CSU Bakersfield President's Monthly Campus Update Horace Mitchell, Ph.D.


Building Campus Community
One of the goals articulated in our strategic plan is to develop a campus culture with a sense of community and a commitment to organizational excellence. Key objectives to meet this goal include honoring and celebrating the achievements of the campus community, and integrating alumni, parents, and friends into the life of the University. Our spring events advance us toward realizing our goal. I want to thank every member of the campus community who contributes his or her time and talents to make these events successful, and who works to strengthen our sense of community.

Campus Clean-Up
Our April 21st campus clean-up brought together almost 100 faculty, staff, and students who braved the cold to beautify the campus prior to our annual open house. A sense of campus pride, commitment to volunteerism and sustainability were evident among a diverse volunteer corps. Thank you to Laura Catherman, director of the Student Union, for coordinating the clean-up, and to Associated Students, Inc., Aramark, Togo's, Residential Life, the Student Recreation Center, and the Student Union for their co-sponsorship.

Celebrate CSUB! and 40th Anniversary Events
Thousands converged on our campus this past Saturday for our fourth annual Celebrate CSUB! open house. New students, younger siblings, parents, K-12 students, families, and the community-at-large were drawn to events planned specifically for them. In a time of state budget cuts, it is all the more important for the public to be on campus to experience first-hand the range of opportunities CSUB offers. Due to budget constraints, we made the decision to incorporate commemorations of our 40th anniversary into existing campus events throughout the year. At Saturday's open house, we marked the anniversary with a number of memorable events. Highlights include the formation of a massive "40" by almost 600 people on the Science III lawn for an aerial photo. CSUB alumni marched proudly through the center of campus in a procession to a new landmark in the traffic circle where we unveiled new flag poles and flags, including the first ever CSU Bakersfield flag. I extend thanks to Evelyn Young, Executive Assistant to the President, Toni Jacobs, Student Teacher Placement Coordinator for Elementary Education, Shannon Hill, Director of Alumni Relations, and Sarah Shoop, Event Coordinator, for a job well done.

President's Associates Dinner
Each year, competitively selected student research scholars and our faculty award recipients are presented at the President's Associates dinner. Student research scholars and their faculty sponsors receive a $2000 stipend to conduct research which is presented at the CSUB and system-wide student research competition. The awards are funded by the CSUB Foundation. This year there are nine research scholars. Please join me in congratulating all of our honorees, as follows:

Faculty Award Recipients
Faculty Research Award: Dr. Brian Hemphill, Professor of Anthropology
Faculty Leadership & Service, Dr. Andreas Gebauer, Professor of Chemistry
Millie Ablin Award, Dr. Maynard Moe, Professor of Biology

Student Research Scholars and Faculty Mentors
Ashley Maybee and Dr. Aaron Hegde, Professor of Economics
Patrick O'Neill and Dr. Brian Hemphill, Professor of Anthropology
Chad Ott and Dr. David Saiki, Professor of Chemistry
Anthony Pallitto and Dr. BJ Moore, Assistant Professor, Public Administration
Amanda Payne and Drs. Kathy Szick-Miranda and Antje Lauer, Professors of Biology
Joshua Rocha and Dr. Cliona Murphy, Professor of History
Stephanie Shishido and Dr. Todd McBride, Professor of Biology
Erin Tennant and Dr. David Germano, Professor of Biology
Bibi Tan and Dr. Dirk Baron, Professor of Geology

Spring Fundraising
May ushers in a trio of University fundraising events which draw community members and alumni to our campus. In conjunction with the Bakersfield Wine Society, the CSUB Alumni Association will raise money for the Alumni Scholarship Fund at Party in the Park, our annual wine festival. The event takes place this year on Friday, May 7th at 5:30 p.m. in Alumni Park. For ticket information to this sell-out event, please visit the Alumni Association website at http://www.csub.edu/alumni/attend/party.shtml. A night of music begins later that evening at the first night of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival at CSUB. Now in year 24, proceeds from the May 7th and 8th music fest benefit CSUB scholarships. See the full schedule and get ticket information at http://www.csub.edu/jazzfestival/. Rounding out our major spring fundraising events is the Athletics Department's 38th annual Spring Bar-be-cue on May 13 benefitting student athletes. Please visit www.gorunner.com for more information.

Director of Communications and Public Relations
I am pleased to announce that Robert Meszaros has joined California State University, Bakersfield as director of public affairs and communications. Rob received a bachelor's degree in journalism from CSU Chico with an emphasis in public relations. He brings more than 12 years experience in the marketing/public relations arena. Before coming to CSUB, he served as marketing manager at The Bakersfield Californian. Rob also is involved with the Mendiburu Magic Foundation and Kern Assistive Technology Center. Please join me in welcoming Rob to CSUB.

University Council
The last University Council meeting of the academic year will take place on May 14, 2010 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Albertson Room.

I look forward to seeing you around campus or at an upcoming University or community event. Take care.