Dr. Alexander Reid and Dr. Elaine Correa publish an article entitled "Keep Me Connected: No Cost Solutions for Access to Remote Instruction. In L. Kyei-Blankson, J. Blankson, & E. Ntuli (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Inequities in Online Education During Global Crises (pp. 224-239).IGI Global.

Dr. Elaine Correa and Associate Professor Sandra Bozarth's proposal was awarded $25,000 from the Chancellor's Office on January 2, 2020 for their work to further reduce textbook costs for students. The Department of Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies offered all of their Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 courses using Open Educational Resources (O.E.R.) to reduce textbook costs for students in the program. The CAFS Department is the first program in the School of Social Sciences and Education to create a "Z Major" (Zero course cost materials). Dr. Alexander Reid, along with Dr. Elaine Correa and Associate Professor Sandra Bozarth (AL$ Director) are working collaboratively to create the first "Z Degree" at CSUB.

Anderson, A. & Correa, E. (2019). Unre”Lie”able Sources of “Fake News”
Critical explorations of ‘alternative facts and multiple truths’ online
In G. Marks (Ed.), Proceedings of Global Learn 2019-Global Conference on
Learning and Technology (pp. 439-447). Princeton-Mercer, New Jersey:
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). (Peer
Reviewed)

Anderson, A. & Correa, E. (2020). Critical explorations of online sources in a culture of
“Fake News, Alternative Facts and Multiple Truths”, Journal of Educational
Media and Hypermedia 29(1) 21-34.

Dr. Elaine Correa and Associate Professor Sandra Bozarth were selected to present their collaborative work on Textbook Affordability at the CSU Education, Health & Human Services, and Social Sciences Community webcast sponsored by the Chancellor's Office on Thursday, February 27, 2020. Their presentation entitled "Does reducing textbook costs ensure student success?" was very well received.

Correa, E. & Fabbro, F. (2020). “Children’s learning, agency and power relations within a culture of entitlement with digital technology”. International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 12, Issue 4, ISSN: 1742-4712

Maryann Parada (Department of Modern Languages & Literatures) recently published the following article on gendered perceptions of cross-cultural first names.

Parada, M. (2019). Femininity Perceptions of Cross-ethnic Forenames: A Comparative Analysis of Latina and European American Women. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 48(4), 458-476.

Zenko, Z., & Ekkekakis, P. (2019). Critical review of measurement practices in the study of automatic associations of sedentary behavior, physical activity, and exercise. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 41(5), 271-288. doi:10.1123/jsep.2017-0349

Janet Millar and Allison Evans did a presentation on the heroic mindset and growth mindset in encouraging students to access food pantry’s. It was at the inaugural CHEBNA 2020 Summit: California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance. The presentation was entitled: Integrating basic needs and health promotion through a systems approach & heroic imagination.

Evans-Santiago, B. (2020). (Ed.) Mistakes we have made: Implications for social justice educators. Gorham, ME: Myers Education Press
Faculty at CSUB (BreAnna Evans-Santiago, David Sandles, Brittney Beck, Adam Sawyer and Mahmoud Suleiman) and other institutions across the United States contributed to a text for social justice educators.

Shih, K., Chang, T-F, & Chen, S-Y. (2019). Impacts of the model minority myth on Asian American individuals and families: Social justice and critical race feminist perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3), 412-428.

Asian Americans have been portrayed as the model minority for seemingly having achieved socioeconomic success and being free of problems. Such stereotypes may have lasting and negative impact on Asian American individuals, families, and communities. Utilizing the social justice framework and critical race feminist theory, we interrogate and problematize the model minority stereotype and its impacts by situating Asian Americans in the Black‐and‐White racial hierarchy, offering a brief history of the term, providing disaggregated statistics on Asian Americans' socioeconomic conditions, reviewing recent literature on Asian Americans and their families, and discussing some consequences that this myth generates. 

This article describes the use of an experiential community study project in teaching a macro-practice course with focus on community engagement in an advanced generalist practice Master of Social Work (MSW) programme in the USA. Implemented in stages, this project is designed to provide students an opportunity to develop community practice knowledge and skills. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from students show how this project developed in them the ability to analyse community characteristics and problems as well as helped them become more culturally sensitive. In developing community profiles and assessing community needs, students could also enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills. These experiential projects are very relevant and useful for social work students and programmes which do not have an opportunity for community practice in their field placement as part of their education. The author argues that such initiatives are likely to reduce the marginalisation of macro-practice courses in social work programmes. Pedagogical and practice implications for macro-practice courses and social work education are also discussed. 

First Published September 30, 2019

Mihai, V. & Correa, E. (2019). “Meaningful Teaching and Learning: MyStatLab and StatCrunch – The Value of MyStatLab to Faculty and Students” Journal of Research and Teaching in Developmental Education.

26th International Conference on Learning
Queen’s University Belfast, (July 23rd-26th )
“Unre”Lie”able Sources of “Fake News” – Critical explorations of ‘alternative facts and multiple truths’ online         E. Correa and A. Anderson

World Congress on Education (WCE-2019)
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, (July 16-18)
“Digital practices in primary school. Children’s perceptions and representations of learning, agency and power relations”

The War for Islam (novel), 2019. Two Muslim women and a sympathetic advisor, appalled by the slaughter around them, are determined to save true Islam from its violent counterfeit. Their weapons aren't guns and bombs, but ideas and inspired leadership. As they race to show the world a new way to be Muslim and strive to return tolerance and understanding to the human race, their adventures take the reader from New York City to Europe, Japan, India, and Sudan. The bizarre massacres devised by the Caliphate keep steady pressure on these complex and courageous women, as do the multi-million-dollar fatwas on their lives.

https://www.amazon.com/War-Islam-Novel-Stafford-Betty-ebook/dp/B07RHBRR5G/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=stafford+betty&qid=1581015976&s=books&sr=1-2

What Does It Mean to Be a Christian? A Debate, 2019 (co-authored with Prof. John Crosby of St. Francis University, Steubenville, OH). Throughout the debate Crosby alleges that Betty’s God is a very finite god, an all-too-human god, and for that very reason is something different from the God venerated by Christians, while Betty maintains that his theism remains within the Christian orbit and is a much needed corrective to a religion with exclusivist tendencies.

https://www.amazon.com/What-Does-Mean-Christian-Orthodoxy/dp/1587319365/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=stafford+betty&qid=1581016038&s=books&sr=1-6

The Department of Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies was awarded $10,000 from the Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Competition on March 15, 2019 for Reducing Textbook Costs for Students. The Department saved students $58,120.40 by using Open Educational Resources (OER) or Zero Course Cost Materials (ZCCM) instead of textbooks.

Dr. Brandon Pratt in Biology exposed plants to various intensities of drought and then imaged them in a micro computed tomography system (microCT). This system uses tissue penetrating x-rays to observe the interior environment of objects. This technology is new to the CSUB campus and is only rarely available on university campuses. The aim of this study was to understand the details of how the vascular system of plants can cope with the strains associated with dehydration. One of the chief goals of this work was to compare this new method to more established methods that quantify vascular function in response to drought.

In a nutshell, Dr. Pratt found that the microCT method did not agree with established methods. This is an interesting result and hypotheses as to why the methods might disagree are being explored. This work has resulted in two publications (Jacobsen et al. 2019, Venturas et al. 2019), two more in review (Holmund et al. 2019; Pratt et al. 2019), and more to come. All these studies involved CSUB students in an integration of teaching and scholarship.

On-line Learning 2018
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Oct. 16-18)

“Meeting in the middle: The pressure to stay relevant, valuable and meaningful in a culture of disposable learning.” Correa and M. Sturm

EdMedia and Innovate Learning: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (AACE)
Amsterdam, Netherlands (June 25-29)

“The Blended-Appended: Online Learning Pedagogy as an Afterthought – Instructor Challenges and Contradictions” Correa and M. Sturm

The Learner Research Network: 25^th International Conference on Learning
University of Athens, Athens, Greece (June 21-23)

“Meaningful Teaching and Learning: MyStatLab and StatCrunch” Correa and V. Mihai

Correa, E. & Strum, M. (2018). “The Blended Appended: On-line Learning Pedagogy as an Afterthought- Instructor Challenges and Contradictions.” In T. Bastiaens, J. Van Braak, M. Brown, L. Cantoni, M. Castro, R. Christensen, G. Davidson-Shivers, K. DePryck, M. Ebner, M. Fominykh, C. Fulford, S. Hatzipanagos, G. Knezek, K. Kreijns, G. Marks, E. Sointu, E. Korsgaard Sorensen, J. Viteli, J. Voogt, P. Weber, E. Weippl & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (pp. 1842-1845). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). (Peer Reviewed)

Professor Attaran's new article, entitled “The Rise of 3-D Printing: The Advantages of Additive Manufacturing Over Traditional Manufacturing,” that was published in Business Horizon was adopted by Harvard Business Review as a case study and it is offered online.

Dr. Dayannand Saini with two of his former undergraduate Engineering Sciences students, Jacob Wright and Megan Mantas, and a former graduate Geological Sciences student (Charles Gomes), just published the results of their study on the future exploitation of California's Monterey shale resources in the February 2019 issue of Society of Petroleum Engineers' Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering journal.

Dr. Alice Hays has a recently published chapter in Contending with Gun Violence in the English Language Arts Classroom. While school violence and school shootings continue to shock the nation, we are just beginning to witness the power of student voice in combating these tragedies. This requires that students understand their role as citizens in society, develop empathy for people with different experiences, and learn how to take action.

Hays, A. (2018). What he knows and what he will say: Voicing for justice in All American Boys. In S. Shaffer, G. Rumohr-Voskuil, & S. Bickmore (Eds.), Contending with Gun Violence in the English Language Classroom (pp. 81–87). Routledge.

Zachary Zenko, Department of Kinesiology, coauthored a manuscript accepted by Psychology of Sport and Exercise. The study was designed to examine the internal consistency and validity of measures of automatic associations with exercise, sometimes called implicit attitudes about exercise.

Zenko, Z., & Ekkekakis, P. (2019). Internal consistency and validity of measures of automatic exercise associations. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 43, 4-15.

Congratulations to Dr. Anna Jacobsen and Dr. R. Brandon Pratt in the CSUB Department of Biology for publishing a new book on the mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions of the world, including the MTC of California. These regions are highly biodiverse and have unusually high levels of species richness.

Colleagues,

I will not be with you for the annual holiday celebration this week.  With my best (albeit failed) efforts to be humble, I am thrilled to report that I have been invited to give the commencement address and will receive the degree of Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa this coming weekend from Flagler College, my alma mater.  “In recognition of the College’s 50^th anniversary, our intention was to select a Flagler College alum who exhibits the College’s core values and demonstrates a commitment to citizenship in a diverse democracy – the theme of Dr. Joyner’s inauguration.” 

So, please know I wish you all a warm holiday season, time with your family and friends that fill your memory bank with joy, and for those who are facing loss or challenges in your life that you find peace. 

And now for celebrations about the rest of all of you and your accomplishments.

I am pleased to report that we are conducting 21 tenure track faculty searches this year.  Six of these are expansion hires.  That brings our three year total of expansion hires to 34. When I arrived 3.5 years ago I mapped out a plan to increase our tenure track hiring with an investment of $1 million for each of the next five years.  With 34 expansion hires in three years and an estimate of  $138,000 in salary and benefits per hire that is $4.7 million we have spent on expansion hires for three years of my tenure at CSUB. I am proud of that. As best we can tell, the past two hiring years have been the largest in the history of the campus.    

The Financial Management Association presented the 2^nd Annual Small Business Financing & Entrepreneurship Event under the direction of advisor Mahdy Elhusseiny. 

Stafford Betty recently published a novel for middle school/young adult readers titled Ghost Boy (UK: John Hunt Publishing, 2018). 

The 14th Annual Kegley Institute of Ethics Fall Lecture, featuring Gregory Boyle was an inspiring lecture. From Director of the Kegley Institute Michael Burroughs, Philosophy:  Over 700 campus and community members were able to see and hear Father Boyle and his Homeboy Industries colleagues deliver an inspirational address. Many more watched the event online via livestream. It was truly an inspiring and impactful evening, with a message of kinship, service, and community. 

The Rocky Mountain Psychological Association sponsors a Distinguished Alumni Address at the annual conference and this spring at the Denver conference they have selected Anne Duran for this award.

Sean Wempe, new tenure track hire in History has been afforded a wonderful opportunity to present my research on the impact of the Treaty of Versailles and the Mandates System at a conference in Paris, France in May 2019 as part of the centennial commemorations of the 1919 Peace Settlement.

BLM and CSU, Bakersfield Team Up to Detect Valley Fever
BLM’s Bakersfield Field Office teamed up with Antje Lauer, a research professor at California State University, Bakersfield, to conduct soil samples for the detection of Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) spores within the Temblor Range Special Recreation Management Area. On November 2, 2018, BLM Natural Resource Specialist Tiera Arbogast and Antje Lauer collected nearly 40 samples for the detection of Valley Fever within the Temblor Range, where thousands of visitors enjoy off-highway vehicle recreation every year. The Valley Fever fungus (coccidioides) is found within the top layer of soil and is particularly prevalent within the San Joaquin Valley. Inhalation of the Valley Fever fungus can cause a mild to severe infection resembling the flu. Through soil sampling, the BLM and Antje want to determine whether the fungus exists within the Temblor Range and what risks this may pose to off-highway vehicle recreationists. (BLM California Facebook) 

From Advisor to the Ethics Bowl Team, Nate Olson, Philosophy:  Our CSUB team put forward a very strong showing at the California Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl at Cabrillo College (in Aptos). We won our rounds against Occidental College and Chapman University, tied New Mexico State, and narrowly lost our final round to Chico State.  That left us just short of qualifying for the national competition. 

Our Nursing program was named a top Masters of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner program for our region:

They named our program "Best MSN-FNP Program" within your region. See the following page:
https://www.graduatenursingedu.org/top-picks-for-best-msn-fnp-programs-by-region-for-2019-20/

The Organization of Women Leaders (OWLs) offered a showing of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary.  It was a fascinating look at her life and what makes her so inspirational.

The Asian Faculty and Staff Association hosted the annual Diwali celebration.  As always it was an educational look at this traditional Indian celebration.

In this year of “Be Brilliant, Belong, BeCSUB” it is great to be a ‘Runner!

Jenny

Jenny Zorn, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

twitter (@JennyZorn)
Instagram (zorncsub)
Facebook (Jenny Zorn) profile pic in my cap and gown

Faculty (David Arrieta, Rhonda Dugan, Anne Duran, Allison Evans, Kris Grappendorf, Doris Hall, Lindsay Nelson, Yvonne Ortiz-Bush, Andres Sanchez, Mary Slaughter, John Stark, and Luis Vega), staff (Eric Anderson, Lea Antone, Omar Correa, Michael Dotson, Janet Millar, Yvette Morones, EJ Callahan, and Jamie Pacheco), and students (Aaron Wan, Zaida Elias, Brittany Perez, and Morgan Griffin) from the Psychology Department are collaborating with the Heroic Imagination Project (HIP) to participate in Trainings regarding Growth Mindset, Bias Reduction, and Bystander Intervention. The program supported by the CSU Chancellor's Office and CSUB and is designed to support student success.

Colleagues,

Lots of academic successes continue to transform the university. 

Recently I signed off on the COOLEST international travel approval of my career:  Geological Sciences Professor Chandranath Basak is sailing in the Southern Ocean on a research vessel to Antarctica.  Follow his adventures on his blog: https://basak-clim-chem.weebly.com/

The Play Dreamers:  Aqui y Alla Directed by Mandy Rees, Theatre and performed by our students was an emotional presentation of the lives of Dreamers.  Two of the students wrote a scene that debated the issues surrounding immigration reform and included a cameo appearance for me.  While it wasn’t a stretch to play the role of Professor Cameo, it was no easy task to learn my lines….no winging it like in my typical lectures.  I admire the professionalism of our students and how supportive they were with this neophyte. And I got to see Mandy in her element.  She, like so many of our professors, is committed to the students, bringing out the best in them, and literally providing a shoulder to cry on when needed.

Communications Professor Jeremy B. Warner, assistant professor of digital media was selected to participate in the Television Academy Foundation’s 2018 Faculty Seminar Program. Members of the Television Academy selected 25 professors from colleges and universities nationwide to participate in the prestigious program.

Jorge Moraga, Interdisciplinary Studies recently published a museum review titled "¡Viva Baseball! National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum," published in the Journal of Sport History 45.2 (summer 2018): 231-233. He conducted this ethnographic work while in graduate school, and it is now published. 

Dr. Moraga has a second article titled "On ESPN Deportes: Latinos, Sport Media, and the Cultural Politics of Visibilities," published in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues (2018): 1-28. Dr. Moraga states "While part of my book project, this essay provides an examination into how Latinas/Latinos interface with "The Worldwide Leader in Sport." 

Engineering:  Did you see this article that identifies Bakersfield as the city with the best paying engineering jobs in the nation? Here is the article: https://www.livecareer.com/career/advice/jobs/the-best-and-worst-paying-cities-for-engineering-jobs

Nursing’s Krystal Ball, the faculty advisor for CNSA was recently selected as Faculty of the Year by the State CNSA Board.  She has transformed our local chapter in a very short period of time through her leadership, creativity, and organization.  She reports: 

The CSUB California Nursing Students' Association (CNSA) students attended their annual State Convention in Visalia, California.  37 students attended, including 8 pre-nursing students.  The conference was an amazing event with national speakers on Trauma Event Nursing, including nurses from the Las Vegas and San Bernardino shootings, and the Santa Rosa fires, Human Traffiking, California Nursing Forecasts, and Global Nursing Service opportunities.   We also participated in the State House of Delegates where we were tickled pink to have our first ever CSUB resolution passed in the House!  (Congrats to authors Deanna A. and Jamie B.).  We also had two students selected for scholarships! (Congrats to Deann A. and Yuhaniz O.).  Our first year with a CSUB student voted to the State Board! (Congrats Jamie B. for becoming the State CNSA Legislative Director!) and lastly our whole chapter was awarded for our Breakthrough to Nursing Event last year "A Day in the Life of a Nurse"!  I was also honored to be nominated by our CSUB students and selected by the State CNSA Board as Faculty of the Year for 2018.  Kudos to all the CNSA students that work hard throughout the year servicing our community and learning to be future nursing leaders! 

AVP Vikash Lakhani was selected to serve on the board for the California Association for Institutional Research.

From Extended Education and Global Outreach:  the online master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) was ranked 39^th in the nation by Top Education Degrees.

Rhonda Dawson reports the EEGO team of Raushel Salyards, Dalia Ramirez, Beth Garza, Sheila Gilbert, Lisa Dunn, and Stacey Childress worked with Chair Kristina LaGue and the faculty : 

This didn’t happen by accident. It has taken flexibility, a willingness to change business practices to adjust to scale, and analytical skills to ensure that while we scale, we do not lose our primary strength: incredible student services and exceptional support to faculty. All of this is because of the attitude towards continuous improvement that is a core part of the EEGO culture. 

The C&I program has seen 120% growth in the past 3 years.  Just one year ago, we were offering 7 courses each during fall, spring, and summer terms.  We now offer 14 course sections in fall and spring terms and 8 course sections in the summer.  This fall we admitted 66 students and last year we graduated 85 students.

Teaching on a Floating Laboratory: Local High School Teachers and CSUB Students Sail with Scientists on the High Seas:  Off the coast of San Diego, Kern County high school teachers and CSUB students actively helped scientists collect and process water and seafloor samples as part of a series of research and educational expeditions funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Eight CSUB undergraduates, one CSUB graduate student, and three local high school teachers accompanied CSUB Geology professor Tony Rathburn and Assistant Professor Adam Guo for hands-on training in marine science on board the R/V Robert Gordon Sproul, a Scripps Institution of Oceanography research ship. 

I was intrigued to see the projects students worked on during the Hackathon.  I was amazed at how much could be completed in such a short period of time.  The concepts were complex and highly intellectual.  Jeremy Warner, professor of Digital Media organized our first FREE XR Hackathon. The Hackathon, sponsored by the CSU Entertainment Alliance and the CSUB Communications Department, was the first of its kind to be hosted in Bakersfield. Over the course of the weekend, more than 80 students participated in workshops taught by industry professionals, then worked in groups to create their own immersive video or animation projects. The theme was “Mechanism to the Mind” and focused on how the body and mind interact and interface with virtual worlds. 

The 1^st CSUB Teaching Conference was a great success. There were nearly 60 attendees throughout the day. The initial feedback from participants was very positive. Dr. Whitney Scott, our keynote speaker, was very excited about the quality of the presentations and discussions. She said that we have “created an important space for the exchange of brilliance that will benefit students”.  Thank you to the School Deans for co-sponsoring the event and to The Teaching and Learning Center’s Chandra Commuri for his leadership in organizing this event that we plan to offer annually.  The faculty presenters showcased some of the best practices from their classrooms:  Amanda Studebaker, Socioloy; Kyung Jung Han, Communications; John Stark, Management; Jackie Kegley, Philosophy; Steve Suter, Psychology; Drew Brandon, Chemistry; Michael Ault, Political Science; Michael Flanagan, Management; Kelly O’Bannon, Communications; Kyle Sousa, Psychology; Allison Evans, Psychology; Teresa Fernandez-Ulloa, Modern Languages; Andrea Anderson, Library; Heather Cribbs, Library; Marina Shapiro, Chemistry; Andreas Gebauer, Chemistry; Miriam Buschhaus, Chemistry, Hanoz Santoke, Chemistry; and the GE Fellows.

Eamon Ore-Giron, Art has been awarded a commission to design the artwork for the new Metro station at La Brea & Wilshire in Los Angeles (opening around 2023). Metro just made the announcement public here:  https://thesource.metro.net/2018/10/18/artists-selected-for-section-1-of-the-purple-line-extension/

This weekend the School of Business and Public Administration is hosting Techstars Startup Weekend for Entrepreneurs.  Techstar and CSUB are partnering for Bakersfield Entrepreneurs Startup Weekend. This 54-hour event is designed for creators and idealists to pitch their innovative ideas, form a team, build a prototype and present their product to a panel of judges at the end of the weekend.

Senem Saner, Philosophy Department organized a CAFS / PHIL 2620 Philosophy for Children.  Fifth grade students from Ramon Garza Elementary came to campus and participated in a Philosophy for Children conversation.  Through this event, we reached 160 students from a school with 90 % Hispanic and 96 % socio-economically disadvantaged students. We introduced them to a college campus and to a uniquely collegial activity—philosophical dialogue and inquiry. Our hope is to make college less alien, less far away, more tangible and more likely for these children.  Each child received a t-shirt with CSUB logos, which, Senem was told by Principal Ms. Segura-Padilla, they will wear every week on their "college days" and continue the spirit of their visit to our campus. 

Gonzalo Santos, Sociology was an invited guest on LÍNEA ABIERTA, the nation's only daily Spanish-language talk show in public radio for an election eve program to give an overview on key battlegrounds in this midterm election, including House, Senate and state races. They also examine key ballot measures to watch in some states. Analysts also commented on the big issues of the political campaigns and the surge of anti-immigrant attacks in the days leading to the election. What are the stakes for Latinos? Are there any signs of a Latino wave? They also examine the meaning behind the record-breaking numbers of early voters in crucial states.

And did you see our Political Scientists on the TV stations as they have prepared us for the elections and analyzed its aftermath?  Ivy Cargile, Mark Martinez, and Jeanine Kraybill didn’t sleep much during this election season.  And David Schecter returned to his Political Science roots and moderated the CSUB-hosted debate for the contentious Board of Supervisors seat.  It’s obvious they thrive during these times. 

CSUB Student Receives Graduate Student-Faculty Collaborative Initiative Award:  geological sciences graduate student Salvador Vargas recently received the Graduate Student-Faculty Collaborative Initiative Award in Research and Scholarship for academic year 2018-2019. His project, “Dissolved Rare Earth Elements Along Oxygen Gradient,” examines Rare Earth Element (REE) behavior along a redox gradient off the coast of San Diego. He is collaborating with his advisor, Dr. Chandranath Basak, assistant professor of geological sciences.

Matt Woodman, Art Department organized two recent poetry events: 

Art After Dark at the Bakersfield Museum of Art offered poems inspired by Bakersfield Museum of Arts 2018 Fall Exhibitions from CSUB Poets.  The artwork is inspiring and the reflective poetry from CSUB poets brought them more to life for me. 

Last week’s Poetry from the Great War provided readings of poetry from the “War to End All Wars”.  Students, faculty, administrators, and community members read pieces that spoke to them for various reasons.  One of the special evenings for me is to sit in the big, comfy chairs of the Dezember Reading Room and listen to poetry.  These evenings will be forever etched in the pleasant memories chapter of my life. 

This year’s Orpheus XXXV came off the press.  This is a literary journal produced each year by our students.  It contains work by our students, and this year, from Porterville College students as well.  It was founded by Professor Solomon O. Iyasere, Sr. 45 years ago and Charles MacQuarrie, English continues it in memory of his late colleague.

Theta Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Delta National Honor Society, the society for international scholars inducted more members.  Dean Mark Novak was the keynote speaker with a talk on “Becoming an International Student:  Challenges and Opportunities”.  President Di Wu, Accounting and Finance and Chapter Coordinator Cliona Murphy, History lead the board of Isabella Kasselstrand, Sociology; Carol Dell’Amico, English; Jonnathan De La Fuente, Extended Education and Global Outreach; Emily Poole, Campus Programming; Sonia Silva, International Student Programs; David Olson, Management and Marketing; and Leslie Williams, Provost’s Office.

Emerson Case, English organized this year’s One Book, One Kern selection and author visit on the book by Baz Dreisinger Incarceration Nations:  A Journey to Justice in Prisons Around the World.  I found the book to be an interesting investigation into prisons and criminal justice around the globe.  It was focused on how the author was impacted by her visits to the prisons.  Looking forward to next year’s book selection….whatever it will be.

This week’s Kern County Energy Summit provided an in depth look at how we are at the center of the state, nation, and world’s energy discussions and research.  Dean Kathleen Madden was an invited panelist for a discussion “Gender and the Changing Face of the Energy Industry”.  She answered questions about her own career path, how the university is working to provide sound academic experiences in the area of STEM, and what the future looks like for our research contributions and providing the workforce for Kern County.  

Last month I traveled with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) students to the national conference.  This conference offers them the chance to network, develop their career paths, and interview for internships and jobs.  Several received internship and job offers at the conference.  Many of you have heard me speak of my passion for this program and how it is one of my favorites because of the life-changing experience it provides for our students.  Jorge Villatoro, President’s Office and Claudia Catota, Diversity Officer organize a professional and meaningful experience for our students.

As I write this I am in Boston at the National Collegiate Honors Council – Honors Conference with Jackie Kegley, Philosophy and Director of the Honors Program.  I spoke on a panel yesterday and Jackie  moderated a workshop with students today. 

In this year of “Be Brilliant, Belong, BeCSUB” it is great to be a ‘Runner!

Jenny

Jenny Zorn, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
twitter (@JennyZorn)
Instagram (zorncsub)
Facebook (Jenny Zorn) profile pic in my cap and gown

Colleagues,  

The semester is at the halfway point, and it has gotten away from me with so much activity inspiring us all.  Here are a few of the highlights.

The big news was the news from ABET that we received full accreditation for our engineering programs.  This was a campus effort over several years and the focus on quality in the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering have resulted in the successful accreditation.  Congratulations, Dean Kathleen Madden on your leadership and to all of the faculty and staff who worked to make this a reality. On Friday we will celebrate with a champagne toast, please join in the celebration. 

During University Week I presented to the faculty on the status of Academic Affairs.  You can view that powerpoint at https://www.csub.edu/provost/University%20Week/index.html click on the University Week 2018-2019 link.

We continue to move up the national rankings for master’s degree programs, coming in at number 5 in the latest rankings by Washington Monthly, a D.C.-based magazine.  CSUB moved up from number 10 in last year’s ratings, number 12 in 2016 and number 87 in 2015.  In addition, Washington Monthly ranked CSUB number 2 for the “Best Bang for the Buck” for four-year colleges in the Western Region.

Great news from Chad Morris, Director of Financial Aid:  CSUB was recently announced as having one of the very lowest average student loan debt figures in the entire United States!  Additionally, CSUB has one of the lowest average student debt figures in the entire state of California for the Class of 2017, and also one of the lowest average student debt figures for all public institutions in the U.S.  Specifically, we ranked #42 out of 1,080 institutions analyzed for having one of the lowest student debt figures in the U.S.  Within the state exclusively, we ranked #6. When it came to all public schools, we ranked #21 amongst all similar schools in the nation.  

Check out the 3D Tour of the library that librarians Chris Livingston, Terezita Overduin and library intern Donato Cruz developed. 

http://www.csub.edu/~clivingston/web/3dTours/WSLtour

Professor J.J. Wang, Advanced Education Studies, received one of the CSU System Faculty Innovation and Leadership Awards for his work in implementing innovative practices that significantly improve student success.  Dr. Wang, who has been a faculty member at CSUB since 1993, is one of 26 faculty members in the CSU system to receive the recognition.

Bill Kelley, Art Department edited two publications: 

https://www.dukeupress.edu/collective-situations

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/T/bo28124825.html

Louis Wildman, Advanced Education is continuing his work in retirement.  He has been invited to give a speech at the Fall Conference of the California Association of Professors of Education Administration, October 19-20, in San Diego.  The title of his speech is "'Truth' in Advertising Doctoral Programs."

Christopher Myers, Philosophy continues his research in his retirement with the following publications: “Ethics Expertise: What it Is, How to Get It, and What to Do with It,” in Jamie Watson and Laura Guidry-Grimes, eds., Moral Expertise: New Essays from Theoretical and Clinical Bioethics (Springer, 2018 – just released); “Deontology,” in Patrick Plaisance, ed, Handbook of Communication and Media Ethics (DeGruyter, forthcoming 2018); and “Partisan News, the Myth of Objectivity, and the Standards of Responsible Journalism,” in Carl Fox and Joe Saunders, eds., Media Ethics: Free Speech and the Requirements of Democracy (Routledge, forthcoming 2018).  He was also asked to contribute a chapter for the fourth edition of Hugh LaFollette’s widely used, Ethics in Practice (Blackwell), coming out early next year.  

Also from the Philosophy Department, Jackie Kegley has some recent publications: “Forgetting and remembering History: Memory and Self-Identity,” in  The Lie of Reason in the Age of Terrorism, edited by Charles Pardon & K.  Skowroṅski, Brill-Rodopi, 2017; “Are Acts of Institutions Really Fully Analyzable into the Constituent Actions of Human Beings?” in John Lachs’s Practical Philosophy, edited by Krysztof Pitor Skowroṅski, Brill/Rodopi, 2018; “Kant as Public Intellectual and Political Theorist,” to be published in Pragmatist Kant, Edited by C. Skowroński,, Brill, 2018; and “Royce on Self and Relationships: Speaking to the Digital and Texting Self of Today, ”to be published in a forthcoming issue of The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, Spring 2018. She is now working on a chapter entitled “Naturalistic and Community Spirituality: An Expanded View,” to be included in a book entitled Pragmatism and Spirituality, edited by Ananta Kumar Girl and to be published by the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies. 

From Teacher Education:  Kristina LaGue reports CSUB was invited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to submit recommended invitees to the conference the Gates Foundation hosted to focus on teacher preparation and highlight successes and challenges encountered by Gates grantees in this area.  Although there is no funding promised to attendees, it was an important opportunity to showcase California’s strengths and learn from other state teams. 

Professor Hussein Bidgoli, Department of Management and Marketing had a productive sabbatical resulting in a publication: “Successful Integration of Information Technology in Healthcare: Guides for Managers,” The Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability (JSIS), Vol. 13(1) 2018, pp. 36-52 and a national conference paper:  “Introducing E-health into your Organization: A Case-based Approach”, National Decision Sciences Institute, Chicago, IL, November 2018.  He completed the 9^th edition of his popular textbook with many cases and application of e-Health:  Management Information Systems, Ninth Edition, Course Technology/Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, 2019, STUDENT EDITION and Management Information Systems, Ninth Edition, Course Technology/Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, 2019, INSTRUCTOR EDITION.

GRaSP hosted the first CSU IRB Forum at CSUB.  Kudos to Imeh Ebong, Gwen Parnell, Professor Rosemary McCleary, Professor Isabel Sumaya, Sonia Cuellar, and Student Assistants – Kimberly Hernandez,  Norma Uribe, and Dominique Rincon for their work that made this such a successful event.  I congratulate the Chair of the CSUB HSIRB, the CSUB Research Ethics Review Coordinator, the CSUB Research Compliance Analyst and the GRaSP team for making us proud through their excellent work in organizing and presenting at this Forum.

Extended Education and Global Outreach’s website  won a Gold Award for Excellence from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA).  Thanks to Stacey Childress for his tireless work on this project.

Matt Woodman, English coordinated our Art After Dark collaboration with the Bakersfield Museum of Art, and it was a smashing success! We had 166 attendees, double the number of last year, and the former, current, and future CSUB poets performed outstandingly!  Matt would like to recognize Deans Curt Asher and Robert Frakes for supporting the event; thanks to them, we were able to print beautiful copies of the poems and artwork to distribute to the attendees.  He also thanks Alli Duncan and Rachel Magnus (two CSUB alumni!) at the Bakersfield Museum of Art for providing the space and time to allow us to share our words with the community and for bringing beauty to the heart of Kern County.

Dr. Brittney Beck, Teacher Education , received a five-year, $4,871,033 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for her grant proposal entitled: “Citizen Scientist Residency Pathway.”

Mark Novak, Dean Extended Education and Global Outreach and I visited some European partner schools, met with new partner schools, and participated in the international conference for European international education.  We toured the school in The Hague where our students thrive in a study abroad program and a Radboud University Psychology major gave us a tour of the campus and he will arrive in Bakersfield in January for a term of study here.  We will work with faculty and deans to make these connections for faculty and student exchanges. 

In my humble opinion, one of the best events our campus has ever hosted was NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez.  He worked the fields from Mexico to Stockton and realized his boyhood dream to become an astronaut.  He spoke about his perseverance and inspired our students to identify their goals and strive to reach them.  Thanks Claudia Catota and Jorge Villatoro for organizing this invitation to visit and to President Zelezny for not hesitating one nanosecond to extend the invitation.

This was followed by one of my favorite programs we offer our students.  We took a delegation of 21 students to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Conference in Atlanta this week.  Jorge Villatoro and Claudia Catota organize the program and travel.  Markel Quarles, Thomas Martinez (Public Policy and Administration), and Evonne Ortiz-Bush (Advanced Education) joined me in traveling with the students and learning about programs to support student success.  The students spoke about the great networking they were able to do and several students landed job interviews.  It is an empowering program for them.  Some had never flown on an airplane before.  We’ll fly home tomorrow. 

To see what we were doing

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In this year of “Be Brilliant, Belong, BeCSUB” it is great to be a ‘Runner! 

Jenny

Jenny Zorn, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Colleagues,

The new year is before us.  This week is full of beginning of the year events that you don’t want to miss.
Tuesday is the staff development workshop.
Wednesday is the faculty professional development workshops.
Thursday is the University Day event and lunch.
Friday is the all faculty meeting with a portion of the time for a conversation with the President.
Friday afternoon/evening is the university family picnic.
Saturday is move in day for the students who live on campus.
Sunday is Convocation at 2:00.  Faculty, remember to wear your regalia.
Monday is the first day of classes.

The excitement is building. 

This summer our colleagues have been busy.

-The California Nursing Student Association (CNSA) won the 2017-18 NSME Community Service Cup. They logged a whopping 696 community service hours!  CNSA will receive a $300 stipend, the community service cup, and bragging rights!

-Jan Gillespie, Geological Sciences received the prestigious Research Award for 2018 from the American Association of Petroleum Geologist's (AAPG’s) Division of Environmental Geosciences at the annual conference in Salt Lake City. 

-Two of our students, Mitchell Coleman, took first place in the Graduate Biological and Agricultural Sciences; and Kathryn Johnston took first place in the Undergraduate Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences at the CSU Student Research Conference.

-I reported that Yangsok Ko, Mathematics was selected as a Faculty Fellow and Facilitating for the Faculty Learning Program in UC Berkeley’s NSF-IUSE Transforming STEM Teaching Faculty Learning Program during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Academic Years. I hadn’t realized Jeroen Gillard, Biology is facilitating the Faculty Learning Program too

-Dean Bob Frakes, School of Arts & Humanities was honored by his alma mater, Stanford University when they invited him to deliver the commencement address for the commencement exercises Department of Classics.

-A recent Religious Studies graduate is starting her second year at Duke Law School this fall. Duke sent her to intern with  a law firm in Tokyo in June and to Leiden in July to study international human rights law, which is her specialty (it was also central to her Religious Studies thesis). She is performing at a high level-3.7 GPA her first year, including, oddly enough, the highest grade in Property law in her class. I understand she made law review also.  Of the Religious Studies major, she writes, "RS [Religious Studies] helped me tremendously with my writing and analytical skills."

-At the annual convention of the Pacific Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (PSAAPG) held at the Marriott Convention Center Hotel here in Bakersfield,  Geology Professor Dirk Baron received the Distinguish Educator Award for distinguished and outstanding contributions to geological education and counseling of students. Karen Blount, part-time lecturer in geology at CSUB, and a high school teacher at Highland High School, was presented with the Teacher of the Year Award for her dedication to student education.  CSUB Geology alumnus Anne Draucker received the Service Award in recognition of singular and beneficial long-term service. 

-Jonnathan De La Fuente, Study Abroad Coordinator, Extended Education and Global Outreach, was one of 14 people chosen from 48 applicants by a joint American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)/Association of International Educators (NAFSA) Selection Committee to participate in the Baden-Württemberg Seminar, sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. The seminar will take place in Konstanz, Germany.  He will attend a seminar on German-American educational exchange. The seminar will focus on the German educational system, German-American academic equivalencies, and student exchange between Germany and the U.S. Lectures and discussions will be complemented by visits to secondary and tertiary educational institutions in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

-Bakersfield College hired four of our recent graduate teaching assistants as tenure-track English faculty for fall 2018.  The positions drew many applicants, as you might suspect, and  the interviews took several months. Our graduate courses in writing continue to compete successfully on a national level.

-Our first mass financial aid disbursement occurred this past Friday.  We disbursed $38.2M to 6701 students!  This amount is over $2M higher than last year.  This disbursement is the culminating event in months of preparation including; annual database set-up, processing verification paperwork, correcting discrepancies, updating business processes and awarding students.  This would not have been possible without the hard work and diligence of the Financial Aid Team. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the events of the next couple of weeks.

In this year of “Be Brilliant, Belong, BeCSUB” it is great to be a ‘Runner!

Jenny

Jenny Zorn, PhD
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Kris Krishnan, Lori Paris, Vikash Lakhani, and John Tarjan are scheduled to present “Developing and Implementing a Sustainable Student Success Initiative” at the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR) conference next month.

Dean Kathleen Madden published a book with her co-authors Aimee S. A. Johnson and Ayşe A. Şahin, Discovering Discrete Dynamical Systems.

Robert M. Yohe II Anthropology coauthored a paper in the top peer-reviewed journal in North American archaeology, American Antiquity. One of our graduate students, Matthew De Carlo, is also an author. The article, entitled “Folsom Mammoth Hunters? The Terminal Pleistocene Assemblage from Owl Cave (10BV30), Wasden Site, Idaho.” appears in the July issue of this quarterly journal, Vol. 82 No. 3 2017.