two universities.
SSU will award him an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters on May 31. A week earlier, San Francisco State University will award him the President's Medal at their commencement on May 24.
At SSU, where he has been provost and vice president of academic affairs for the past five years, he will be thekeynote speaker with a speech titled "Moments That Make A Life."
For the last four decades, Goldstein has held numerous positions within the two state universities, and the California State University system, and is the longest-serving faculty trustee in CSU history.
During his long career at SFSU which began in 1968, he has been a beloved professor and an esteemed administrator. As chair of the CSU Statewide Academic Senate, he instituted numerous changes that remain in effect today. He was named provost at SSU in 1998.
Goldstein is an expert in the field of reproductive physiology, human sexuality and evolutionary biology. He is widely recognized for his exceptional teaching skills and humor and is a much sought-after speaker known for his wit and wisdom.
His charismatic teaching style ensured long waiting lists for his science courses, most particularly his groundbreaking class in human sexuality, which today remains the cornerstone of SFSU's highly acclaimed Human Sexuality Studies Program, of which he is co-founder.
Students enrolled in the Lifelong Learning Institute at SSU will be the fortunate recipients of Goldstein's wisdom in the future as he plans to continue teaching at the Institute after his retirement.
Goldstein earned his bachelor's and master's degree in biology from SFSU and a Ph.D. in zoology from UC Davis. He was twice named Outstanding Educator of America, and was named SFSU's Alumnus of the Year in 1986.
Goldstein began his academic career in 1953 when he enrolled as a freshman at San Francisco State College. Service with the Army in Korea interrupted in his schooling; but he started back at San Francisco State College upon his return, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in biology in 1962 and 1964 respectively.
After earning his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of California, Davis, in 1968, he returned as a faculty member to his alma mater, which by then had become San Francisco State University. He now leaves as a professor emeritus in biology.
Bernie and Estelle's son, David, is a public defender for Contra Costa County.
CAPTION: Bernie Goldstein, retiring provost of SSU.
A campus rooftop solar system, with an impressive array of 1200 panels has earned Sonoma State University a rebate check for $340,000 from Pacific Gas and Electric.
The utility will present the check for the photo-voltaic system's eligibility in PG&E: Self-Generation Incentive Program to SSU president Ruben Arminana at a special dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21.
The solar array covering about 9,500 square feet of roof area of the former campus library generates 75 kilowatts of electricity -- enough energy to run about 80 average homes. The emissions reductions are equivalent to planting 24 acres of trees or removing 400 cars from California highways.
"This project was not conceived to simply reduce utility costs, but provide a valuable opportunity for Sonoma State University to explore the viability of alternate energy," said Bruce Walker, campus architect. "PG&E has been a valuable partner in achieving this goal."
Since 1991, the university has received more than $450,000 in energy efficiency incentives from Pacific Gas and Electric Company and has other projects in the works for an additional $460,000.
"The energy partnership between Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Sonoma State University is long-term and we value the working relationship we have with the campus," said Anlin Ting-Mason, vice president of Internet and Energy Programs Services at the utility.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is providing the financial incentive through a program that allows customers installing on-site electric generation to obtain rebates to help offset the upfront costs associated with either solar, wind, fuel cell, micro turbine or internal combustion engine systems.
This Self-Generation Incentive Program, is primarily designed for business-sized systems, which help to meet some, or all, of a facility's power needs. The California Energy Commission offers a similar program targeted to residential customers who install renewable generation sources, such as solar and wind.
For more information on the program visit the PG&E web site at www.pge.com/selfgen
A record number of adventurous Sonoma State University students have been selected to study abroad next year. A special reception is being held to recognize their achievements from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 16 in the University Art Gallery.
A total of 66 students have been selected to study in countries ranging from Spain and Chili to Japan and the United Kingdom. Other popular destinations include Mexico, Sweden, and Italy. Last year's program had 56 students overseas.
Students who participate in the international program at SSU study their major from an entirely new perspective in a country of their choice for the same tuition they would pay if they were on a CSU campus.
"Perhaps students see the need for better global communication and understanding in the light of recent world events," says Jan Beaulyn ,
director of the program on the SSU campus, in explaining the increase in interest.
"Most of our overseas sites are in Western Europe, Australia, Canada and South America, none of which will place them in danger zones, " she says. The Zimbabwe and Israel programs are on suspension for the time being. There is only one student going to Japan and none this year for China, Taiwan or Korea.
Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez, SSU's faculty representative to the statewide Council on International Programs, says that many of these students have excelled academically and hold double-majors.
"Many students tell me they want to learn how people think outside of "America," or to study beyond the U.S. point of view, " she says.
The courses they take are often courses they would never encounter in the U.S. In most cases, students return after their year abroad, fluent in a second language, says Martinez.
The International Program was created to help students develop intercultural communication skills and international understanding.
For more information on the Study Abroad program at Sonoma State University, contact Jan Beaulyn, (707) 664-2582.
Twenty students of Dr. Marilyn Dudley-Flores Sociological Analysis class showcased their research projects recently at the 27th Annual California State University Student Research Conference at San Francisco State University. The annual conference is a project of the Social Science Research and Instructional Council (SSRIC), the oldest of the disciplinary councils in the CSU system. Seven other CSU's including SFSU and Cal State University Fresno attended.
The students comprised research groups of co-researchers delving into six topics of two to four persons each as part of their coursework this semester. The topics and co-researchers are as follows:
* "The Effects of September 11 on American Attitudes Toward U.S. Aggression": Sean Curley, Jared Silveira, Suze Cribbs, and Hervy Williams.
* "The (box) of Inequality: Hidden Strategies of the Marketing Culture": Serena Mora, Michael Nathan, Lawren Lutrin, and Gregory Peters. Nathan and Lutrin spoke for this group in their effort to describe their research groups fieldwork and customer surveys examining marketing strategies in area sports and toy stores
* "Programs in English as a Second Language": Shanna Duran, Kandice Haas, and Abner Neufeld.
* "The Budget Crisis at Sonoma State University": Doug Reynolds and Bryon Reid
* "Eating Disorders Among Sonoma State University Females": Jill Falkenstein, Karina Pinon, Valerie Nelson, and Claire Burke. Pinon spoke on her group's research on eating disorders, facilely illustrating her exposition with a number of different media illustrations.
* "Sexual Health Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Preceived Risk Among Freshmen at Sonoma State University": Tara Spreng, Andrea Blake, and Amelia Strommen.
The student research conference is an annual event sponsored by the Social Science Research and Instructional Council (SSRIC).The local SSRIC representative at Sonoma State University is Don Dixon of the Political Science Department.
The InterCultural Center and the Educational Opportunity Program will host a combined ceremony to honor outstanding students From 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21 in the Cooperage. Entertainment and refreshments will follow. The Campus Climate Committee and the ICC will present the Third Annual Diversity Award for Outstanding Contribution Toward the Campus Climate.
This award seeks to acknowledge those students who have made significant contributions toward diversity through their involvement on committees, in student activities and in the classroom.
The EOP awards will recognize EOP students who have demonstrated academic achievement and distinguished themselves by their contributions to the community.In addition, recipients will be announced of the Aurelio Saucedo Achievement Award for an EOP freshman and the Jeanne L. Moore Scholarship.
The campus community is invited to join friends and family in recognizing these outstanding students.
Chilean author Ernesto Carmona will discuss the skewed nature of Chile's economic and social classes when he comes to SSU on Tuesday May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. As part of his speech, Carmona will also present and speak about his new book Los Due?os de Chile or The Owners of Chile. It is free for everyone. The event is sponsored by Project Censored.
Carmona's book, now in its second edition, details how wealth can affect the balance of power in society. The Owners of Chile illustrates how in a country of 15 million, the rich and powerful can be reduced to only 100 names. This places Chile at the top of the most uneven income distribution in the world.
An outstanding journalist, author and publisher, Carmona is an elected officer of the National Directorate of Chile's Journalists Bar Association. He has taught journalism and worked in magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations in Chile, and also in Argentina and Venezuela after being forced out of Chile in 1973. Carmona is also the author of Morir es la Noticia, or To Be Killed is News. This is a remarkable, highly praised collection of investigative essays by 63 reporters about more than 40 colleagues killed during the military regime in Chile.
Family physician April Hurley, MD will discuss what it was like being a doctor in the middle of a war zone in Iraq when she comes to SSU to speak on Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. in Stevenson 1002. It is free for all and sponsored by Project Censored.
A resident of Santa Rosa, Hurley joined the Iraq Peace Team (IPT) in Baghdad on March 13 and stayed through the bombing and invasion. IPT began through a project called "Voices in the Wilderness," a volunteer independent organization started in 1996.
The project gives voice to suffering Iraqi families under crippling UN sanctions and radiation caused by depleted uranium from the first Gulf War.
As part of her presentation, Hurley will be sharing her impressions prior to the assault, her experiences with civilians during the bombing and the invasion by our Marines, conversations with Iraqi and American soldiers, and photos taken by the team.
Exceptional teachers change the lives of their students every day and make an impact on them that lasts a lifetime.
Some of these inspirational elementary and secondary teachers from local communities will be awarded the Jack London Award for Excellence in Education during the 16th annual awards ceremony from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14 at the Sonoma State University Art Gallery.
The award is given annually to classroom teachers who run exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County schools. Winners who have earned the Jack London Award trophy in the past include Santa Rosa Middle School's Rekindling Hopes and Dreams and the Robert L. Stevens Elementary School's Dolphin Kings Chess Club.
In addition, programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation.
SSU's School of Education sponsors the Jack London Awards and SSU faculty and staff, as well as community and educational leaders, serve as judges for this awards program.
For further information, contact Phyllis Fernlund, Dean of the School of Education, (707) 664-2132.
Eduardo Ochoa has been chosen to serve as Sonoma State University's new Provost as Bernie Goldstein completes his service to SSU and the California State University. Ochoa will begin his position as Provost on or about July 1.
Ochoa was chosen after a national search in which many qualified candidates were pared down to five finalists.
Ochoa is Dean of the College of Business Administration at Cal Poly Pomona where he has been since 1997. For the previous 13 years, he was at California State University, Los Angeles where he taught economics and statistics and also served as chair of the Business and Economics Department, was associate dean and acting dean.
He was also director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Ochoa has worked in industry as an engineer for Ebasco Services (Applied Physics Group) and Gibbs & Hill (Radiation Safety Group), both in New York.
He earned his Ph.D. (1984) and M.A. (1980) in economics from the New School University; his M.S. in nuclear science and engineering from Columbia in 1976; and his B.A. in physics and philosophy from Reed College in 1973.
Ochoa joins SSU as Provost as well as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer.
SSU president Ruben Arminana says " Eduardo Ochoa is a good match for Sonoma as he strongly believes in the value of a liberal arts education and works diligently to meet the needs of faculty, staff and students while maintaining high standards. "
"He also has a healthy respect for academic freedom, shared governance, and the complexities of teaching and learning."
Arminana says Ochoa feels a strong connection to alumni is critical and that a University should engage as much as is possible with the missions of communities in which it is located.
Ochoa has published extensively, particularly in the area of economics and has been awarded many special honors including recently being chosen as a participant in the esteemed 2002 Millennium Leadership Institute of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
More than 110 colleges and universities from across the nation will be represented at the North Bay College Fair at Sonoma State University on Monday, May 12 from 9-11:30 a.m. and 6-8 p.m. Both fairs will be held in the main gymnasium on campus.
The fair is broken up into two sections in order to accommodate as many students as possible. According to coordinator Gina Geck, over 2,000 students within SSU's five-county service area will be bused to the campus for the morning session. Geck expects a thousand students and parents to attend the evening session.
Representatives from a variety of public to private and specialized schools will be on hand to answer questions and give out information on financial aid and the admission process. Schools from all across the country will be
represented.
Geck had the following suggestions for questions to ask at this year's fair:
1. Looking at my GPA and test scores, do you think I would be eligible for your university?
2. What are the three most popular majors at your college? Why are they so
popular?
3. Which departments are considered to be the strongest?
4. When is the best time to visit your campus? How do I arrange a visit?
5. How large are freshmen classes? What percentage of them are
taught by professors and what percentage by teaching assistants?
6. What type of student activities are most popular for freshmen?
7. What is the housing situation like for freshmen?
8. What do you think is unique about your campus?
For further information, contact Gina Geck, (707) 664-3035.
Whether it is tackling the problems of soaring health care costs, uninsured children, health care predicaments of the elderly, or dissecting the dilemmas of cash-starved public hospitals or the critical doctor and nurse shortages, a spring conference on May 9-10 at Sonoma State University will look at Sonoma County as a "ground zero" in the health care crisis in the area, state, and beyond.
The conference will study many critical problems facing the County in nearly 20 separate panels and workshops to be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day in the Cooperage on the Rohnert Park campus.
"Most of the daunting problems striking the health care system across the state and country can be found in microcosm in Sonoma County," says Gil Ojeda, program director of the California Program on Access to Care, California Policy Research Center.
"In a sense, Sonoma County becomes a laboratory for action for other counties which will be going through similar circumstances but may not yet have a common forum for dialoguing and working out these critical problems," he says.
Some of the workshops address how to apply ideas specifically to Sonoma County such as insuring all children as quickly as feasible and the critical lack of medical personnel.
The conference will also look at possible solutions such as a variety of single payor and universal coverage options, studying health care usage to find ways to slow cost inflation and increase care quality and lowering health care costs through prevention, early intervention and outpatient counseling.
The 25 guest speakers will include those working at the heart of the crisis, such as Gil Ojeda; Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey; Dr. Bob Schultz, Physician-in- Chief of Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa; Bleys Rose, senior health care writer for the Press Democrat; Liz Close, chair of the SSU Nursing Department; Bob Shirrell, Santa Rosa health consultant; Barbara Bamberg, Dale Iversen, and Shawndra Nimtz, CEOs of three district hospitals; Shirlee Zane and Carroll Estes Ph.D., of the Council on Aging; Jim Leddy, district coordinator for State Senator Wesboro and a number of SSU faculty members.
The conference will be of particular interest to health care purchasers/employers, faculty, students, personnel-human resources-finance professionals, health care providers, and members of the community concerned about future directions for their own care.
Cost is $10 per day, which includes lunch. For further information, visit the website: www.sonoma.edu/programs/healthcrisis/. Advance registration is recommended. For further information, call Skip Robinson, (707) 523-2888.
Everyday we see small glimpses into the lives of those who are hungry, in the man on the corner or the images of children on the television, but the Hunger Awareness Dinner from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, in the Sonoma State University Commons, plans to educate and inform by taking awareness a step further, making some participants go hungry.
Through the dinner, which has been an event for 6 years at Sonoma State, students will simulate global hunger by being chosen by chance to sit in the First World, the Second World, or the Third World. Fifteen percent, the First World, will receive a full course meal; twenty-five percent, the Second World, will receive rice and beans; and sixty percent, being the majority of the world, will receive a small portion of rice and dirty water.
This event educates, empowers, and raises awareness regarding local and global hunger including the inequalities of food distribution throughout the world, says organizer Jeff Woods of JUMP, an SSU student volunteer group. In addition, Anuradha Mittal, representing Food First, will speak on the importance of hunger awareness.
Sponsors of the event include: Oxfam America, Sonoma State Enterprises, Sonoma Student Union, the Associated Students and JUMP (Join Us Making Progress). Price of admission is $5 or $3 with canned goods and additional donations are also welcome. JUMP will donate all proceeds to Food First and other local community agencies.
For further information, call Jeff Woods, JUMP, (707) 664-4277.
Sonoma State University's Excellence in Teaching Awards for 2003 have been awarded to SSU mathematics professor William Barnier and psychology professor Maria Hess.
The annual award, recognizes and rewards members of the SSU faculty who have made an outstanding contribution through classroom instruction and other activities that promote student learning.
Donors supporting these awards are Wayne Rowlands, who graduated from Sonoma State University in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in biology, and the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.
The criteria for this award includes: quality of instruction, creating an academic environment that successfully encourages high intellectual aspiration and achievement in students, mentoring students, and promoting learning outside of the classroom.
BILL BARNIER
Bill Barnier came to Sonoma State University in 1969 after doing his undergraduate work at San Diego State University, earning his Ph.D. at UCLA, and doing a post-doctoral instructorship at Dartmouth College. At SSU, he has been Chair of the Department of Mathematics twice and was Chair of the Faculty in 1991 - 1992.
When asked what is most rewarding about his job, he said "The lively interaction with students and colleagues regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics."
He has taught courses for general education students, science majors, computer science majors, and mathematics majors. Most recently Bill has taught courses in calculus, computing for mathematics, discrete mathematics for computer science, and number theory.
During Fall, 2003 he and several colleagues will be offering a course for the Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State entitled Infinity and Beyond. He has also co-authored two mathematics textbooks, one of which is currently being used at Sonoma State and at other universities across the country. Extracurricular activities include tennis, hiking, reading, and cooking.
MARIA HESS
Pursuing a lifelong interest in psychology, Maria Hess completed her undergraduate studies at Chico State University in 1981. She received her graduate degree in clinical psychology from the Sonoma Institute through the External Masters degree at SSU.
In 1985 she was licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and subsequently earned her Ph.D. in East/West psychology, at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. After a 12-year lectureship at SSU and surrounding Bay Area institutes and universities, she was recently hired as an assistant professor in the Psychology Department.
She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses for psychology majors, as well as seminars for doctoral candidates and licensed professionals. Some of the classes Hess teaches are Abnormal Behavior, Introduction to Counseling, Advanced Counseling, Careers in Psychology, Development of the Person, Psychology of the Family, Group Process, Psychology of Right Livelihood, Buddhism and Psychology, and Teaching as a Healing Art.
Other interests include educational travel, supporting Tibetan culture and religion, reading psychological thrillers, and finding humor in the human condition.
Distinguished Holocaust historian Dr. Yehuda Bauer discusses "Rethinking The Holocaust" at the Robert L. Harris lecture at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 in The Cooperage. The lecture is the highlight of the semester's Holocaust Lecture Series which is free and open to the public.
Currently director of the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Bauer is considered one of the "founding fathers" of Holocaust Studies. He has written over 80 articles and 12 books on the subject. His most recent work,"Rethinking the Holocaust" (Yale University Press, 2001) has been widely acclaimed.
In that book, he presents an overview and reconsideration of the history and meaning of the Holocaust. Drawing on research he and other historians have done in recent years, he offers new opinions on such basic issues as how to define and explain the Holocaust and how it can be compared with other genocides.
He also explores Jewish theology of the Holocaust, arguing that the Jewish view of the Holocaust should not be clouded by mysticism: it was an action by humans against other humans and is therefore an explicable event that could be prevented from recurring.
For fifteen years, between 1980-1995, Professor Bauer chaired the President of Israel's Study Circle. In 1998, the fiftieth anniversary of the state, he was honored with his country's highest civilian award, the Israel Prize. Bauer has also served as the historical advisor on films and television series.
Indicative of his international stature, Professor Bauer was invited to address the German Parliament in 1998 on Holocaust Memorial Day. Both the President and Chancellor of Germany were in attendance. In 2000 he was one of the keynote speakers at the International Stockholm Forum on the Holocaust.
For further information, contact Myrna Goodman, Director, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center, (707) 664-4296.
