Religious scholar Huston Smith will discuss issues of world faith and religion at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 in Evert B. Person Theatre. Smith will explore the essential elements and teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and traditions of the Americas, Australia, and Africa.
Smith is currently teaching at UC Berkeley as a visiting Professor of Religious Studies. He is a Professor Emeritus at Syracuse University and has also taught religion at MIT. In 1996, Smith was the focus of a five-part television program, "Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith" hosted by Bill Moyers. He has produced three PBS television series as well.
Smith is best known for his first major book, now in its second edition, titled "The World's Religions." By translating the voices of such religions as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism, Smith presents each religion based on principles as opposed to context. The result is an emphasis on the inner rather than the institutional dimensions of religions across the globe.
This event is free for all SSU students, and $5 for general admission. Advance tickets will be available at the Sonoma State Student Union. This event is sponsored by Associated Students Productions and the SSU Student Union.
For more information on this event, or to buy tickets by phone, call (707) 664-2382.
More than 150 colleges and universities from across the United States will be represented at the North Bay College Fair at Sonoma State University on Wednesday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. in the campus main gymnasium.
The fair is free of charge for students, parents and others interested in learning more about colleges and universities across the nation. Representatives from such institutions as the Academy of Art College, Johns Hopkins University, Cal State Sacramento, and UC Berkeley will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on financial aid and the admissions process.
Tours of the Sonoma State campus will also be held during the fair.
This event is sponsored by the Western Association of College Admission Counselors. For further information, please visit the SSU Prospective Students Web site at www.sonoma.edu/ar/prospective/nbcf.shtml or call (707) 664-3035.
ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE AND BEYOND-- Dr. Ronald E. Pelrine of SRI International discusses the quest for "artificial muscle" and how recent discoveries in electroactive polymers may be applied to a myriad of modern devices. What Physicists Do Lecture Series. 4 p.m. Monday, May 3, Darwin 108, (707) 664-2119.
COMMITTING HATE: HATE CRIME OFFENDERS AND ORGANIZED HATE GROUPS -- Lecture presented by Dr. Phyllis Gerstenfeld, of California State University, Stanislaus. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 4, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
LABOR DAY IN MAY: A SPECIAL SCREENING OF "MADE IN L.A." -- This documentary film traces the history of the garment industry and the struggle for justice of four Latina workers. Students free; $5-15 sliding scale general admission; no one will be turned away. Labor Day in May. 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 4, The Cooperage, (707) 664-2537.
THINKING SEX SPATIALLY: NOTES ON THE INTERSECTIONS OF SEXUALITY AND SPACE -- Lecture by Dr. Damon Scott on the ways geographers and others have drawn on notions of place-based identities, geographic representation, exclusion and marginalization, and the production of space through consumption to explore the formation of sexual subjectives and subcultures. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Wednesday, May 5, Carson 20, (707) 664-2840.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE LECTURE SERIES -- Lecture with Don Wilborn of the Secret Service, San Francisco. Noon, Wednesday, May 5, Salazar 2025, (707) 664-2934.
SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES -- Lecture with Architect Jim Campe on the construction of green buildings and methods of sustainable living. Green Building Lecture and Film Series. 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, Environmental Technology Center, (707) 664-2577.
UNCOVERING THE LATENCY IN LATENT VARIABLE MODELS -- Lecture by Karen Nylund of Education & Information Studies at UCLA exploring latent variable models, theirrelationship to traditional regression models, and practical examples from education and psychology. M*A*T*H Colloquium. 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, Darwin 108, (707) 664-2368.
INSIDE GAME DEVELOPMENT -- Lecture presented by Jason Shankel of Maxis, Walnut Creek. The computer game industry combines elements of both entertainment and technology. Do these elements mesh? Do they clash? How does a computer game develop from the initial design stage to its final release? Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, May 6, Darwin 108, (707) 664-2810.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER -- Event to gather people together to pray for our nation, state, community and campus. Prayer Meeting. Noon, Thursday, May 6, Alumni Amphitheater, (707) 664-2663.
THE QUEST TO IDENTIFY NOVEL PARASITE PROTEASE AS DRUG TARGETS -- Lecture by Dr. M. Sajid of The Sandler Center for Basic Research of Parasitic Diseases at UC San Francisco. Biology Colloquium. 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 6, Darwin 108, (707) 664-3058.
CONFESSIONS OF A DOPE DEALER -- Former dope dealer and user Sheldon Norberg will speak about the highs and lows of dealing, the toll it took on his life and what he's learned over the years. This event is free for all SSU students, and $5 general admission. 7 p.m., Friday, May 7, Ives 119, (707) 664-2785.
PUBLIC VIEWING NIGHT -- Explore the night sky at the SSU Observatory. Special focus on Jupiter and spiral galaxies. Please call ahead, as weather conditions may cancel the viewing. 9 p.m. Friday, May 7, Sonoma State Observatory, (707) 664-2267.
WORLD'S RELIGIONS -- Religious scholar Huston Smith presents his view of the core beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity in an interview-style lecture. Free for SSU students and $8 general admission. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, Evert B. Person Theatre, (707) 664-2785.
Students from Associated Students Inc. of Sonoma State University and the California State Student Association are scheduled to visit the State Capitol in Sacramento on Monday, April 19 to attend a rally and sit in on the California State Senate "Save the CSU" hearing.
Higher education fees, financial aide, and budget cuts will be the addressed by students, faculty, assembly members, senators, and community members in the hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Room 113 of the Capitol building.
In addition to representatives from California State Universy system, representatives from the University of California and California Community Colleges have been invited to attend.
All SSU students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. For more information contact Jenn Wong at (707) 664-2815 or at AS.VPLegislative@sonoma.edu.
Stabilizing health care costs in the region, and emerging programs for children and the homeless, will be explained and explored in an important conference at Sonoma State University later this month.
The event is set for Friday evening, April 23 and Saturday, April 24 on the Rohnert Park campus. The conference is open to the public and there is no charge.
On Friday at 7 p.m in the Commons, conference attendees will hear about a coalition that aims to insure that every single child in the county has health care access.
Several important successful county collaborative projects for frequent users of health care and for the homeless will also be explained. A ground-breaking about-to-be-released integrative health care book developed in Sonoma County will be announced.
At 8 p.m., Kathleen and Gerald Hill will give an overview of the health plans of the world's other major industrialized countries such as Canada, Germany, France, Italy, England and Japan.
On Saturday, from 9 a.m.-noon, the conference will study critical problems still being faced locally and focus on methods for better understanding and moderating health care costs in Sonoma County.
The explorations will range from prevention, community-based public health and early intervention initiatives to utilization analyses. Preliminary reports will be made on ways to modify health plans to have significantly better control of health care costs.
During early Saturday afternoon, a nearby facility will host academic papers on health care. In the Cooperage, discussions will focus on two modes of facilitating brainstorming among stakeholders, citizens, and academics on what needs to be done to move forward.
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.
Among the guest speakers will be:
Chris Alesso, senior underwriter, Kaiser Permanente Health Plan; Jack Burrows, Director of Consulting Services, Association of California Healthcare Districts; Bob Dozor, M.D., Preventive Clinic of Santa Rosa; Cathy Frey, Health Policy & Resource Development Director, Redwood Community Health Coalition, Santa Rosa; Debb Jachens, California School Employees Association; Tom Moore, consultant, San Francisco; Gil Ojeda, Director of California Program on Access to Care, California Policy Research Center, Office of the President, UC System; Alan Proulx MA, MBA, strategic planner, Santa Rosa; Bob Shirrell, President, Sherrill Consulting, Santa Rosa; Karen Taranto, Principal, pmpm Consulting Group, Inc. (Prepaid Management Prepaid Medicine), Sacramento; Cindy Young, California School Employees Association and more.
For complete information on speakers and the program, visit the Web site at www.sonoma.edu/programs/healthcrisis/.
For further information, call Skip Robinson, (707) 523-2888.
Ruthie Alcaide of MTV's 1999 reality-TV hit "The Real World: Hawaii" and 2003's "Battle of the Sexes" gets real about coming out the closet, living in front of the camera, and alcohol abuse when she comes to Sonoma State University at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 16 in the Cooperage.
Alcaide, a Hawaii native, will discuss her issues with alcoholism, responsibility, and depression during "The Real World" season. On the second day of taping, Ruthie downed more than a dozen shots and cocktails at a local bar, passed out in convulsions, and had to be taken via ambulance to the hospital in order to have her stomach pumped.
She was eventually sent to rehab and returned to finish out the season sober. Alcaide's time on the show proved to be a huge learning experience for the Rutgers University graduate, who also dealt with suicidal feelings and the difficulties with a long-distance relationship with her girlfriend in the military.
At her upcoming talk at SSU, Alcaide will address her experiences "The Real World" and what she learned about herself in the process. She will talk about her battle with alcohol abuse and her road to recovery. "Alcohol is definitely an issue with me, part of my lifestyle," she says. "But I'm very positive about myself now, having gone through this. I understand myself more."
Alcaide believes that with freedom come responsibility and has taken it upon herself to spread this message of moderation, smart decisions, and accountability to current college students.
The event is sponsored by Associated Student Productions, Residential Life, the Sonoma State Student Union, and the InterCultural Center. For more information, please call (707) 664-2382.
Sonoma State University is among the top 77 "best value" colleges in the country, according to the Princeton Review's 2004 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges."
The list profiles the top 77 schools that the education services company chose for outstanding academics, low-to-moderate tuition and fees, and generous financial aid packages.
The Princeton Review compiled the list based on quantitative and qualitative data it obtained from more than 500 colleges, and from surveys of students attending them.
In addition to SSU, five other members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) were selected by the Princeton Review. COPLAC-member institutions feature small classes, innovations in teaching, personal interactions with faculty, opportunities for faculty-supervised research and supportive atmospheres. Only one institution is chosen from each state; Sonoma State University represents California.
The other COPLAC campuses on Princeton Review's list are The Evergreen State College, Mary Washington College, New College of Florida, Truman State University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville. One other CSU campus, California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, made the list.
Sonoma State University is among the top 77 "best value" colleges in the country, according to the Princeton Review's 2004 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges."
The list profiles the top 77 schools that the education services company chose for outstanding academics, low-to-moderate tuition and fees, and generous financial aid packages.
The Princeton Review compiled the list based on quantitative and qualitative data it obtained from more than 500 colleges, and from surveys of students attending them.
In addition to SSU, five other members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) were selected by the Princeton Review. COPLAC-member institutions feature small classes, innovations in teaching, personal interactions with faculty, opportunities for faculty-supervised research and supportive atmospheres. Only one institution is chosen from each state; Sonoma State University represents California.
The other COPLAC campuses on Princeton Review's list are The Evergreen State College, Mary Washington College, New College of Florida, Truman State University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville. One other CSU campus, California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, made the list.
Dr. Susan McKillop, a Sonoma State University professor of art history, has been named one of the 2004 recipients of the prestigious California State University Wang Family Excellence Award in the Visual & Performing Arts and Letters.
Each year, four faculty and one administrator from throughout the CSU system each receive $20,000 awards. This is the sixth year the awards have been given.
A 27-year veteran of Sonoma State, McKillop compiled an outstanding record in teaching and research. She received Sonoma State's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1999 and its Faculty Research Award in 1992.
McKillop has been a caring mentor to students and an active faculty member who served for 8 years on the CSU Statewide Academic Senate, where she was head of its task force on Master Plan Strategy. She served her campus as chair of the art department and as a long-standing member of the campus academic senate and its executive committee.
She contributed to the public as a member of the board of directors of Sacramento's Crocker Art Gallery Association and as a statewide voice for arts in the inner city and rural high schools. Characterized as "passionate in the pursuit of excellence," her broad knowledge of the cultural milieu brings an added dimension to her wide-ranging presentations in art history.
Her pioneering use of technology allows students to access an array of art images, while her focus on students brings them invaluable "hands-on" experience as peer teachers, cataloguers, and scholarly presenters. Her work in campus academic planning helped determine the character of SSU. In 1998-99 the Consortium of Public Liberal Arts Colleges named SSU its sole institutional member in California.
She received her bachelor's from the University of Missouri in English and Journalism, her master's from UC Berkeley in painting, her doctorate from Harvard University in Italian Renaissance Art History. Her groundbreaking work on the patronage of Cosimo de Medici, leading statesman of Renaissance Florence, is reshaping scholarship in her field.
The Wang award was established in fall 1998, when then-Trustee Stanley T. Wang provided $1 million to reward outstanding faculty and administrators. The award is designed to "celebrate those CSU faculty and administrators who through extraordinary commitment and dedication have distinguished themselves in their academic disciplines and areas of assignment."
The other 2004 Wang Award recipients are Martin G. Brodwin, Cal State Los Angeles, Education, and Professional and Applied Science Fields; Stanley M. Burstein, Cal State Los Angeles, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Public Services; Rikk G. Kvitek, CSU Monterey Bay, Natural Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, and Engineering; and Sally F. Roush, San Diego State University, University Administrator.
McKillop and the other winners will be honored at a recognition ceremony at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on May 18.
Wang, who in fall 2000 gave an additional $1.2 million to establish student and faculty travel scholarships for China study, is the largest individual donor to the CSU system office.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A digital photo of Dr. McKillop is available upon request.
Intel, the multi-national technology company, has named Sonoma State University to the list of the top 100 wireless schools in the country. The survey assesses the greatest wireless Internet accessibility.
In the past two years, Sonoma has equipped most of its buildings to work with wireless technology allowing students, faculty and staff to eliminate the need to "plug in" to a network jack in order to do their work.
Sam Scalise, SSU's Chief Information Officer, said, "wireless networking has quickly become an expected part of the computing infrastructure for high-quality universities like Sonoma State. It improves the teaching and learning environment, so top students and faculty expect it."
Scalise also said "we have implemented wireless in nearly all of the teaching buildings and in key public locations. Just as important, we have done this using secure, authenticated, upgradeable and manageable technology and have set up our support organization to ensure that it is always running properly. It is easy to do it wrong, but we've done it right."
The Intel survey ranked schools by the number of hotspots, the number of computers on campus, the percentage of the campus equipped to go wireless, and the ratio of computers to students.
Sonoma State University is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, an honor bestowed on only one college or university from each state.
Three additional members of COPLAC -- #25 SUNY College at Geneseo (Geneseo, NY), #27 College of Charleston (Charleston, SC), and #86 The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) -- also made Intel's top 100 list.
To see the survey results for wired colleges in addition to wired cities and wired airports, go to http://www.intel.com/products/mobiletechnology/unwiredcolleges.htm?iid=ipp_mobiletech+colleges
SSU faculty will present their written works in a series of lectures and author readings from April 13-29 in the campus bookstore..
"This is a chance to meet our campus authors and talk with them directly about their work. The authors are as varied as the works themselves," says Marcia Harrigan of the bookstore.
The series features readings on media censorship for well-informed citizens; the Beat Generation and the man who fashioned it, Allen Ginsberg; the mystery of archaeological techniques; how to energize your intimate relationships through the use of tarot cards; the lives of an eclectic group of rural Californians; the art of Puvis de Chavannes at the turn of the 19th century; realize the power of memory in shaping our culture; how the unfolding of consciousness creates the beauty of knowledge; compare the impact of daily life of different cultures vis-a-vis the nature of globalization; children's literature takes the stage to introduce Latin American culture to those who only speak English; follow Jeremiah St. John as he leads readers out of danger into the light of justice; and ready yourself to go deep within for your own voice in writing.
For more information and a schedule of dates and times, visit the SSU Bookstore home page at http://bookstore.sonoma.edu or phone (707) 664-2259.
Secrets to navigating the complex and ever-changing world of business is the focus of the third annual Entrepreneurship Boot Camp at Sonoma State University from May 4-6.
The three-day intensive training program for entrepreneurs and business owners covers many topics, from raising capital, opportunity recognition, business valuation, preparing the business plan, building a management team, structuring the deal and exit strategies.
The attendees will also receive guidance and advice from successful entrepreneurs, investors and business professionals at a fraction of the cost of hiring similar experts.
Included in the list of distinguished speakers are attorney Ron Star, a nationally-recognized expert in deal structuring; Jim Andersen, an expert on business valuation; Lesley Berglund, Harvard MBA and CEO of The Winetasting Network; Jean Hackenburg, former CFO of Atari, and Rob Dellenbach, attorney and partner at Fenwick and West LLP.
Also included in the program is the NOBLE Award Dinner, which honors a person who exemplifies "entrepreneurial excellence."
The cost of the program is $495 through April 9 and $595 afterwards. This includes meals and all course materials. Scholarships are available. Sponsors include the SSU School of Business and Economics, Exchange Bank, National Bank of the Redwoods, Bank of Petaluma, Sonoma National Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Moss Adams CPAs, Herb and Jane Dwight and the Northern California Small Business Development Council.
To sign up for the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, or to obtain more information, contact Beth Baker at (707) 664-2393, the School of Business and Economics at (707) 664-2220, or visit the Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics website at www.sonoma.edu/programs/epp.
