November 6, 2000
California State Employee Campaign
Cal State Northridge is a great university, in part because we are the community's university. This is demonstrated by the enormous investment of time and talent made by our faculty, staff and students every day to community service. It is proven by the great impact of CSUN's collaboration with community-based agencies. We all deserve to be very proud of these accomplishments. I certainly am.
During the next month, CSUN will again participate in the California State Employee (CSE) Campaign, our annual fund-raising drive to provide financial support to our community partners and other important community-based agencies. At CSUN, many programs give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to provide meaningful service to individuals and the community that occurs both on- and off-campus through faculty projects, student internships, service learning and volunteer opportunities. Because the university has so many people serving community needs, most of us have first-hand knowledge about the great impact of these organizations. Many of us, I am sure, have personally benefitted from their services.
I have asked this year's CSUN CSE Campaign chairs - Dean Susan Curzon of the University Library, Dean William Hosek of the College of Business Administration and Economics, and Faculty President Diane Schwartz - to make this year's campaign a celebration of CSUN's partnerships with community agencies. Our campaign chairs, in turn, have recruited a team of CSUN employees and family members from every corner of the university to help us share our experiences and achievements with each other in more personal and informative ways.
During the last three years, the CSE Campaign has grown rapidly through the leadership of Provost Louanne Kennedy, Associate Vice President Spero Bowman and Assistant to the Associate Vice President Sabrina Rife. Many CSUN employees now contribute to charities of their choice through the campaign. These contributions both demonstrate and further strengthen our connections to the community at the personal and institutional levels. Our participation also supports one of my priorities for the year, which is strengthen the university's ties with the external community.
I hope we all will use the occasion of this year's CSE Campaign to embrace our community partnerships by attending a group meeting in our area of the campus and by considering a generous financial contribution.
Thank you for your support for CSUN's CSE Campaign. Thanks for your pride in CSUN and for your leadership in making this year's CSE Campaign the best ever.
More Parking Spaces for Students and Faculty
Accommodating the growing parking needs of our campus has been a major concern for students and faculty, particularly since the earthquake. I am pleased to announce the steps we are taking to alleviate some of these concerns.
Effective today, Monday, Nov. 6, we will be adding 730 parking spaces for student use. This includes 250 spaces north of the hill in Lot T and south of the new Minimed facility, 220 spaces in the lot at Lassen and Zelzah, and the opening of 260 vacant spaces in the Housing parking structure. This represents more than a 10 percent increase in the number of parking space available for students. In addition, in January we expect to have the last of the trailers removed from Lot C, which will make an additional 252 student parking spaces available by the start of the spring semester.
In recognition of the spaces that will be added on the north end of campus, we will increase the frequency of shuttle service pickup from Lot T. Starting today, we operate express shuttles from Lot T to campus, which will pick up and drop off students at two terminal points: Lot T and the Prairie/Etiwanda bus stop. Two shuttles will run the express route Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. during peak transportation hours. The circulator shuttle stops on Zelzah adjacent to the parking structure entrance.
In January, we will modify our shuttle service contract and utilize larger buses in lieu of the smaller vehicles currently in use so that we can transport nearly twice the number of passengers per trip that we do now. We hope this will make parking in Lot T more convenient.
Similarly, by the start of the spring semester we will increase the number of disabled parking spaces by 24 and the spaces available for faculty by 132 in the following two locations: 10 additional disabled spaces and 114 faculty spaces will become available when the Art and Design Center expansion completes at the end of the year; and 18 faculty/staff and 14 disabled spaces will be added to the area currently designated as Lot M with the demolition of the Tutorial House at Etiwanda and Plummer.
Additional parking will become available in Lots L and M next year with the completion of the new administration building and Sequoia Hall, and the demolition of the domes and removal of temporary facilities.
International Education Week
I am pleased to announce that Cal State Northridge will participate in the first International Education Week scheduled for Nov. 13?17. President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Education Secretary Richard W. Riley designated the week in hopes of bringing special attention to the value of gaining a broad understanding of the cultures, languages and governments of other countries.
The week's celebration on campus will begin Nov. 11 and last through Nov. 18. The activities include workshops, field trips and presentations that are intended to benefit the international students who are studying on our campus, promote opportunities for studying abroad and encourage a better understanding of the advantages of a culturally diverse world.
As someone who had the opportunity to study and do research abroad while in college, I encourage everyone to participate in the programs planned for International Education Week. For information about the scheduled activities, contact Mr. John Charles or Ms. Marta Lopez in Student Development and International Programs at ext. 2156 or at e-mail john.charles@csun.edu and marta.lopez@csun.edu. They can provide campus offices with a poster listing the activities scheduled during the week.
My thanks to Student Development and International Programs, Phi Beta Delta (the honor society for international scholars), the China Institute, Graduate Studies and International Programs, the CSUN Art Galleries and the University Club for organizing our participation in International Education Week.
Meet the Candidates for Vice President of Student Affairs
Four candidates for the position of Vice President for Student Affairs are scheduled to visit our campus later this month. In the order of their visits, the candidates are:
- Dr. Elizabeth Stoddard, Dean of Student Services, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles (Nov. 27-28)
- Dr. Cornel Morton, Associate Vice President for Student Support Services, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (Nov. 28-29)
- Dr. Terry Piper, Assistant Vice President for Student Life, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Nov. 30-Dec. 1)
- Dr. Karen Mendonca, Visiting Vice President for University Affairs and California State University Fellow, California State University, Long Beach (Dec. 7-8)
The candidate’s full resumés are available for review in the Office of the President. Abbreviated resumes also can be found online at http://www.csun.edu/~presofc/vpcandidates.html. Detailed schedules for each of the candidates will be announced and placed online at the website listed above as we get closer to their visits.
Nobel Laureate to Visit CSUN
I am pleased to announce that Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum will visit our campus on Nov. 16. Ms. Tum is a Guatemalan leader internationally known for her work to promote human rights, peace and the rights of indigenous peoples. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, Ms. Tum is the first indigenous person and the youngest individual to receive the award.
While the schedule is still being confirmed, we expect Ms. Tum to lead a Peace Pole rededication at approximately 10:15 a.m. at the University Student Union and to speak at the Performing Arts Center at 10:30 a.m. Her presentation will be immediately followed by a small, open reception.
I hope you will join me in welcoming this remarkable and distinguished woman and human rights leader to our campus on Nov. 16.
Student Health Center Reaccredited
The Student Health Center last week received its formal notice of successful reaccreditation for the maximum term of three years by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). In the reaccreditation notice, Dr. William Beeson, President of the AAAHC, wrote, "The dedication and effort necessary for an organization to be accredited is substantial and your organization is to be commended for this accomplishment."
Our center, which had over 25,000 patient visits last year, is served by dedicated and highly qualified professional staff, which includes board certified physicians, nurse practitioners and health educators. The mission of the center is to "help students achieve their highest potential of physical and emotional health and thereby help achieve their educational goals." The successful reaccreditation reflects the high standards of care provided to our patients, and the commitment of our center staff to serving the university, our students and our community.
Campus Achievements
- Dr. Audrey Clark of Family Environmental Sciences has partnered with Head Start programs in the San Fernando Valley to educate and train professionals for Head Start. The goal of the program is to increase the number of qualified people both at CSUN and Head Start who are sensitive to the special needs of Hispanic children, families and staff. The program will also prepare those who go through the program for more advanced leadership positions in Head Start.
This program is made possible by a grant from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start is a national program which provides comprehensive developmental services for low-income, pre-school children, ages three to five, and social services for their families. Founded in 1965, it is one of the most successful and enduring program of its kind in the country.
My congratulations to Dr. Clark and the Head Start program for this award. The award recognizes CSUN's position as a Hispanic-serving institution that has succeeded in meeting the needs of the surrounding community.
- The Accelerated Collaborative Teacher (ACT) Preparation Program in the College of Education has received the 2000 Urban Impact Award from the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education. The award was given at the council's annual meeting on Oct. 27 in recognition of the ACT program's success as a school-based program that has had a positive and significant impact on teaching and learning. Developed to quickly meet the growing need for qualified teachers, the innovative ACT program allows students to complete a credential program in one calendar year.
Congratulations to Dean Philip Rusche, the college faculty and the faculty and staff of the ACT program for this deserved recognition of their success.
Honor our Veterans
Next week, on Monday, Nov. 13, the nation celebrates Veterans Day. While the university will be open that day and does not officially observe the holiday until Dec. 27, I hope that all of us can find some time on Nov. 13 to remember and honor our veterans. The recent attack on the U.S.S. Cole that resulted in 17 deaths and 39 injuries underscores the dangers that the men and women of our armed forces continue to face in service to our country. It is the sacrifice and dedication of all veterans that we honor on this day.
Remember to Vote!
As you know, tomorrow is election day. All U.S. citizens will have an opportunity to vote for the next President of the United States and for numerous other important elected posts and state propositions.
The candidates and issues on tomorrow's ballot affect all of us, and the right to vote is a privilege in a democratic society. I urge all of you to cast your vote on Nov. 7.
Jolene Koester
President