chico statements fall 2013

www.csuchico.edu/chicostatements CHICO STATEments 1

A mAgAzine from CAliforniA StAte UniverSity, ChiCo fAll 2013

2 CHICO STATEments

The first-ever Wildcat Cruise, a leisurely bike ride through downtown Chico and Lower Bidwell Park, took place Oct. 5 as part of California State University, Chico’s fourth annual Chico Experience Week.

Many who own a Wildcat Cruiser—and many who don’t — took part in the ride. President Paul Zingg and wife Yasuko (top photo) joined in the fun.

The bike’s designer, Chico State alumnus Jake Early, was grand marshal for the cruise, which began and ended at CSU, Chico’s Bell Memorial Union. After the ride, the Family Week-end BBQ took place on the lawn near Yolo Hall.

If you do not yet own a limited-edition Wildcat Cruiser but would like to, it’s not too late—a few remain. For more infor-mation, visit www.wildcatcruiser.com.

Photos by Frank Rebelo

Wildcat Cruise:Celebrating the Joys of Chico by Bike


D E PA RT M E N T S

2 From the President’s Desk Supporting growth, containing costs

3 Letters Inspiration, a turning point, and a Commencement surprise

3 Editor’s Note Send us your stories!

4 Campus Collage What’s happening at the University

22 Wildcat Pride Willie and friends team up to show their school spirit

24 Alumni News Chapter News, Alum Highlights, Wildcats on the Move, and Wildcats in Our Thoughts

32 In Memoriam Faculty and staff remembered

Cover illustration by Paul Garland

A m a g a z i n e f r o m C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y , C h i c o

F a l l 2 0 1 3 I s s u e 2V o l u m e 1 9

ChicoS T A T E M E N T S

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F E AT U R E S 8 Launching StudentS into a SucceSSfuL future | CSU, Chico

helps more students to graduate in a timely manner

12 a new ViSion for the future of chico State | Leading phi-

lanthropist Dan Giustina establishes a large scholarship fund

14 facuLty in focuS | A new Chico Statements feature series asks faculty

the what, why, and how of their innovative research

20 Landing in rwanda | Graduate student Anna Rushton is the

University’s first student Fulbrighter

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Wildcat Cruise:

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More than 50 years ago, the state of California laid out a path in order for its citizens to receive

a high-quality postsecondary education. This was the Master Plan for Higher Education in California, 1960–1975, which focused on two principal goals: broad access and low cost. It was built around the need to prepare for the influx of the “baby boomers” of the post-World War II era and to enable the state to sustain economic growth and improve the quality of civic life. It was a remarkable docu-ment, both in its visionary and pragmatic aspects, and it guided the development of the California State University, the University of California, and the state’s community college system.

The Master Plan proposed a compact with higher education to provide adequate, reliable funding to support enrollment growth and contain costs to students. Over the past decade, however, serious cracks occurred in the compact as the loss of state General Fund support adversely affected enrollments and student costs. Ten years ago, for example, the General Fund provided 81 percent of the CSU’s operat-ing budget; student fees contributed 18 percent. This year, the ratio is essentially equal, reflecting a $1 billion reduction in General Fund support for both the CSU and the UC since 2003 and nearly a three-fold increase in student fees, which par-tially countered the loss of state funding.

Today’s needs are every bit as acute as those the state faced in the 1960s. Perhaps even more so, as it is estimated that the California workforce will need 2.3 million more graduates who have earned a postsecondary certificate or degree by 2025 than it is on track to produce today.

This understanding has been reinforced

in both a new report of the Little Hoover Commission titled A New Plan for a New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education (October 2013) and Governor Brown’s 2013–2014 budget for the CSU. The for-mer laments the lack of enrollment and graduation rates to maintain the state’s growing economy. The latter provides a modest increase of $125 million over the previous year. Although this boost is far short of the CSU’s trustees request and barely makes a dent in the decade-long loss of $1 billion, it is, says the gover-nor, the start of a four-year reinvestment pledge. But it comes with strings attached that reach beyond the access and afford-ability elements of the original Master Plan. In particular, the governor expects the state’s public higher education insti-tutions to do more than enroll students. He expects, as does the Little Hoover Commission, that these institutions will graduate their students, both those enter-ing as freshmen and as transfers, in sig-nificantly higher rates and numbers.

We do, too. The cover story in this issue of Chico Statements focuses on our efforts to improve graduation rates and hold up our end of the bargain with the governor. As you will discover in this article, ours is a comprehensive effort that begins from a position of strength as our graduation rates for both freshmen and transfers already exceed targets set for us when the CSU Graduation Initiative was launched five years ago. But our aim is higher. It is no less than to achieve the best four-year graduation rate in the CSU for all of our students.

Aspirational? You bet. Realistic? We would not be so bold in our goal if we did not think we could achieve it.

And as we do, as we continue to improve our markers of student success, we will not only graduate more students who will help realize the vision of the Master Plan, but we will also attract more supporters to our University who appreci-ate what we are achieving. Such is the story of philanthropist and friend Dan Giustina, also highlighted in this issue.

As we enter the holiday season, it is well to reflect on the goodness of our mission and the solid evidence of its achievement. From the research endeav-ors of our faculty to the alumni who were inspired by them, this issue of Chico Statements anticipates our many reasons to be both grateful and confident. It’s good to be a Wildcat!}

—Paul J. Zingg, President

Supporting Growth, Containing Costs

From the President’s Desk Credits

Editor | Marion Harmon

Art Director | Francie Divine

Associate Editor | Anna Harris

Contributing Editor | Sarah Langford

Wildcats on the Move Kacey Gardner, Anna Harris, Marlette Nuñez, Kate Post

Editorial InternKacey Gardner

ContributorsSarah Langford, Luke Reid, Elizabeth Renfro, Joe Wills

PhotographyBeiron Andersson, Skip Reager

PrintingLane Press.......

PresidentPaul J. Zingg

Vice President for University AdvancementRichard E. Ellison

Director of Public Affairs and PublicationsJoe Wills

Creative DirectorAlan Rellaford

Chico Statements is published for alumni, par-ents, faculty, staff, and friends of California State University, Chico. The magazine is available in alternate formats on request. Please call 530-898-4143 for assistance.

Chico Statements welcomes contributions of arti-cles, photographs, and artwork but does not guar-antee publication of submissions. Please send to

Public Affairs, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929-0040

email [email protected]

telephone 530-898-4143; fax 530-898-4264

The deadline for submissions for the fall issue is Aug. 1 and for the spring issue is Feb. 1. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and space. All submis-sions—textual, graphic, or photographic—may appear in the online version of Chico Statements.

Please note that your name, address, phone num-ber, email address, school or college, and year of graduation may be used by CSU, Chico for the development of university-affiliated marketing programs. If you do not wish to have this informa-tion used, please notify the Office of Advancement Services at 530-898-5297.

© 2013, California State University, Chico, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Chico Statements is online. Get the interactive version, send updates and letters, and more at

www.csuchico.edu/chicostatements

Chico Statements is printed on postconsumer recycled fiber paper.


In preparing for 2013 Commencement, the Facilities Management crew replaced

many bleacher boards at University Stadium. In doing so, one of the crew came across a 1971 Commencement pro-gram tucked underneath the aluminum skin covering the bleacher boards.

“It is in relatively good shape, a bit tattered and yellowed, and the edges are ragged—all adding to its appeal,” says Durbin Sayers, manager of Custodial and Moving Services. Among the Chico State notables listed on the program are acting president Lew D. Oliver, president emeritus Glenn Kendall, and former chairman of California State Colleges trustees Ted Meriam.

Written on the cover in pencil is a clue to its origins: “This placed here by: Dennis Hacker & Eric Wilson, June 8th 1971.” Sayers, a history buff, was intrigued.

“Well, there was only one thing to do—I had to contact these two,” says Sayers. “Long story short, it took a few weeks and some effort, but through a circu-itous route, I finally made contact with them.”

“Eric Wilson and I worked at Plant Ops as student assistants in the maintenance department,” recalls Hacker. “Eric moved back to Crescent City after college. He

was an outstanding football player (we had a team then, and they were pretty good). I was just a regular student who lucked out getting the job. We were paid all of $1.75 an hour!”

That summer, explains Hacker, they replaced all the bleachers in the stadium. “I assume we put the program in one of the sleeves of one of the seats or one of the connecting rods,” he says. “It was over 100 degrees every day that summer, and we cut out (with a torch), then another student re-welded the pipes and cross-bars for us to drill and attach the planks and the covers. After lunch, you had to wear gloves to touch the tools or get burnt! It was a great

summer and gave us great

Inspiration from Chico StateYour 2013 spring Chico Statements “Heart” and “Service” and “Leading a Good Life” have inspired me to do more. If nothing else, this letter is one more brick from the wall of entropy replaced with appreciation and gratitude.

—Roland McNutt (MS, Recreation Administration, ’90), Chico

A Turning PointI graduated from Chico State on June 6, 1970, and have always embraced how it changed my life forever. I received a bach-elor’s degree in social welfare, with studies in corrections, sociology, and psychology. My professors were experienced and inter-esting, and some of the classes offered visits to the state prisons, Butte County Jail, and the local office of the California Youth Authority.

After completing a 2.2 grade point aver-age at Sierra College in 1967, I embraced the college life in Chico and completed a 3.5 grade point average. Chico State is where I started to maturate intellectually and emotionally.

After getting my master’s degree from Fresno State in 1972, I started my career as a psychiatric social worker with the California State Department of Mental Hygiene and carried a caseload of mentally disabled and developmentally disabled individuals. It is amazing how much I learned from that population, and to this day, I have a great deal of respect for the clients and staff that work with mental and developmental disabilities.

In the mid-1980s, I worked part time as a therapist and presently continue this ser-vice. I retired from the State of California in 2009 and am continuing to learn how to enjoy this phase of my life. Throughout the years, I have returned to Chico to walk the campus and remember the special times I had attending the school that gave me professional direction and an awakening to a vast world.

My son Blake followed some of my footsteps and graduated from Chico State in 2009. All three of my children have obtained college degrees. I encouraged my children to attend college because of the positive experience I had at Chico State and the professional career it allowed me to have.

Chico State was special to me because it took a kid with a fruit ranch labor background, with grandparents who emi-grated from Spain, and gave that kid a key to life and the pursuit of happiness. It started me on my way to the American dream. Thank you.}

—Robert S. Morillas, MSW, LCSW, LMFT (BS, Social Welfare, ’70)

Letters

Lost in 1971—and Found

In this issue, you will find a lot of Wildcat pride. There are the alums and campus and

community members who took part in the fourth annual Chico Experience Week, going to reunions and special events and riding their new Wildcat Cruisers. There are the students, faculty, and staff who struck some amusing and lively poses with Willie the Wildcat (see my photo with Willie at right and page 22). We encourage you to send in your stories about how you have cel-ebrated your Wildcat pride, whether they are from the time when you were attend-ing Chico State or when you have come back for a visit after graduation.

And, we’d love to publish your story about meeting that special someone at Chico State. In the past few issues of Chico Statements, we’ve run stories aboutn Zachary Alexander and Ashley Broome, who met as freshmen living in Shasta Hall and got married four years after graduation; n Kari Kyler and Kyle Daniska, who lived parallel lives while attending Chico State but didn’t actually meet and get married until they were living in Sacramento; and n Gary Russ and Patti Hanna (see page 30), who dated in the 1970s at Chico State, led separate lives for 30-plus years, and reunited and got married two years ago.

Send up to 200 words and photos to [email protected] or mail to Marion Harmon; CSU, Chico; Chico, CA 95929-0040.}

—Marion Harmon (Master of Public Administration, ’07)

From the Editor

memories.”}

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Camps Show Power of Community Partnerships

Forty-four underserved school-age children enjoyed a week of science camp at the Gateway Science Museum this sum-mer, thanks to the generosity of the Chico community and

supporters of the Gateway.The fourth- and fifth-graders from Egling Middle School in

Colusa, some of whom had never left their town, took the 30-min-ute bus ride daily to participate in hands-on projects, outdoor lessons, and field trips to local parks and preserves as part of the Gateway Science Camps. The youngsters were supported in full by community and business donations made at An Evening to Treasure, the Gateway’s annual fall fundraising gala.

Each year, An Evening to Treasure seeks donations in support of the museum’s initiatives and activities. At the 2012 gala, an auction to support the science camps secured $22,000 for the program. In addition, Tri-Counties Bank donated nearly $10,000

to sponsor a second week of camp for underserved stu-dents.

The Raise Your Paddle funds were also sufficient to aid in underwriting two weeks of camp, making those camps more afford-able for an additional 45 stu-dents, according to Gateway Science Museum Director Renee Renner. Several donors at the fall fundraising event also purchased items on the Gateway’s “wish list,” and a number of local businesses and organizations provided

in-kind donations and discounts to make the sponsored camps a reality, she says.

“The goal of both sponsored camp weeks was to provide a fun and educational science and engineering camp opportunity to underserved children,” says Renner.

With this year’s camp theme focusing on environmental stew-ardship, the young students learned about renewable energy and conservation through hands-on wind turbines, solar ovens, and oil spill activities. Camp favorites like tie-day, electronic snap-circuits, and Scribbler robots added to the fun. Field trips to the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve, the Valene Smith Anthropology Museum, the University’s corpse flower, and the Associated Students’ compost display kept the students interested and engaged throughout the week.}

Sarah Langford, Public Affairs and Publications

CSU, Chico seniors scored exceptionally high this spring on a national test assessing analytical thinking and writing skills.

This is the fifth time CSU, Chico seniors fared well on the exam compared with students across the country.

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), sponsored by the nonprofit Council for Aid to Education, tests freshman and senior performance in four areas: Analytic Reasoning and Evaluation, Writing Effectiveness, Writing Mechanics, and Problem Solving. The 90-minute exam requires students to compose an argument and/or critique other arguments.

The CLA exam was established to test the extent to which students at a particular college or university are learning high-level skills over the course of their undergraduate careers. Exam results for seniors—called value-added scores—show whether they meet, exceed, or fall below expectations for how well they should perform on the test. Their expected exam scores are determined by a formula based on the test-takers’ own SAT

or ACT scores and CLA results of freshmen at their school who took the test.

Last academic year, 145 U.S. colleges and universities asked entering freshmen in the fall and graduating seniors in the spring to take the CLA exam. Institutional scores were then compared among the participating schools.

In the 2012–2013 CLA exam, CSU, Chico seniors scored over-all in the 99th percentile compared to seniors at the other 144 U.S. universities. Bill Loker, dean of Undergraduate Education, says the total value-added score for CSU, Chico’s senior test-tak-ers was the highest in the nation. He says results from the prior two years are almost as strong, and CSU, Chico seniors have scored above or well above results expected for them based on freshmen scores and their SAT scores for the five years the CLA test has been administered in the CSU.

The CLA results can be accessed at www.csuchico.edu/ued/announcements/cla_results.shtml.}

Seniors Score High on National Exam Assessing Learning

Egling Middle School students exper-iment with cleanup techniques on a simulated oil spill.

Students from Egling Middle School participated in a week of science camp in July.


Briefl

y Noted

New Arts and Humanities Building Begins ConstructionOn Nov. 12, the University broke ground for a new building to replace Taylor Hall. The 93,000-square-foot state-of-the-art project will have 61,000 assignable square feet of space for classrooms, offices, labs, studios, and galleries. In addition, the building will have a 200-seat recital hall and a 1,500-square-foot recording arts studio. The project is expected to be com-pleted before the beginning of the fall 2016 semester.

Student Newspaper Website Wins Second PlaceCSU, Chico’s student newspaper, The Orion, won second place in the web-site category at the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) fall convention. The meeting, hosted by the ACP and the College Media Association, took place Oct. 23–27 in New Orleans. An updated The Orion web-site was launched in September to keep CSU, Chico students up to date on the latest news and events. A previous version of the website placed fourth at the ACP’s midwinter convention in San Francisco last March.

Graduate Student Earns CSU’s Top HonorCSU, Chico grad-uate student Tim Sain was named the 2013–2014 recipient of the $10,000 Trustee Emeritus Ali C. Razi Scholarship, the CSU system’s highest student award. Sain, a student in the Rural Teacher Residency program, was the top-ranking nominee for the William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. As an undergraduate at CSU, Chico, Sain maintained a 3.98 GPA while earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. He is pursuing his master’s degree in education and a teaching credential.

CSU, Chico Honored as Military Friendly SchoolCSU, Chico’s support for veterans has been recognized for a fourth year in a row with an honor accorded the top 20 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the country. Victory Media has named

CSU, Chico to the 2014 Military Friendly Schools list for outstanding practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. The Military Friendly Schools list is based on a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-approved schools nationwide. For full information about the list, go to www.militaryfriendlyschools.com.

Teacher Preparation Grant to Aid Students with DisabilitiesThe School of Education has received a five-year $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to train 100 future teachers to work with K–12 students with moderate to severe dis-abilities. The Special Education Teacher Preparation Program is part of a con-sortium of 64 county and district public school local education agencies that form the Northeastern California Partnership for Special Education. The project, Northern California Collaboration for Low Incidence Personnel Preparation (Project CLIPP), is organized to study and address the short-age of qualified teachers that hinders local efforts to offer pupils with disabilities a high-quality education.

Online Social Work Program Ranked No. 2In July, CSU, Chico’s online undergradu-ate program for social work was ranked second in the nation for affordability and credibility by GetEducated.com. The web-site, which rates online colleges and uni-versities, conducted a national survey of 55 regionally accredited universities offer-ing 99 different online bachelor’s degrees in psychology, human services, counsel-ing, social work, and the social sciences. The rankings include the top 36 degrees in those fields. The survey found the average cost of those online degrees is $45,548. The cost of the online social work program at CSU, Chico is $21,880.

New Dean Named for Humanities and Fine Arts

On Aug. 1, Robert Knight, p r e v i o u s l y associate vice chancellor for undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau

Claire, became dean of CSU, Chico’s College of Humanities and Fine Arts. He replaced Joel Zimbelman, who served as interim dean for two years prior to being named dean in 2009.

Knight was also interim dean of undergraduate studies at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, chair of the Department of Music and Theatre Arts from 2005 to 2011, and a faculty mem-ber since 1988. Knight received his doc-toral degree in voice performance from Northwestern University. He earned his master’s in music theory from Indiana University and did his undergraduate work in music education at Illinois State University.

Kinesiology Professor Wins FulbrightCSU, Chico kinesiology professor Kevin Patton received a Fulbright Specialist Award to conduct research for six weeks in Limerick, Ireland. A kinesiology pro-fessor with an interest in teacher educa-tion, Patton arrived in Limerick on Sept. 16 to work with faculty in the Physical Education, Physical Activity and Youth Sport Research Centre at the University of Limerick. There, he is developing a research agenda on teacher professional learning and the role of teacher educators and communities of practice. He is also consulting University of Limerick faculty on the effectiveness of their teacher edu-cation program.

University Named to Green Honor RollIn August, CSU, Chico was once again in an elite group of schools across the country singled out for their exemplary environ-mental programs and policies. The University is one of the 21 colleges and universities nationwide named to The Princeton Review’s 2014 Green Honor Roll, and only one of eight schools to repeat from the 2013 list. The Princeton Review surveyed 806 colleges and universities about practices including waste diversion, transportation alternatives, environmentally conscious building, sustainability policies, aca-demic programs, and engagement with students.}

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8 CHICO STATEments

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culty Using Data for Continuous School

Improvement, third editionVictoria L. Bernhardt, Communication, and executive director, Education for the Future(Routledge, 2013, 432 pages)This third edition provides an updated continuous school improvement frame-work, explains the components and structures for using schoolwide data for the purpose of continuous school improvement, and organizes the infor-mation for easy retrieval and application.

Viaje al fondo de Eva: la poesía como autopsicoanálisis y re-encuentro con la ilusión en Eva sin Dios, de Luz Méndez de la Vega [Journey to the Depths of Eve: Poetry as Self-Psychoanalysis and Rediscovery of Faith in Eve without God, by Luz Méndez de la Vega]Rony Garrido, Spanish Studies(Editorial Cultura, 2013, 105 pages)Viaje al fondo de Eva analyzes Eve with-out God, the first collection of poems published by Guatemalan writer Luz Méndez de la Vega. The book argues that these poems can be interpreted as the author’s journey into herself, serving as a psychodynamic self-exploration and, ironically, as a rediscovery of the thera-peutic value of faith.

Inclusive Physical Activity, second editionSusan Kasser and Rebecca Lytle, Kinesiology(Human Kinetics, 2013, 312 pages)This second edition is an excellent resource for physical activity practi-tioners or students preparing to work with diverse populations in schools, fitness facilities, community recreation

sites, and sport programs. It shows how to provide optimal programming for all individuals—regardless of capabil-ity—so they can be healthy and active throughout their lifespans.

ChemActivities and LabActivities for General Education ChemistryChristopher Nichols, Chemistry(Kendall-Hunt, 2013, 227 pages)This workbook is used by students in Chemistry 100, including lecture notes, group learning, activities, and group lab experiments.

Chemistry 270: Clicker Questions, Handouts, and Homework SetsChristopher Nichols, Chemistry(Kendall-Hunt, 2013, 228 pages)This lecture supplement for students in Chemistry 270 includes “clicker” ques-tions presented to them in class, copies of important documents used in class, and customized homework assignments.

Unspeakable Awfulness: America Through the Eyes of European Travelers, 1865–1900Kenneth D. Rose, History(Routledge, 2013, 287 pages)In this book, Rose gathers a broad selec-tion of observations made by European travelers to the United States. European visitors remarked upon what they saw as a distinctly American approach to everything from class, politics, and race to language, food, and advertising. Includes vivid travel-ers’ tales and many illustrations.

A Career with Meaning: Recreation, Parks, Sport Management, Hospitality, and Tourism, second editionEmilyn Sheffield, Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management, co-editor with Cheryl Stevens, James Murphy, and Lawrence Allen.CSU, Chico authors include Polly Crabtree, Morgan Geddie, and Chang Lee.(Sagamore, 2014, 425 pages)A Career with Meaning enables indi-viduals to match their core beliefs and values with numerous professional opportunities within the leisure indus-try. Leading experts provide detailed discussion and insight for 11 primary areas related to recreation, parks, sport management, hospitality, and tourism. Unlock the door to your future career in a job you’ll love.

Hunting for ‘Dirtbags’: Why Cops Over-Police the Poor and Racial MinoritiesLori Beth Way and Ryan Patten, Political Science(University Press Northeastern, 2013, 208 pages)This ethnographic study explores how police officers use their discretionary time on the job—and the consequences. The authors show that America’s “tough on crime” approach to justice has too often proved to be a smokescreen for controlling people deemed undesir-able, rather than a genuinely effective strategy for reducing crime.}

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Buy these books at www.chicostatewildcatstore.com or call 866-282-8422.

The Adventures of Terrible Tribble TedGreg Tribble, author; Susan McMahon Wiesinger, Journalism and Public Relations, editor; Carole Montgomery, Communication Design, art director; Ashley Lee, Communication Design

Associates, illustrator (Tribble T Press, 2013, 80 pages)

The Adventures of Terrible Tribble Ted marks an unusual collaboration among a first-time Chico author, two CSU, Chico faculty members, and a graphic design student.

The seeds of the project began when Chico orthodontist Greg Tribble began telling bedtime stories about Terrible Tribble Ted to his young children. Fond memories of these stories carried them

An Adventurous Collaborationinto adulthood, and they suggested he put the stories in writing so others could share in Ted’s adventures.

Tribble approached journalism and public relations chair Susan Wiesinger with the rough stories in 2011, and they began working together on their development. In 2013, com-munication design faculty Carole Montgomery and recent communication design graduate Ashley Lee joined the project. Together, they created a book appropriate for fourth through sixth graders.

The story is about Ted Tribble, who has a knack for launching adventures that almost always end in minor misfortunes. It’s not that Ted intends to get into trouble, but trouble seems to follow this happy-go-lucky kid as he explores his neighborhood. Along the way, Ted learns some valuable lessons, even as he’s already planning the next adventure.

The book, set in Northern California, will be on local book-store shelves in time for Christmas.}


The 150-plus women at August’s Women in Athletics Celebration didn’t have time for pity parties during their

tenure as Chico State athletes. They were too busy competing, and in some cases, fighting for a chance to participate. But they do know how to party. That was evident during the three-hour celebration packed full of renewed connections and magnificent memories.

The Chico State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics invited all women who participated in athletics prior to 1980 to the Bell Memorial Union to present them with their Block “C” letter that, prior to 1980, was only awarded to the University’s male athletes.

“I think this is one of the bigger events, apart from playing the sports, of our lives,” Chico State Athletics Hall of Famer Kathy Neal (BS, Nursing, ’97) told the Chico Enterprise-Record. She came all the way from Massachusetts to attend the ceremony.

“These years were the best years of my life, running for Cherrie Sherrard and being part of the team,” said Julia Orri (BA, Physical Education, ’82; Credential, ’82), a former track athlete. “We didn’t know what we didn’t have at the time, but now it’s wonderful to be recognized for our efforts.”

Athletic Director Anita Barker hatched the dream, and Assistant Director Mitch Cox made the celebration a reality. “This is long overdue, and it’s something the University owes you,” Barker told the group. “This is intended to be a gift for all of you.”

It was taken as such.“The women that are being honored today are getting their

rightful due,” said legendary Chico State women’s basketball coach Fran Coslet (BA, Physical Education, ’62; MA, Physical Education, ’71; Credential, ’72).}

Luke Reid, Chico State Sports Information

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Red-Letter DayHonoring the pioneers of women’s athletics at Chico State

Men’s Track & Field—Smith Soars to New HeightsMore than 1,250 men were listed on California Collegiate Athletic Association rosters in 2012–2013. Chico State’s J Patrick Smith rose above them all.

Fresh off his second straight NCAA decathlon title, Smith was named CCAA Male Athlete of the Year and Division II National Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in June.

Smith, now a senior, will be chasing his third straight NCAA title this spring.

Athletics Department—Another Incredible CampaignThe Chico State Department of Athletics claimed its third consecutive CCAA Commissioner’s Cup in 2012–2013. The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded to the top overall athletics department in the conference. That determination is based on the institution’s aggregate ranking in eight of the CCAA’s 12 championship sport offerings. The better the finish, the lower the point total. Chico State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams, men’s and women’s track & field teams, and women’s basketball team all won CCAA titles.

Cross Country—Chico Teams DominateAt the CCAA cross country championships, alumni like U.S. Olympic trials marathon hopeful Alia Gray, NCAA pole vault champion Katrina Rodriguez, and Ulises Tellechea—the man responsible for the formation of the now famous “Chico! You know!” cheer—were a blur as they blazed from one spot to the next to cheer on the current ’Cats, who were after cross country titles at Chico’s own Hooker Oak Park.

The ’Cats responded with remarkable races. The Chico State men’s swept the first six places to win the program’s 12th straight CCAA title. The women dominated as well, sending the first two runners across the line for their sixth straight CCAA crown.}

Visit www.chicowildcats.com for more Chico State Athletics.

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10 CHICO STATEments

Students into a Successful Future

Enhanced programs and courses create opportunities for more CSU, Chico students to graduate in a timely manner by Marion HarmonIllustrations by Paul Garland


It’s Saturday morning in late October on the fourth floor of the library. In twos and threes, first-year students come out of the elevator and sign in at a table staffed by a graduate student.

They then head to the south side of the building, find their plac-es at one of several long tables, and spend 15 minutes watching a video called “Greening the Ghetto,” a talk by activist Majora Carter about her fight against a large waste facility planned for an East River waterfront in the South Bronx.

Political science professor Ellie Ertle turns off the video and talks about environmental justice programs. “One woman inspired the Bronx community to create the Hunts Point Riverside Park in 2004,” says Ertle, also director of Civic Engagement at California State University, Chico. “Your goal is to put together a campaign plan in six weeks, with a policy solution like creating a new food plan for K–12 schools in Chico to fight obesity.”

This is the start of a two-hour Saturday session of the new U-Course Learning Community (combining English 130 and Political Science 155, both required courses) co-taught by Ertle and English professor Brenton Farrell. The course is part of the First-Year Experience program directed by English professor Thia Wolf. The class for 98 first-year students was created to promote student success and timely graduation. It, and seven other cam-pus initiatives and programs, were funded by $537,000 in grants from the CSU Chancellor’s Office to redesign courses to enhance student learning.

A leader in graduation rate“We are really excited about these grant-funded programs

because they are helping us organize our efforts,” says Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Belle Wei.

These efforts are part of a long-term strategy at CSU, Chico to improve graduation rates while enhancing student learning and civic engagement, long-time strengths of the University. Students this fall were greeted with a new slogan, Aim 4 Four, and transfer students were welcomed with the new Take 2. These initiatives have been created to emphasize that graduating in four years for first-time freshmen and two years for transfers are attainable goals.

“Improving the graduation rates of our students signals a seri-ousness of purpose that should engage them and motivate us,” said President Paul Zingg in his spring 2013 address to campus. “Our message to our students should begin at the moment of first contact with them, while they are still in high school or even ear-lier, whenever they first begin to think about college.”

Key strategies that Wei emphasizes are improving academic advising; offering summer courses including the summer before freshman year; and helping students to set expectations, such as deciding on a major as early as possible. “If we don’t set a clear expectation to help them along the way, it is very easy for stu-dents to drift and lose focus,” she says.

Why is on-time graduation important? A few reasons includen Students save money—each year they are in college costs an estimated $20,000, including living expenses, and each added semester can mean much longer repayment of student loans.n Quicker entry into the workplace or graduate school means a faster start to achieving career goals.n Graduating on time can impress prospective employers.

CSU, Chico’s many areas of strength—strong recruitment of gradu-ates, high college rankings, national wins by student teams in areas such as business, engineering, and public policy—have created a solid foundation to help students get a high-quality education with a dedicated focus to achieving a degree.

“All members of the campus community play a part in help-ing our students graduate in a timely manner, and the University is making investments and changes to accomplish this goal,” says Zingg. “We want to achieve the best four-year graduation rate in the CSU.”

CSU, Chico is well on its way, being fifth among the 23 CSUs with its four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen. But at 19 percent—1 in 5 freshmen—that number is still low. Some of that is attributable to the fact that about 15 percent of students do not return for their second year.

Once students do start their second year at CSU, Chico, the likelihood of on-time graduation increases—30 percent of first-time freshmen who graduate from Chico do so in four years, and the average time to degree of first-time freshmen who graduate from CSU, Chico is 4.7 years.

But timely graduation is not the University’s only priority.“The really important issue in all of this is that we don’t

lose sight of quality,” says Bill Loker, dean of Undergraduate Education. “We don’t want to just pass students through and cheat them of the quality of their degree in an effort to get stu-dents to graduate in four years.”

Among CSU, Chico’s successful and innovative programs that enhance quality and aid with student persistence are effec-tive student support services, the revamped General Education Pathways program, and the aforementioned First-Year Experience program. Redesigning courses (see sidebar “A Class in Action”) is also part of the strategy to keep students on their chosen educa-tional path at CSU, Chico.

An early connectionThe Summer Bridge program, part of the Equal Opportunity

Program (EOP), is designed for first-generation and socioeco-nomically disadvantaged students. It is what it sounds like: students come to Chico for one week in the summer to take part in exercises that help them bridge into college successfully. Participants meet with faculty and staff mentors, experience a university lecture, and attend workshops on topics such as Life Management and Making Healthy Choices.

During the program, participants finalize housing plans, com-plete financial aid files, and register for fall classes. They take an English class preparing them to pass ENGL 130, the required writing course.

“Many students come to Chico feeling unsure of their ability to be successful here and are very concerned about how they will fit in,” says Chela Patterson, EOP director. “The experience of going through Summer Bridge helps develop the confidence needed to seek out support to help with any obstacle that our students might come across.”

A local area student said she appreciated the Office of Financial Aid representatives being available during lunchtime and the EOP staff who were available to answer questions. “She

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said she was nervous for the start of the fall semester because she thought Financial Aid and EOP would not always be there for her, and she was scared to figure things out on her own and maybe make a mistake,” notes Patterson. “One of the EOP advi-sors reassured her that she would always have our support and that she knew more than she gave herself credit for.”

The expansion of Summer Bridge through the Chancellor’s Office grant means that the program will serve more students and add a math component. In order to add math to Summer Bridge, the program will be expanded to two weeks and also include a study skills component.

With the expansion, EOP anticipates being able to serve up to 65 more students, an increase of more than 40 percent. “Our hope is that students will be more comfortable with their transi-tion from high school to college, learn skills and strategies criti-cal for college success, take responsibility for their own futures, understand and use resources available to them in college, and build a community of support,” says Patterson.

Getting a good startTaking that first step onto campus means many different

things to students: the start of an exciting adventure, the chance to make new friends, the first real steps into independence and adulthood. It also can be scary and intimidating and lonely. CSU, Chico has a long history of supporting these students through

such programs as Student Support Services, Academic Advising, and EOP. To further help first-time college students have both a successful and supported academic career, CSU, Chico is expand-ing other programs.

The First-Year Experience (FYE) program, begun in spring 2005, offers courses like University 101: Introduction to University Life as well as internship and mentoring programs. It also includes two public events each semester, Town Hall Meeting and the Chico Great Debate. Both events are designed to encompass the mission of civic education and engagement through an approach to teaching that “focuses on developing student well-being through purpose-driven dialogue and demo-cratic participation.”

“We have created a very robust and successful First-Year Experience program that helps students transition effectively to college,” says Loker. “Students who are in the program tend to persist [to graduation] at a higher rate than students who are not.”

Imaginative citizenship is what the Chico Great Debate is all about. It brings together campus and community members to investigate a “hot topic” that has the potential to divide people—this fall, the focus was on mental health. “What we’ve done with the Chico Great Debate is worked to embed pieces of that event in courses throughout the semester,” says Zach Justus, Chico Great Debate faculty coordinator. “That gives the students a greater sense of purpose about the work that they’re doing dur-ing the semester.”

Justus says that participants build toward having a very public and very prominent conversation with local government offi-cials and policy makers. “After they have that conversation, they come back to the classroom and think, this was more than my typical college experience—I did something with this research and work outside the classroom,” he says. “And, our hope, and the research that we’re doing seems to back this up, is that that provides a transformative experience for a lot of the students. It seems to change how they think about themselves at the University and how they think about themselves as people.”

Mention intro to accounting to a college business gradu-ate, and you’re not likely to get a big smile. This used

to be the case at CSU, Chico, where ACCT 201: Principles of Financial Accounting must be completed by all prospective business majors with a C or better. In fall 2012, the average GPA for the course was 1.76. Many students had to take the course over—sometimes more than twice.

Then Curt DeBerg, a 23-year business professor, stepped in to flip the student experience. This fall, using “flipped learn-ing,” modeled after the redesigned mega sections of financial accounting at CSU, Fullerton, DeBerg has begun to revamp a class containing more than 100 students. He used a portion of a $537,000 CSU Chancellor’s Office grant provided to five CSU, Chico courses for 2013–2014.

“The flip model means that class work becomes homework, and homework becomes class work,” explains DeBerg.

One of the main changes in fall is that students watch short videos of DeBerg’s lectures at home, before class. Then during class, DeBerg leads the students through their homework. In the spring, four senior accounting majors will serve as mentors and work in a computer lab with students, doing homework during what used to be class time.

DeBerg’s students also benefit from technological advances,

including computer monitor screen capture software, display-ing whatever is on the professor’s screen; a freely available online textbook; an online system allowing students to access files and communicate with the professor; and electronic Excel spreadsheets that are linked to each other.

“I really did not know much about accounting at all before I entered the classroom,” says sophomore Ryan O’Hair. “I feel that I am lucky that I have a professor who is striving to make a subject that many people struggle with into something more simple and easier to understand.”

Sophomore Katrina Willis says DeBerg’s approach makes accounting much easier to learn and makes the concepts much clearer. “I also really like how he sends us Excel files to study and helps us through our homework; without these, I would not have been able to successfully complete some of the homework assignments,” she says.

Early comparisons of DeBerg’s flipped class to one of his more traditional, smaller Accounting 201 sections indicate that the new approach works. DeBerg reports that of the top 10 papers from the midterm in the two Accounting 201 classes that he teaches, the top nine came from the redesigned class, which has more than 100 students—only one came from his traditional class of 40 students.

A Class in Action

“”

We want to achievethe best four-year graduation rate in

the CSU.


Along with emphasizing academic and civic engagement, FYE is about students’ social well-being. “Fundamentally, I see this as identity work,” says FYE program director Thia Wolf. “We get 18-year-olds who are high school students, whose parents are now gone from their day-to-day lives. Our goal has to be, because of the way universities are situated in this culture, to help them mature into their adult life. One of the important charges is to help students move in the direction of that identity with confidence.”

In December, the CSU Chancellor’s Office held a live webcast highlighting the Chico Great Debate and Town Hall Meeting, showcasing for all CSU campuses the success CSU, Chico has ushering college students into the world of full civic participation. The webcast included a link to CSU, Chico’s free online toolkit to produce a Great Debate or Town Hall Meeting, plus research and other materials to strengthen the first two years of college.

A community for learningThis year, through the Chancellor’s Office grants, FYE has

added the U-Course Learning Community, and the University has added a new program called Scholars Circles, which will be up and running in spring 2014. Both incorporate a supportive, nur-turing component: mentorship.

The U-Course meets Fridays and Saturdays and hours outside of class that include watching lectures online. Students do proj-ect-based work, supported by student mentors who act as writing coaches, subject matter advisors, and project managers. Projects include blogs, mock political campaigns, community projects, and simulations.

“Our goals were to build a course that provided students with a focused, project-based approach to American government and academic writing,” says Ertle.

Freshman Andrew Bautista says one of the biggest reasons he likes the class is its structure. “Instead of your typical class where you sit in on lectures to take notes, this class is set up to force you to work collaboratively and tackle concepts that can sometimes be tedious and boring,” says Bautista. “I like the style of using mentors, upper-division students who oversee our work and help us when we are stuck. English and political science aren’t my favorite subjects, but working collaboratively definitely makes the subjects more interesting and fun.”

On that Saturday morning in October, after the video and short talk by Ertle, the students break into groups of four or five and work on their campaign plans. They disperse throughout the library’s fourth floor, open their laptops, and discuss strategy. Ertle, Farrell, and Wolf check in with the groups, seeing where they need help with their fledgling campaigns. They are creating a diverse array of communications vehicles such as workshops, petitions, and posters on topics including environmental issues, hazing, and childhood obesity.

Wolf asks one of the groups focusing on hazing what they are working on, and they talk about their social media plan and logos for four posters as well as figuring out contacts. A group member asks what department on campus deals with hazing, and Wolf mentions the Student Life and Leadership Office’s haz-ing workshop. The group excitedly discusses asking the office about combining efforts with them on the workshop.

The student groups have been given time slots to check in with the mentors—five graduate students and three undergrads—during the session. “Probably the most important thing a men-tor can do is create a group that gets along with one another,” says project mentor Paulina Battegazzore, a sophomore studying graphic design. “I have really tried to bring these students togeth-er as a team and share their academic strengths. It is important because if students are comfortable working with each other, their work will be of higher quality.”

English graduate student and writing mentor Jarret Krone says he appreciates the decentralized, non-lecture style envi-ronment where students collaborate in tight-knit breakout groups. “I wanted to be a part of the U-Course because I saw infinite potential in the course’s ability to transform incoming students’ perceptions about what learning looks like in school, and to enforce the sense that their ideas and work are power-ful and important,” he says.

Project mentor Efren Sanchez-Delgado, a transfer student from UC Davis pursuing a public administration master’s degree, says he was excited to attend CSU, Chico because of the University’s focus on civic engagement and the opportunity to engage in stu-dent learning. “I recall being a first-year student myself and what a challenge that was to adapt to a new environment with differ-ent academic performance expectations,” says Sanchez-Delgado. “Looking back at my own personal experience, a program such as U-Course would have assisted my transition into college.”

Sanchez-Delgado says the students he mentors have improved immensely in the way they respond to weekly briefs and group questions in the form of wikis, websites that allow users to add and update content on an ongoing basis.

Bautista says the class struc-ture makes him talk with his group about what he read over the week. “While you might be able to read chapters and chapters, you can’t truly understand the material until you can explain it to someone else, and this course makes you do that,” he says.

A few weeks later, Wolf checks in with the groups to see what help they need with making room reservations, cam-paign materials, and the like. The students are writing letters to officials, administrators, and parents. “I discovered that one group had already met with members of the City Council, one had scheduled presentations to be made in two Residence Hall floors, and one had arranged to make a presentation in a local school,” says Wolf.

Bautista, whose group is working on a campaign to teach water and resource conservation, says he feels they are doing important work. “I am studying to be a civil engineer, with a minor in sustainability,” he says. “I feel like each generation is responsible for making this earth a better and safer place to live for the generation to follow, and with our campaign plan to implement resource conservation into school science curriculum, it’s a start to improving our next generation.”

As for the future of the U-Course, a plan submitted to the Provost’s Office proposes offering all eligible students a U-Course by fall 2016. The plan includes various course combinations. Wolf is pleased with the results they have achieved so far.

“I have watched these students move from the position of fairly typical 18-year-olds, who think that one day things will be clearer and maybe they can address a problem in the world, to seeing themselves as community members who can act now to make positive change,” says Wolf. “It has been inspiring.”}

“I saw infinite potential in the U-Course’s ability to

transform incoming students’ perceptions about what

learning looks like in school. ”

14 CHICO STATEments

A leading philanthropist establishes the largest scholarshipfund in the University’s history by Joe Wills

Photo by Phil Schermeister

Iam a duck, but as you know, ducks fly south.”With that quip, proud University of Oregon alumnus Dan

Giustina introduced himself to Chico media and VIPs gath-ered on campus in August to hear about his $2 million gift to the California State University, Chico College of Agriculture, establish-ing the largest scholarship fund in the history of the University.

On paper, Giustina seems the unlikeliest of major donors to Chico State. A third-generation Oregonian, Giustina is owner of the family-run, Eugene-based Giustina Resources, a large forest products company with timberlands in Oregon and Washington. He earned both his BS and MBA from UO and is one of that uni-versity’s biggest supporters. He was the recipient of the University of Oregon Presidential Medal in 2007 for “long-standing and extraordinary support” for UO, and along with his father, also a UO alum, he has established 40 scholarships at Oregon. He was a main donor for Oregon’s Ford Alumni Center that opened in 2009 and is the former chairman and president of the University of Oregon Foundation.

Giustina bleeds green and yellow, and he might not have extended his extraordinary support for higher education beyond Eugene but for one propitious meeting. While learning the ropes on a Fort Klamath, Oregon, ranch in the 1960s, Giustina met Tom Bell, who built up the famed Bell Ranch in Butte County and ranched more than 16,000 acres in California and southern Oregon before his passing in 1987. Bell befriended Giustina, and through their long friendship introduced him to Chico and Chico State, where the Bell family had ties dating back to the school’s founding. In fact, Tom Bell’s aunt Ada was in the Chico Normal School’s first class in 1889.

“I grew up with the Bell family,” says Giustina. “Tom Bell was a big mentor for me, and I knew his wife Dorothy very well. I know what I know about education through them.”

Tom Bell’s sisters Claudine and Helen, both Chico State graduates, also made a big impression on Giustina. “They both taught in the local school system, and often talked about their education,” he says. “They were thankful of their education at

Chico State, particularly that they had it during the Depression. They felt they made it through all right because they had an education, and they impressed that on other people. I remember Claudine showing tellers in the store how to count change cor-rectly. Education was a big part of their life, and our conversa-tions always came back to Chico State.”

Tom Bell as well as his sisters made gifts to Chico State to ben-efit the University Farm and create scholarships for ag students. After Claudine died in 2011 and Helen in 2012—beloved figures on campus who lived to the ages of 104 and 95, respectively—Giustina wanted to honor the Bell family in like fashion.

Giustina made a trip to Chico in April 2013 to find out more about Chico State and the College of Agriculture. He met the first recipient of a Tom Bell scholarship, Dave Daley, the fifth- generation Butte County rancher and longtime professor who is now associate dean of the college. And he met the current recipi-ent, Austin Fischer, an animal science major from Cottonwood who is the student herdsman of the beef unit at the University Farm. He heard some facts about the college, includingn The University Farm is one of the most diverse farming opera-tions in Northern California, with livestock units, orchards, pas-tures, row crops, meats lab, and the first college-based organic dairy on the West Coast.n More than 10,000 people annually visit the college or farm for events and trainings, and another 5,000 buy farm produce or products each year.n There are about 750 agriculture students this fall, double the number from seven years ago.n All agriculture majors and minors, including agricultural busi-ness, agricultural science, and agricultural education, receive hands-on experience in farming operations.n In 2012, the college had only about 60 scholarship recipients among its majors.

“We provided lots of evidence that our college, like Chico State as a whole, is deeply committed to student success,” says College

“

A New VisioNfor the

ChiCo stAteof

FUTURE


of Agriculture Dean Jennifer Ryder Fox. “Dan got a firsthand look at the outstanding quality of our faculty and students, and the opportunity to make a lasting difference in our program.”

Following additional meetings with President Paul Zingg and Vice President for Advancement Rick Ellison, Giustina decided to make a major investment in Chico State. “I was convinced from my conversations with them that Chico State was an up-and-coming university and that the quality of education a student could get here was second to none,” says Giustina.

On Aug. 22, as faculty, students, and staff applaud-ed, Giustina handed Zingg a $2 million check estab-lishing the Bell Family Presidential Scholarship Endowment. While Chico State has received a number of large gifts in its history, this was the single largest outright gift from an individual to the University.

Two College of Agriculture students next year, and up to four in subsequent years, will receive $5,000 per year as Bell Presidential Scholars. The college will have up to 16 scholarship recipients at any given time. Students who apply to be Bell Presidential Scholars must have strong academic backgrounds and a commit-ment to agriculture as well as demonstrate a history of leadership and service.

“My hope is this will be a transformative gift and bring the best and brightest agriculture students in California to Chico State,” says

Giustina. He believes when private support helps bring the best students and faculty to an institution, it raises the quality of the educational experience for everyone. “That is what we’ve been trying to do at the University of Oregon, and there are a lot of similarities between Oregon and Chico State.”

Not only does private support lift an institution, it brings a spirit of giving that can last beyond any one gift, says

Giustina. “If you have the ability to help students achieve their goals, you can instill in them the process of giving back—it’s a win-win that will multiply down the road,” he says. “I try to tell students, you feel pretty good when you earn a scholarship, but you don’t feel anywhere near as good as when you give a scholarship. The feeling will be twice, three times what you’re feel-ing right now.”

Just as he hopes to inspire students to be future donors, Giustina wants to inspire other non-alums like himself to give to Chico State. “One of the things I think is important

with this $2 million gift is to show the way, show other people that you don’t necessarily have to be a grad to make a gift to a great institution,” he says. “And by doing this, it’s absolutely my hope that other people will see the opportunity that lies here at Chico State and invest in the future at Chico State.”

At the August event announcing Giustina’s gift, President Zingg noted the many exemplary contributions Giustina has made at the University of Oregon. “Dan has devoted so much of his time and his vision to education. He is a Duck through and through, and a great friend of that institution. And now he is a Wildcat.”}

“”

My hope is this will be a transformative gift, and

bring the best and brightest agriculture students in

California to Chico State.

16 CHICO STATEments

Faculty in

“MONSTERS DO A GREAT DEAL of cultural work,” explains medieval art historian Asa Mittman in his introduction to The Ashgate Research Companion to Monsters and the Monstrous. Those creatures of the human imagination give us cheap thrills, intrigue us, and, says Mittman, help us define ourselves—as well as others—and not necessarily in healthy ways. “When we study the monsters of the past,” he writes, “we study our own demons as well.”

While the subject may seem, well, offbeat for an academic (he was once warned by a senior colleague that he really had to “drop all this monster stuff and start doing real scholarship”), Mittman, an associate professor of art history at CSU, Chico, is one of a growing number of scholars across the globe researching and writing about a topic that has engaged human minds (and emotions) for thousands of years.

Why monsters?

I’ve been interested in monsters since I was a kid. I grew up watching bad sci-fi on cable and reading fantasy novels by the shelf-full. I didn’t know as a child that what I now do is a job, or I might well have known from the time I was 10 that this would be what I’d do. When people ask me what I do, I say, “I study monsters.” It took me a while to find the right tone of voice to state this without sounding like I was joking, or like I was a cryptozoologist—someone who’s out there looking for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster (I’m not).

We have a hard time defining ourselves by simply looking inward. We know ourselves through comparisons with others. If I had never seen another living thing, I wouldn’t know what I was. We have so many good models for comparison—other people, animals of all types, plants, even inanimate objects—and yet these are not enough, and so we invent monsters. Monsters are beings called into existence expressly as objects with which we can compare ourselves. They are the ideal lens through which to understand cultures and individuals. Show me what a culture loathes and rejects, and I’ll tell you how it wants to see itself and how it longs to be seen.

by Elizabeth Renfro Photography by Beiron Andersson

A Monstrous Proposition

California State University, Chico is fortunate in its faculty for many reasons, includ-

ing how active they are in innovative research and beyond-the-classroom projects—

and in the ways they share the excitement of intellectual exploration with students.

As nutrition and food sciences professor Keiko Goto says, “Being a researcher is

being an active learner, and I believe good teachers are good learners.”

The wide range of research interests pursued by our faculty—in this issue, food

culture to aging, filmmaking to monsters to physical education reform—raises some

interesting questions: Why do faculty members choose to delve into a particular

area? What keeps them so enthusiastic about it? How do they share that passion

with their students?

This article debuts Chico Statements’ ongoing exploration of the what, why, and

how of Chico’s faculty research projects. And for future issues, we invite readers to

send in their own memories of collaborating with CSU, Chico’s amazing professors.


What in your research gives you a thrill?

I love traveling to Europe to work with medieval manuscripts in the flesh—literally, in the flesh, since these are handmade books written on vel-lum, which is animal skin. Medieval manuscripts are nothing like modern printed books. They were entirely handmade and highly varied, individual things. The pages wave and wrinkle. The handwrit-ings vary among and within manuscripts. Even the grime along the edges of the margins is compelling, since it is the resi-due of hundreds of hands over a thousand years. Some manuscripts I’ve handled were written by saints for archbishops, or owned by kings and queens. Books were quite rare prior to the printing press, so they were all objects of extraordinary luxury, even the smallest, scrappiest manuscripts.

It is high time that the humanities gave up the model of the lonely scholar, toiling in isolation (perhaps in a garret apartment, writing long into the night with a glass of absinthe at his elbow). The majority of my scholarship—and that which I most enjoy and value—is collaborative. My primary collaborator recently has been Susan Kim, associate professor of English literature at Illinois State University. We have completed six articles and a book (Inconceivable Beasts) and are working on our second book. With our different disciplinary backgrounds, our collaboration has the added advantage of encouraging—sometimes forcing—us both to deepen and broaden our own perspectives.

Monsters in the classroom?

I try to bring my monsters and other elements of my research into as many of my classes as I can, which is not too hard, since they appear in all media, in all time periods, in all types of art and architecture. In my medieval art courses, I spend a few weeks dealing with representations of monsters and other “others”—Jews, Muslims, and women—who were all perceived by the dominant patriarchal male Christian cul-ture, at least at times, as monstrous or not quite human. I also work monsters into my Roman art and Greek art courses, as their mythologies are replete with wonderful monsters from the three-headed hellhound Cerberus to the snake-haired gorgon Medusa.

Once you start looking for them, you’ll find them everywhere.

Do you have a secret ambition?

I would love to write novels. I certainly know plenty of good monster stories that could form a basis for some urban fantasy fiction.

CHICO STATEments 17

F cus

Asa Mittman, Art History

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SINCE 1986, WELL BEFORE the first wave of the “Silver Tsunami” (the aging workforce) began hitting our shores, social work professor Jean Schuldberg has been focusing on the needs of aging baby boomers. Schuldberg’s efforts have ranged from fieldwork to statewide initiatives, teaching to university program development, including cofounding CSU, Chico’s Interdisciplinary Center on Aging and directing CSU, Chico’s Master of Social Work (MSW)

program. “Open-minded, approachable, and passionate,” according to MSW student Rachel Gonzalez (BA, Social Work, ’12), Schuldberg is particularly committed to cultural awareness and sensitivity training for social workers.

Why gerontological social work?

I was honored to care for my mother and father as they aged and when they required hospice services. Beyond the personal

is the fact that the U.S. population of older adults is growing rapidly as baby boomers reach their 65th birthdays. In 2000, 12.5 percent of the U.S. population was 65 years or older. In 2015, the U.S. Census predicts those Silver Tsunami numbers will rise to 25 percent of the population, and by 2020, there will be 54 million (a 19 million increase!). Gerontology is also an important focus for our campus. We have more older adults in our region (some areas up to 30% of the local population) compared with California as a whole.

I believe in autonomy and self-determination; in my social work practice and personal life, I strive to educate students and the public about resources and supports that may help older adults maintain maximum independence. Too often, for example, we believe the myth that depression is a natural part of aging. We need social work and health care professionals who are knowledgeable about the mental health needs of older adults. I am the current coordinator of our MSW Mental Health Stipend Program, which helps students going into this field.

What do you find especially exciting about this work—for yourself and for students?

This year, I was appointed by Governor Brown to the California Commission on Aging. This is an exciting advocacy position at the

state level. We meet four times yearly to review and advise regarding state and federal legislation and regulations that impact older adults. I

am honored to represent our region and serve on a commission whose focus is to evaluate issues that may impact older adults to, as the com-

mission’s website states, “ensure a quality of life for older Californians so they may live with dignity in their chosen environment.”With this Silver Tsunami, knowledgeable professionals in all disciplines are

greatly needed—70,000 more social workers trained in gerontology will be needed by 2030. The opportunities are endless. It is sometimes difficult to choose which endeavor to pursue—a grant, program development, research study. It is an exciting time to train social workers!


To teach in the social work program at the National University of Rwanda and help develop an MSW program there. It would be an amazing experi-ence because social work there is very grassroots and community based.

Preparing for the Silver Tsunami

Jean Schuldberg, Social Work

e s18 CHICO STATEments


AS A CHILD IN JAPAN, Keiko Goto was an accomplished pianist. At 14, however, she turned down a music school scholarship and found another passion: world hunger. Today this 2012–2013 Outstanding Professor’s focus is health and food culture: what we eat, how we eat it, and why. As assistant director of research and evaluation at CSU, Chico’s Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion (CNAP), Goto revels in opportunities to engage both com-munity members and her students in participatory action research.

Why study food culture?

Prior to coming to Chico, I lived in different countries such as Guatemala, Indonesia, Jamaica, Tanzania, and of course, Japan. I am very passionate about exploring roles of food cultures in healthy eating. Food culture is not only what people eat but also how they eat it. For example, Hmong food culture is representative of their healthful lifestyle, self-identity, and social support. Some traditional dietary habits, such as mindful eating in Japan or com-mensality (eating together) and appreciation of fresh products among both Hmong and Latino groups are now considered potentially beneficial for weight management in this country.

What do you find most exciting about your work?

Here in the United States, we are culturally diverse, and we have a great opportunity to learn from each other. At CNAP, I get to design and evaluate innovative nutrition intervention projects in collaboration with other faculty, staff, and students. It is great to see the connec-tion between research and practice in our projects, as in the Harvest of the Month program, which focused on school cafeteria food selection and consumption among low-income elementary school students. Components of the program were developed collabora-tively by the California Department of Public Health and a group of us at CNAP.

How are teaching and research related in your work?

My doctoral advisors at Cornell spent so much time and energy on my academic training; I would like to give back. Research mentor-ing and teaching also often give me new ideas and allow me to look at topics differently. In one graduate-level international nutri-tion class, a student asked about the link between traditional food culture preservation and sustainable food systems in developing countries. I did not have a clear answer for her, and it made me think. This is a new, important research area. Students and I also publish articles based on their graduate and undergraduate (honors) research, often with the students as primary authors.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with amazing graduate and undergraduate students from different cultural backgrounds. When I started working at CSU, Chico in 2006, I got to work with a Hmong student. She is brilliant and caring, and I admire her. I thought she was a once-in-a-lifetime student, but since then I keep getting more amazing students like her.


I love the energy and joy that music brings to our lives. Music is for every-body! My secret ambition is to form a band in the near future.

Linking Food Culture and Health

Keiko Goto, Nutrition and Food Science

CHICO STATEments 19

20 CHICO STATEments

WHAT DO A SCHOOL in Harlem, a PE reformer, a filmmaker, and rapper Jay Z have in common—and what’s their Chico State connection? In the latest and most ambi-tious of their collaborative efforts, married professors Cathrine Himberg, Kinesiology, and John Roussell, Communication Design, along with 14 CSU, Chico students and alums, have spent the past several years revitalizing the physical education program at

Children’s Storefront School in Harlem and documenting the process in a soon-to-be-released film, No Excuses! And Jay Z? Read on …

Why do you do the work you do?

John: The ability to collaborate on projects with other disciplines has been a core part of my research. I’ve

always seen my projects as a way to take my years as a professional television anchor, journalist, and producer and apply them in academic settings, to help connect people’s passions to those they have compassion for. Documentary filmmaking is an excellent way of championing the efforts of those featured.

Cathrine: I really enjoy doing projects that I feel make a difference. Unfortunately, there are still teachers out there “rolling out the ball,” practi-

cally babysitting kids and calling it physical education. Parents and admin-istrators need to know what physical education is supposed to provide for our kids. It’s also very inspiring to work with John and the students and alumni we bring into our projects.

John: The field of communication is constantly changing. The need to be either a participant in, or witness to, those changes, is a necessary part of being an educator. In the process of working on our project,

I got an opportunity to be involved in the production of Jay Z’s music video Picasso Baby.* I got to witness firsthand the reliance on social

media marketing and have been able to include similar efforts in promot-ing No Excuses! as well as incorporate my experiences into teaching.

What makes the Harlem school project especially exciting?

Cathrine: The Children’s Storefront School offered us a challenge. We wanted to show that if we could deliver a quality PE program in an inner-city school where the blocked-off street is the playground, and the “gym” is a very small multipurpose room with large posts in the middle of the floor, then you can do it anywhere. Our project also involved aspects of a comprehensive school well-ness program, including “brain-breaks” during academic subjects at least every 20–30 minutes. Research shows that brief physical activity primes the brain’s neurotransmitters for learning, and that a quality physical education program improves students’ ability to

pay attention, focus, and stay motivated—and will actually make learning stick.

John: No Excuses! is a project that has everything necessary for a fas-cinating story: a documented need for the continued support of qual-ity physical education, personified and demonstrated as my wife shares with the audience her passion and compassion for change. The project was also ideal to showcase in a documentary because it’s a story that involves a parallel storytelling technique. It focuses on the day-to-day

When Passion and Compassion Collide

Cathrine Himberg, Kinesiology


efforts of teachers, staff, and students at the Harlem school while at the same time highlighting teachers’ and administrators’ efforts and successes in providing qual-ity physical education nationwide. The location itself allowed us an opportunity to show the hope associated with the beginning of each school day as students make conscious choices for future success, while at the same time confronting significant challenges made worse by years of societal neglect.

Cathrine: Another challenge in this type of action research is dealing with real children and teachers in real schools. Almost 100 percent of the students at Children’s Storefront are Title 1, and the school receives no public funds except for “commodities” for the breakfast and lunch program. In the project, we work with their schedules, on their turf, and within their rules. So nothing is “out of the ordinary.”

How do students benefit from your projects?

Cathrine: John and I both involve our students in every project. That’s the best part of our jobs. We have constant access to inspired, capable, passionate young men and women who want to make a difference in this world. We are both aware of how awesome that is! And it makes a difference both in the field and in the class-room. My students—future PE teachers—got to teach classes at the Children’s Storefront, while John’s students filmed them and worked on other production tasks. The real-life experiences make my course content come alive with examples of how to overcome challenges in the real world. Our students eat that stuff up!

John: We’ve both always been about providing learning experi-ences that come from real-world applications of knowledge, providing students with meaningful connections with those professionals who put that knowledge into practice. I believe it is my role to provide as rich a learning experience as possible. Learning environments focusing primarily on knowledge acqui-sition but lacking practical experiences often lead to an imbal-ance of learning, rich in the “whats” while woefully void of the “whys” and “hows.” Our students’ opportunities to help those less fortunate than them is, I believe, the center of a rich Chico State experience.

Do you have any secret ambitions?

Cathrine: I have no secret ambitions—I feel like I’ve won the lottery when it comes to careers!

John: To spend the rest of my days with Cathrine, living, learning, and teaching life, together. However, I’ve never been too secretive about that ambition.}

*Roussell even made the video’s final cut—see www.csuchico.edu/chicostatements

John Roussell, Communication Design

CHICO STATEments 21

22 CHICO STATEments

Graduate student Anna Rushton is Chico State’s first student Fulbrighter

by Sarah LangfordPhoto by Beiron Andersson

On a warm day in August, Chico State student and former staff member Anna Rushton put the last of her belong-ings in storage and boarded a plane for Africa. She

would spend the next nine months in Rwanda, studying one of Africa’s most disadvantaged groups.

Rushton, a third-year graduate student in anthropology and former analyst in the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office, is the recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Student grant. She’s spending the academic year in Rwanda studying a displaced indigenous group known as Potters; this will become the basis for her master’s the-sis and an ethnographic documentary film. She is the University’s first student Fulbright recipient.

Referred to as “Fulbrighters,” grant recipients meet, work with, live with, and learn from the people of their host countries, shar-ing daily experiences and engaging in the community to pro-mote peace, understanding, and respect. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the program covers round-trip transporta-tion to and from the country, room and board, a living stipend, health insurance, and other items.

“Being awarded a Fulbright has been the biggest achievement of my academic life,” says Rushton. “It is very validating and has given me the confidence to pursue a doctoral degree.”

Rushton was among 489 applicants to study in sub-Saharan Africa; in 2012, about 12 percent of applicants to that region were selected. About 1,200 U.S. Student grants are given each year. Rushton’s full grant amount came to just under $26,000. “This was my one shot,” she says, admitting that she fought back tears of joy when she learned the news. “Otherwise, I was going to max out on student loans and hope for the best. So it was the best feeling.”

She learned about the Potters on her first trip to Rwanda

in 2011 with a group called Global Youth Connect, a human rights and genocide prevention organization. Named for their adopted livelihood of making and selling clay pots, the Potters are an indigenous people who previously lived as foragers and hunters in the forests surrounding Lake Kivu. Today, they live throughout Rwanda and face marginalization, poor health and living conditions, a loss of livelihood, and dislocation from tra-ditional territories.

According to Rushton, very little published research exists on the group, “usually just a small paragraph or sentence or even little footnotes in articles and books on Rwanda. Academics and researchers know they’re there and might mention them, but they’re not really focusing on them because they’re such a small part of the population.”

So small, in fact, they make up just a quarter of 1 percent, about 30,000 of the 11.3 million people living in Rwanda. “Most of the research in Rwanda is done on the genocide, and they usually focus on the Hutu and Tutsi and those populations,” says Rushton. She hopes her research will inform academia and oth-ers to help improve the Potters’ situation.

Rushton’s interest in working with people from other cultures and countries has manifested in numerous ways, particularly on campus. As a student, she has volunteered as a mentor to inter-national students, served as an English-language partner, and hosted international students at her home.

She also co-taught an upper-division anthropology class on Africa with CSU, Chico anthropology professor David Eaton in 2012. Eaton says Rushton’s open curiosity, love of learning, and ethic of service for those facing basic health and education chal-lenges will serve her well as a Fulbrighter.

“Rwanda is a fascinating and beautiful country navigating

Landing in


rapid development after profound historical trauma,” he says. “Of course, visitors like Anna have to learn over time how to understand social dynamics and expectations in a world very different from California.”

A Chico native, Rushton fell in love with anthropology after participating in sweat lodge and tipi ceremonies with the local Native American community. Those experiences and others sparked an interest in the ways that indigenous groups adapt to rapidly changing landscapes and societies while trying to honor their past. She has visited Rwanda twice as a volunteer with COPORWA, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to Rwanda’s indigenous people. This time, she brought her 8-year-old daughter Amaya with her. Amaya is studying in the local English-speaking school.

While Rushton says her position in the campus financial aid office didn’t offer any direct assistance in securing the Fulbright, it did provide her with insight into the University she has called home for nearly seven years. In Rushton’s eyes, the job was the perfect gig—great employee benefits, a supportive supervisor, and a short commute to class.

“I feel so lucky to have worked on campus for three years,” she says. “As a student, you don’t realize everything that goes on behind the scenes. The faculty and staff at this University are so dedicated to their jobs and to the students. It’s really amazing.”

With two degrees nearly under her belt—she received a bach-elor’s degree in anthropology in 2007—Rushton views these nine months as a Fulbright fellow as the catalyst for her career. She is applying for doctorate programs and hopes to begin a program in fall 2014. Her sights are set on the University of Pennsylvania; the American University in Washington, D.C.; and University of Massachusetts for their strong anthropology pro-

grams. She plans to teach one day and credits the supportive faculty in the CSU, Chico anthropology department with much of her success thus far.

“I have been exposed to a wide variety of perspectives in the anthropology department,” notes Rushton. “That benefited me and is something that has helped me along the way. I have always been supported here, both as an undergraduate and graduate student, and as an employee. It wouldn’t have made sense to go anywhere else.”

While receiving the Fulbright certainly holds great personal meaning for Rushton, its campuswide significance is not lost on Eaton, who points out that CSU, Chico has long been a place where students can soar.

“As we all know, serious students can get an excellent education here and find the support to do first-rate original research,” he says. “Thanks to the dedication of our faculty, staff, and administration, students can aim very high indeed and hit the mark.

“The award is also encouraging to me as more evidence of the University’s strengths in international and global develop-ment studies, given what I think is their importance in an increasingly connected and interdependent world.”

For Rushton, the time she’ll spend in Africa will not only pre-pare her academically for what lies ahead, but will lay the foun-dation for the rest of her life. Despite her close ties to Chico, she felt prepared for the adventure.

“I am ready to go,” she says. “I have been [in Chico] a long time and I am ready to go somewhere else and have new expe-riences. My family is here and this is my home, so it is a little bit sad. But mostly I am just excited for new opportunities and experiences.”}

Being awarded aFulbright has been the biggest achievement of

my academic life.

“”

24 CHICO STATEments

Wildcat PRIDE:W

24 CHICO STATEments


On two days in early September, students, faculty, and staff were invited to get their photo taken

with Willie the Wildcat and Wildcat Store memora-bilia. About 250 photos were snapped of groups and individuals, and they really got into the spirit of things! Willie was a trooper even though the days were quite warm, and the variety of poses and props used showed the creativity and high spirits of people on campus.}

Photography by Shyna Deepak and Kate Post, Public Affairs and Publications. For more photos, go to www.bit.ly/WildcatPride

School Spirit!LOOKS LIKE

26 CHICO STATEments

Dear Chico State Alum:

We are excited to share some important information with you regarding the California State University, Chico Alumni Association and the affinity pro-gram bill (Assembly Bill 1971) passed by the California legisla-ture in 2010.

An affinity program is an agree-ment between the Chico State Alumni Association and a care-fully screened partner to offer valuable services to alumni in areas such as travel, insurance

programs, or credit cards. In addition to discounts for alumni, affinity partners give a portion of the revenue these programs generate back to your Chico State Alumni Association in support of its mission, while also providing sponsorship opportunities for other events and programs such as student scholarships.

Partner candidates compete for the privilege of marketing their services and products to highly desirable Chico State graduates. We select these partners based on the quality, price, and appro-priateness of their offerings and their reputation. We hope our judgment is sound and you find any partner solicitations useful and relevant. But even if you don’t respond to such offers, you’re still helping us simply by allowing us to continue sending these offers to you.

AB 1971 was passed to allow the continuation of programs that greatly support the Chico State Alumni Association’s effort

to provide the activities, com-munications, and services you expect. Chico State Alumni Association programs are only partially state funded, and we rely on membership dues and affinity programs for our development.

Choosing to not receive affin-ity program mailings from our trusted partners will not remove you from other mail-ings the Chico State Alumni Association or CSU, Chico may send.

We remain committed to your privacy and comfort. Below is an important privacy notice as well as the contact informa-tion needed if you choose to request that we stop sending these offers to you. I encour-age you to take a moment to read the material provided.

Go Wildcats!

Susan AndersonExecutive Director

A Message From the Executive Director of the Alumni AssociationSix Ways to Keep Connected to CSU, Chicon Follow us on Twitter @ChicoStateAlum.

n Join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups, “Chico State Alumni Association.”

n Visit www.csuchico.edu/alumni and keep up with alumni activities and events.

n Join the Chico State Alumni Association. Your member-ship dollars support Alumni Association programs, events, and scholarships.

n Mark your calendars for Oct. 10–19, 2014, to visit Chico State and enjoy our fifth Chico Experience Week.

n Read Chico State’s 2013–2014 Book in Common, The Yellow Birds, and attend one of the related campus events or join a reading group (see www.csuchico.edu/bic for more details).

Important Privacy ChoiceYou have the right to control whether we share your name, address, and electronic mail address with our affinity partners (companies that we partner with to offer products or services to our alumni). Please read the following information carefully before you make your choice below:

Your RightsYou have the following rights to restrict the sharing of your name, address, and electronic mail address with our affinity partners. This form does not prohibit us from sharing your information when we are required to do so by law. This includes sending you information about the alumni association, the University, or other products or services.

Your ChoiceRestrict Information Sharing with Affinity Partners:Unless you say “NO,” we may share your name, address, and elec-tronic mail address with our affinity partners. Our affinity partners may send you offers to purchase various products or services that we may have agreed they can offer in partnership with us.

Time-Sensitive ReplyYou may decide at any time that you do not want us to share your information with our affinity partners. Your choice marked here will remain unless you state otherwise. However, if we do not hear from you, we may share your name, address, and electronic mail address with our affinity partners.

If you decide that you do not want to receive information from our partners, you may do one of the following:1. Reply electronically by visiting our website at www.csuchico.edu/alumni (click on the link “Important Privacy Information”).2. Fill out, sign, and fax this form to 530-898-4407.3. Call us toll-free at 800-598-6472.4. Fill out, sign, and send back this form to us at the following address (you may want to make a copy for your records):

CSU, Chico Alumni Association ATTN: AB 1971 California State University, Chico Chico, CA 95929-0050

( ) NO, please do not share my name, address, and electronic mail address with your affinity partners.

Name: ___________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: _____________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________

Signature: ________________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________________


Dear Alums

Earlier this year, we sent you an invitation to participate in the Alumni Attitude Study, and more than 1,600 of you responded.

We appreciate the time you took to provide feedback that will help us better serve the needs and interests of our alumni.

Ninety-five percent of survey participants say they rate their deci-sion to attend Chico State as good to excellent. Eighty-five percent of participants say their value and respect for their degree has sig-

nificant or critical impact on their opinion of Chico State. They hold in high regard the beauty of the campus, the accomplishments of today’s students, the history and tradition of Chico State, and the outreach to the community that Chico State provides.

Survey participants also told us it is important that Chico State help alums in iden-tifying job opportunities. We took that to heart and are thrilled to tell you about our new partnership with the Chico State Career Center in developing a series of webinars designed to help you find that next great job. To learn more about upcoming webinars and view the materials from our most recent webinars, visit www.csuchico.edu/alumni and click on “Chico State Alumni Career Services.” The website also provides informa-tion on how you can utilize services from the Chico State Career Center.

My term as president of your Alumni Association ends this January, when I leave you in the very capable hands of Jimmy Reed (’03, ’08). I have enjoyed my time as president and plan to stay con-nected to the Alumni Association and to Chico State in the years to come.

Celebrating Chico,

Michelle Power (’92), President CSU, Chico Alumni Association

A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S

October marked the fourth annual Chico Experience Week.

One of four reunions during Chico Experience Week 2013 was the Black Alumni Reunion. More than 80 alumni enjoyed activities for three days, including a social at Madison Bear Garden, a campus tour, a barbecue at Five Mile picnic area, and a night of dinner and dancing at The Arroyo Room. On the last day, they gathered for brunch at the Warrens Reception Center (photo left).

Upcoming EventsSaturday | Feb. 1Alumni Association Annual Meeting and ElectionsChico Chapter Basketball Reception

Saturday | Feb. 22Alumni Reception at Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets

Thursday | Feb. 27CSU Alumni Reception in New York City

Week of March 10Career Webinar: Interviewing

Friday | April 11Distinguished Alumni Dinner

Week of April 21Career Webinar: Success in Your First Year

Oct. 10–195th Annual Chico Experience Week

For more information, visit the Chico State Alumni website at www.csuchico.edu/alumni or call 530-898-6472.

The Alumni Association is considering an alumni trip to North Carolina in 2014 to visit the new Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. brewery in Mills River. For information about this trip, email [email protected].

Like us on Facebook—search for “Chico State Alumni Association”

The Wildcat Cruiser is a hit, and many owners are now enjoying them on rides to campus, on Chico Streets, along California beaches, and in other parts of the country. If you are a new Wildcat Cruiser owner, send us a photo of you and your new bicycle to [email protected].

Wildcat Cruiser: Now on the Streets

From top: Simeon Allison (’92, ’02); John Biddick (’78, ’79); and Tim Colbie (’92).

28 CHICO STATEments

Note: Only cities outside California will include the state name.

1970sSTEVEN CALLAN (BA, Political Science, ’70) pub-lished the memoir Badges, Bears, and Eagles: The True Life Adventures of a California Fish and Game Warden, containing 23 stories from his 30-year career in enforcement with the California Department of Fish and Game. Callan now lives with his wife in Palo Cedro.

ROBERT “BOB” MCKAY (BA, Industrial Arts, ’72) retired from the marine insurance business in 2011. He worked for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. in various management positions for 30 years and then joined CNA Insurance Co. in 2006 as a regional director. He and his wife, Rosemary, also retired, live in Alamo and celebrated their 40th anniversary in October.

ROBERT “BOB” OWENS (Credential, ’72; MA, History, ’81; Credential, ’84) wrote the novel Pointman, which is loosely based on his experi-ences in the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. Before retiring, Owens served as the Lassen County superintendent of schools for nine years. His wife, KATHLEEN (JONES) OWENS (BA, English, ’72; Credential, ’74) retired after teaching elemen-tary school for 24 years. They live in Northern California and have two adult children and two granddaughters.

WILLIAM WONG FOEY (BA, Art, ’73) accom-plished his lifetime goal of publishing a novel in

January with his book Winter Melon, which com-bines history and fiction in a story about a girl who lives through the 1937 Japanese military invasion of Nanking, China. The novel was voted book of the month for July by Lyon Books in Chico. Foey’s family has lived in Red Bluff for about 160 years.

J. ALAIN SMITH (attended ’73–’75) received the 2013 Weatherby Foundation International Award, which annually recognizes an individual for out-standing support of wildlife conservation, lifetime hunting achievement, and dedication to the prin-ciples of ethical sport hunting. Smith was a success-ful forward on the soccer team during his time at Chico State, known for scoring goals and making assists. After leaving Chico for a brief career in professional soccer, he became a successful busi-nessperson and writer. He is a board member of the Safari Club International Foundation and the Hunter Legacy Fund.

MARK SIMMONS (BA, Social Sciences, ’74; Credential, ’75) retired in June after 35 years of service with the Los Angeles Unified School District. During that time, he served as a social studies teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, and summer school principal. He was vice president of the Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors in 1986, president of the Senior High Assistant Principals Organization in 2005, and an executive board member of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2011. Simmons served two terms on the Board of Education for St. Cyril of Jerusalem School from 1994 to 2000. He and wife Joyce are parents to daughter Krista and son Daniel. He plans to continue his volunteer activities and recreational hobbies: cycling, softball, gardening, and stone masonry.

JUDITH WRIGHT FAVOR (MA, Psychology, ’77) has published her first work of biographical fiction, The Edgefielders: Poor House Tales of a Great-Grandmother, which chronicles the Depression-era secrets and misadventures of a colorful group of paupers. Favor worked as a United Church of Christ pastor in San Francisco and taught at the Claremont School of Theology. She now facilitates Spiritual Journey groups with Stillpoint in Southern California and at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. She lives with her husband at Pilgrim Place in Claremont.

Fall 2013The Alumni Board is recruiting new members!

Visit our website to learn more: www.csuchico.edu/alumni/contact-us/board.shtml

PreSident

michelle power 1992, Chico

viCe PreSident

Jimmy reed 2003, 2008, Rio Linda

treASUrer

paul maunder 1993, El Dorado Hills

SeCretAry

christina nichols 1969, Chico

PASt PreSident don carlsen 1969, Chico

exeCUtive direCtor

susan anderson Chico

At-lArge memberS

rick callender 1994, San Jose

aaron skaggs 2010, Sacramento

boArd AdviSorS

paul J. Zingg President, CSU, Chico

tim colbie 1992, Alumni Council Representative

bob linscheid 1976, 1978, CSU Trustee

taylor herren 2013–2014 AS President

boArd memberS

bob combs 1980, Danville

kathy hardin 1972, Chico

kelly staley 1985, Chico

monica turner 1995, San Jose

mary wallmark 1987, Chico

thomas whitcher 2006, Sacramento

ALUMNI CHAPTERS AND CLUBS

bAy AreA ChAPter

monica turner 1995, President

[email protected]

ChiCo ChAPter

dino corbin 1975, President

[email protected]

SACrAmento ChAPter

aaron skaggs 2010, President

[email protected]

SAn diego ClUb

suZanne baker 2008, President

[email protected]

www.csuchico.edu/alumni

Alumni Board Wildcats ON THE MOVE

We want to hear from you—

what you do for a living, for a hobby, for fun.

Please send your update to

Wildcats on the Move Coordinator Public Affairs and Publications California State University, Chico Chico, CA 95929-0040

Email [email protected] Phone 530-898-4143

Award Winner Writes AgainTERRIS MCMAHAN GRIMES (BA, English, ’72) this fall published Smelling Herself, a novel told through the voice of a precocious 11-year-old African American girl living in the projects of West Oakland in 1964. Grimes is an award-winning mystery author whose first book in her Theresa Galloway series, Somebody Else’s Child, won two unprecedented Anthony Awards for best first novel and best paperback original. She also received the Chester Himes Black Mystery Writers Award. Grimes, who grew up in West Oakland and now writes from her home studio in Sacramento, participated in Chico State’s first Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). Grimes is an alumna of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Antioch University Los Angeles’s MFA program.


Going that extra mile comes naturally—and literally—

to CSU, Chico alums Kristina Lohmiller Ernst and Ronald Ernst. When Moreland School District in Campbell faced budget shortfalls that threatened athletic programs, the Ernsts stepped up and cre-ated the annual Moreland Mile race and fun run to benefit after-school sports. The event took off, and the second annual race this past May saw 189 runners com-peting, raising more than $3,000.

“Sports have been a great way for me to find balance in my life,” says Ron, a financial com-pany executive. “I want to make sure that kids have an opportu-nity to find this balance, too.”

Youth athletics have been part of life in the Ernst family for more than a decade, and both Ron (BS, Business Administration, ’92) and Kristina (BA, Liberal Studies, ’90) have coached their children’s soccer, baseball, and track teams. That family focus carried over into their vision of the Moreland Mile as “not just a moneymaker but a family event, something everybody could get into,” explains Ron. Both years, the Ernsts have been joined by kids Ryan, Kayla, and Tyler (in photo above) in putting on the multi-event race.

According to the Ernsts, their commitment to building and serving community was nurtured during their years at CSU, Chico, when both were active in Greek life, especially the Greek leadership honor society, Order of Omega, and in their organizations’ philanthropic activities. Ron acknowledges that as a Delta Chi pledge, “I didn’t even know what the word ‘philan-thropy’ meant.” But he quickly learned and just as quickly “got hooked on volunteerism.”

Especially significant, he says, was serving first as trea-

surer and later as president of the Interfraternity Council. During 1988–1990, Ron worked with then-University President Robin Wilson to foster positive town-gown links and with Student Activities staff Rick Rees and CC Carter to launch the Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC, now in its 25th year). “These men really pushed to make sure students gave back to the community,” says Ron. “They pushed me to become a better person, and I was forever changed.”

The Ernsts’ Chico Experience has had a major impact on other areas of their lives. Kristina’s vol-unteer hours in Citrus Elementary School’s classrooms led not only to a teaching career but also to her 2009 Baker Elementary School Volunteer of the Year award. And at Sand Hill Finance, the company Ron cofounded in 2004, five of the seven employees are CSU, Chico

alumni—Ron, Mike Henry (BS, Business Administration, ’03), Marty Zankich (BA, Communication Design, ’04), Bill Chronert (BS, Business Administration, ’72), and Dave Foster (BS, Business Administration, ’89).

Hiring Chico alumni has nothing to do with sentiment, emphasizes Ron. The company interviews prospective hires from a range of universities, but “we find applicants from Chico are exceptionally grounded, smart, and ethical, with great work ethics and people skills.”

Kristina adds, “Those values and skills don’t just come from hanging out with friends.” They’re a product, both Ernsts believe, of the emphasis CSU, Chico places on responsible com-munity involvement, “caring about and supporting folks in any community you’re part of.”}

Elizabeth Renfro, professor emerita, is a freelance writer.

Going the Extra M LE—for School Sports

Sports have been a great way for me to

find balance in my life. I want to make sure that kids have

an opportunity to find this balance, too.

“

”

30 CHICO STATEments

CHRISTINA M. (TERRAZAS) BEDDALL (BA, Psychology, ’78) was appointed director of admis-sions and records at CSU, Fresno. Beddall began her career as a clerk in 1977 at the CSU, Chico Office of Admissions and then moved to Fresno with husband Richard. They now live in Clovis with her mother and their two grown children.

1980sJAMES SNIDLE (MA, Ceramics, ’80) has owned and operated James Snidle Fine Arts and Appraisals since 1989, brokering regional and nationally known artwork, and appraising fine arts and col-lectibles. Snidle told the Chico Enterprise-Record in June that his degree equipped him with “a keen appreciation of ceramic techniques and history.”

DALE RICHEY (BA, Physical Education, ’81) is a guidance instructional advisor at Central High School in Fresno. He has worked at the high school for 26 years in roles including teacher, coach, and vice principal.

JOHN EDWARD WHITE (BA, English, ’81; MA, English, ’87) recently published his second book and first novel, Hard Rest. His first book, Dog Lessons, won the IPPY eLit Award for Excellence. White lives in Altadena, where he writes the Martin Gardens novels, the next of which is due out soon. “I was fortunate enough during my enrollment at CSU, Chico to have studied under Clark Brown, Lennis Dunlap, and Christian Todenhagen,” says White. “Each of them, especially Clark Brown, had significant influence on my work.”

1990s GREG BLAKE (BS, Business Administration, ’90) left his posts of five years as principal of Durham Intermediate School and director of maintenance, operations, and transportation for Durham Unified School District to accept the positions of superinten-dent of Golden Feather Union Elementary School District and principal of Concow School.

MATT PETERSEN (BA, Political Science, ’90) was named Los Angeles’ first chief sustainability officer by Mayor Eric Garcetti in August. Upon his appoint-ment, Petersen resigned from his position as CEO of Santa Monica-based Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International, but he remains a member of its board of directors. In 2008, Petersen was recognized by Time magazine for helping New Orleans rebuild a greener com-munity after Hurricane Katrina.

KEVIN BOTENBAL (BA, Philosophy and Religious Studies, ’92) is the instructional technology librar-ian and Academic Senate president for Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. He earned his master’s degree at Syracuse University and doctorate in education in a joint program between UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

JESSICA THOMAS (BA, Sociology, ’92) is program coordinator for Homeless and Foster Youth Services for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. She received her special education certification from San Francisco State University.

MICHAEL WINTER (BS, Business Administration, ’92) was promoted from senior manager to executive direc-tor in Ernst & Young LLP’s Financial Services Office in San Francisco. Winter pro-vides advisory services to cli-ents in the financial services sector with a focus on regula-tory compliance, operational risk management, and business process improvements. He earned his JD degree from Golden Gate University, is a member of the California Bar, and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

MATTHEW HATCH (BS, Business Administration, ’99) was promoted from senior manager to partner in Ernst & Young LLP’s Financial Services Office, where he focuses on banking and capital markets clients on the West Coast. He worked in the firm’s Palo Alto office serving tech-nology and consumer prod-ucts companies before trans-ferring to San Francisco in 2000. He is a certified infor-mation systems auditor, a cer-tified public accountant, and a member of the American Institute of CPAs.

MILTON LANG (BA, Social Work, ’93) accepted the position of associate vice chancellor of Student Life, Campus Community, and Retention Services beginning Aug. 15 at the University of California, Davis. Lang previously worked at Washington State University for 19 years in several positions, most

While their 9-year-old sons played together

on the Benicia Minor B Little League team, six parents real-ized they had one more thing in common: they were all Chico State alumni. When their four boys were chosen to play on the 2013 District All Stars team at age 14, they made sure to get a picture. “We thought it was great that we all went to Chico State and our boys were play-ing together,” says Michelle O’Leary (’93), who met her husband, Brian (’93), while living in the dorms.}

Wildcats ON THE MOVE

(l–r) Kelly King (’86) and son Cody; Darrell Doi (attended) and son Isaac; Jeff Gormley (’03) and Cori (Curtola) Gormley (’86) and son Jared; and the O’Learys and son Michael.

A League of Their Own

Jo-Ann Fox (BA, Liberal Studies, ’98), who teaches fourth grade at Reidy Creek Elementary School in Escondido, is one of 50 teachers profiled in the book American Teachers: Heroes in the Classroom by Katrina Fried.

“While the rest of us spend our Sunday nights relaxing in front of the television or curling up with a good novel, Jo-Ann Fox is probably tweeting,” writes Fried. “Sunday evenings are when she and fellow teachers from all over the state gather on Twitter for their weekly chat group—#CAedchat—to share their thoughts,

innovations, and ideas on a variety of educational issues. Which is to say, Fox

is doing exactly what she loves most about teach-ing: learning. One of only 50 applicants worldwide to be accepted into the Google Teacher Academy, Fox actively seeks out opportunities for contin-ued professional develop-ment, particularly when it comes to the integration of technology in education.”

See more from Fried’s book, published in October 2013, at www.wel

comebooks.com/americanteacher.}Kacey Gardner, Public Affairs and

Publications

A Classroom Hero


recently as the senior associate vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment–Student Development and Retention. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Washington State University.

BRIAN “BUD” CLARK (BS, Business Administration, ’99) owns and operates BBC Material Solutions Inc., a sales and marketing business, and Shock Tone Studios. He resides in Rocklin, plays bass, and says he misses Chico.

2000sCHENOA (ANDERSON) WOODS (BA, English, ’00) is a writer and author at www.lifecorked.com. She writes about her recovery from alcoholism and living sober. She lives in Salem, Oregon, is married and has two children, Caitlin and Zachary.

MARTHA MILLER (BS, Business Administration, ’03) is the government affairs manager for Target Corp., based in San Francisco. She joined the company in 2013 and manages its advocacy portfolio for the State of California. She also serves on the boards of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the California Retail Association. Before joining Target, Miller worked as the man-ager of government affairs and public policy for Gap Inc. and as chief operating officer of the California Business Properties Association. She lives in San Francisco with husband Travis and young son Redmond.

CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI (attended fall ’01–fall ’04) tied with fellow U.S. National Team mem-ber Landon Donovan and Panamanian sensation Gabriel Torres for the most goals scored in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. With five goals each scored over the course of the tournament, the trio split the biennial Golden Boot award. Wondolowski’s goals all came in the first two group stage matches for the United States. He had a hat trick (scoring three times in succession) in the 6-1 win over Belize and added two more in the 4-1 win over Cuba.

BETH KILE (BA, English, ’03) and husband Wesley Herchkorn had their first child, a girl named Anna Paige, on June 5. They reside in San Jose.

LELAND “LEE” GORDON (BA, Journalism, ’06) works as the editor for MaxPreps.com, a CBS Interactive site that bills itself as America’s source for high school sports. He is also managing the MaxPreps Los Angeles site, working in a variety of mediums (photo, video, audio) and dabbles as a freelance writer. He lives with his fiancée in Long Beach and will be getting married in Chico in September.

2010sSTEPHANIE BOR (MA, Communication Design, ’10) was hired as an assistant professor of elec-tronic media at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism in August. Bor earned her BA in film and media stud-ies from UC Santa Barbara in 2007 and her doctor-ate degree in communication from the University of Utah in 2013. Her research examines new media and political communication.

JULIE PHAYER (BS, Recreation Administration, ’12) is a digital marketing assistant for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors’ digital marketing team’s increased efforts to connect with fans through social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has gotten press from the San Francisco Chronicle and Mashable, among other publications.

JILL SYMONS HERNANDEZ (BS, Health Science, ’12) broke three world swimming records in the women’s 50- to 54-year-old class at the U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals in Mission Viejo Aug. 7–11. She broke the records for the 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, and 400-meter individual medley. She had previously bro-ken world records twice over the past eight years. A native Chicoan, Hernandez has two jobs and is a mother to five children, all of whom have made their college swim teams.

TROY NEIMAN (attended ’11–’13) signed a con-tract with the Colorado Rockies to join their Class-A minor league affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils, in Pasco, Washington, in July. Neiman was a pitcher for the Chico State Wildcats.

It took only a few seconds, and then she rushed off to class. But two

years ago, Chico State graduate Hilary Ingram’s giving spirit ended up saving a life and bringing her fame she never could have expected.

In November of her senior year, Ingram (BA, Psychology and Criminal Justice, ’12) participated with her soror-ity in a campus blood drive. While donating, she saw a sign asking people to have their cheeks swabbed to see if they matched someone needing a bone marrow transplant.

“I was completely naïve about bone marrow and the need for a registry,” says Ingram, “but I wanted to do it, and then ran to class.”

Two months later, Ingram got a phone call—she was a potential match. In the

following weeks, she filled out forms, had blood drawn, and then traveled to Stanford Hospital for a physical. After the exam, a doctor told Hilary she was a match for a 5-year-old girl with preleukemia.

“I didn’t think twice,” says Ingram. “I knew I wanted to do it.”

At the beginning of the spring 2012 semester, Hilary returned to Stanford for surgery to withdraw liquid marrow from her pelvic bone. It was painful, but she was back in class on Monday.

While Ingram waited to hear news about her donation, she got more involved in bone marrow registry, lead-ing Alpha Delta Pi in May 2012 to host an event where 144 people on campus had their cheeks swabbed.

One year later, Do Something, the large nonprofit that started the Give a Spit About Cancer campaign, asked Ingram to speak at their 20th anniver-sary gala in New York. She got multiple ovations as she told her story, but then there was a surprise—a big screen onstage showed a healthy little girl named Stevye with her family thank-ing Hilary. While the crowd cheered, Hilary also heard she was being flown to Denton, Texas, to meet Stevye.

In September, Glamour magazine published a story lauding Hilary as a hero and posted Do Something’s video about her trip to Texas. To watch the video, go here: http://goo.gl/r5ftFN.

“I honestly feel lucky to be a poten-tial match, to give bone marrow, to help get the word out,” says Ingram. “Stevye is a little fighter—she’s the real hero.”}

Joe Wills, Public Affairs and Publications

Student’s Spirit of Giving Saves a Life


32 CHICO STATEments

Marriages/AnniversariesBOB JACKSON (BA, Education, ’58; MA, Elementary School Administration, ’65) and BOBBI JACKSON (BA, Social Work, ’78) renewed their wedding vows during a celebration of their 60th wedding anniver-sary. He taught school for 31 years, and she worked as a sheriff’s deputy and probation officer in Butte County. They have three children, five grandchil-dren, and six great-grandchildren.

MARVA KNOX (BA, Education, ’62; Credential, ’62) and BOB KNOX (BS, Business Administration, ’65) celebrated 50 years of marriage June 1, 2013. The Knoxes, of Chico, were married May 31, 1963, in Las Vegas. He worked as Tenaco West’s personnel manager for more than 24 years and at Sierra Sunrise as a “night owl”; she taught at Mill Street School in Orland and for Chico Unified School District, and retired from John McManus School. They have two grandchildren.

STEPHEN CHRISTENSEN (BA, Political Science, ’68) and his wife, Carol, celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary on June 13, 2013.

JIM SANDS (BS, Business Administration, ’03) married Kendra Chrysler at Patrick Ranch in Chico on June 1, 2013. She attended UC Santa Barbara, and he works in medical sales. They took a trip to Croatia and Prague and live in San Francisco.

BRIAN WINKLER (BA, Communication Design, ’03) and Christal Sergovia were married Sept. 7, 2012. She graduated from University of San Francisco and works for the State of California. He works as a marketing director for Renaissance Food Group. They live in Sacramento.

KRISTEN PEREZ (BA, Liberal Studies, ’07) and Ryan Gage were married Dec. 28, 2012. She works for the Glenn County Office of Education; he is self-employed in construction. They live in Princeton.

KATARINA TARA SHARIFZADEH (BA, Child Development, ’09) married Brian Cody on April 13, 2013, in Orange. She is training to be a doula and lactation counselor; he is a gradu-ate of Cornell and Western University and a veterinarian at a small animal hospital. They live in Yorba Linda and plan to move to Portland, Oregon.

DEVEN WOLD (Master of Business Administration, ’10) and ANDREA NONAKA (BA, Liberal Studies, ’11) were married April 6, 2013, at Sanibel Harbour Resort. She is employed by Osceola School District as a teacher of special educa-tion; he is a financial analyst for Disney Co. They reside in Davenport, Florida.

CANDICE BOLF (BS, Nursing, ’13) and WES MATTHEWS (BS, Exercise Physiology, ’13) were married May 25, 2013. She graduated summa cum laude and he cum laude. She is a nurse at Feather River Hospital in Paradise; he works at Pillsbury Physical Therapy. They live in Paradise.}

Kacey Gardner, Public Affairs and Publications


In July 2013, Gary (attended ’75–’78) and Patti (BA, Sociology, ’79; BA, Political Science, ’79) Russ celebrated their second wedding anniversary and Gary’s 60th birthday in Russia on a Viking Rover Cruise. Their unique story started 38 years ago, when they were both students at Chico State. Before their trip, Gary shared some of their story with Chico Statements:

I clearly remember my first minutes in Chico, riding down Broadway Street with my window rolled down, looking at the bank marquis: 115 degrees!

That hot August day, I carried my stuff up to my Whitney Hall dorm room, sat on my bed, and looked out the window. I was in college! All my part-time jobs, miles driven on highways, all my failings and successes had led me here.

The first night I met many great kids and saw the most beauti-ful girl I had ever seen: long brunette hair, blue eyes, silky skin, freck-les. Her name was Patti Hanna, and she soon became my girlfriend—until the day I left for the University of North Dakota on a student exchange program.

Thankfully, I made it back to the warm

spring of Chico. Patti and I were done, sort of. I carried on another semester and then left school to work at Madison Bear Garden. After a year, I hopped a freight train out of Oroville and zig-zagged to Austin, Texas, where I arrived in 1978 with 38 cents in my pocket.

But I did OK for myself. I attended the University of Texas and learned photography. I eventually owned the largest photo studio in central Texas. I got married and had two boys. But life always seems to shake things up.

At 56, I found myself raising two teenagers on my own. Forging on, I emailed Patti. She told me she, too, was going through a divorce. A week later we met in Dallas, and it was like no time had passed. She soon moved to Austin, and two years later we got married.

I didn’t know what I would find in Chico when I arrived, but I can happily report I found my way, my life, my wife, and myself. Decades have clicked off, but my experiences at Chico State still define me. And when I see my sweet wife in the morning, I see her as I did my first day at Whitney Hall: beauti-ful, bright, joyful, full of life and hope. What more could a kid ask of his alma mater?}

Second Time Around

Ready, Set, Chico! 2013

We had record crowds for the 10 Ready, Set, Chico events in August.

Alumni, parents, and new students joined us at every location, sharing their ques-tions, fears, and experiences. This was our seventh year hosting these events, and they continue to get bigger, better, and more informative.

If you know a student heading to Chico State in fall 2014, please remind them to be on the lookout for a Ready, Set, Chico event in their area. We will be in Palm Springs Aug. 1, Los Angeles Aug. 4, Orange County Aug. 5, San Diego Aug. 6, Sacramento Aug. 7 and 8, Marin County Aug. 11, Redwood City Aug. 12, San Jose Aug. 13, and Danville Aug. 14. Please plan on joining us for at least one event. Email [email protected] to RSVP.

On their wedding day in 2011

Patti and Gary in 1975


Wildcats IN OUR THOUGHTS

In Memoriam–Alumni1930sMARION CLARICE BENNETT (BA, Education, ’36) died April 27, 2013, in Chico at the age of 96. After graduation, Bennett taught school at Pine Creek in Tehama County. While attending Chico State, she met her future husband, Frank Bennett, whom she accompanied to Louisiana during World War II while he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. They later returned to California and eventually Chico. Bennett is survived by children Henry, Marilyn, James, and Frank; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1940s ELIZABETH ANN THORNTON DUNLAP (BA, Home Economics, ’40) died June 23, 2013, at the age of 94. After teaching home economics for a few years, Dunlap became a homemaker while she and husband Joe raised their sons. She lived in Pleasant Grove until 2012, when she moved to Chico to be closer to family. She was predeceased by son Norman and husband Joe. She is survived by son Loren and one granddaughter.

1950sDON COUTOLENC (BA, Music, ’51; Credential, ’51) died Aug. 2, 2013, at the age of 83. Immediately after graduating from Chico State, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a second lieutenant until 1953. He then began a 37-year teaching career, working at every school in the Paradise Unified School District. After retiring in 1990, he was a pioneer in the field of computer networking for Paradise public schools. Coutolenc is survived by wife Bettie, son Gene, daughters Niki and Christi, and one grandson.

CATHERINE FAULKNER PALMER (BA, Education, ’54; Credential, ’54) died Feb. 27, 2013, at the age of 80. Palmer was active in the Newman Club at Chico State. She taught at grade schools in Brentwood until 1960 when she married Paul Palmer and moved. When she eventually moved back to Brentwood, she served on the Planning Commission, the City Council, and as the city’s mayor from 1986 to 1990. She was a mother to seven children. She is survived by children Anne, Marihelen, and Paul; two grandsons; and two great-grandchildren.

1960s CAL BACHMAN (BS, Civil Engineering, ’63) died June 18, 2013, at the age of 74. While attend-ing school, Bachman worked for the Department of Forestry. He also worked for the Army Corps of Engineers during construction of the Oroville Dam. In 1972, he and wife Jill started Bachman and Associates, a civil engineering company. He was a member of Delta Psi Delta, Chico Elks Lodge, Chico Oddfellows, and the Comanche Rider Association. He is survived by daughter Tara, sons Todd and Troy, and four grandchildren.

EDWIN RANDAL LOGAN (BA, Art, ’64) died July 23, 2013, at the age of 72. While at Chico State he was a member of Delta Psi Delta and served in

the U.S. Army Reserve. He taught art classes and coached the junior varsity football team at Pleasant Valley High School from 1965 to 2004 and taught part time at Butte College. He was a talented art-ist with a wide circle of friends. He is survived by wife Joy; children Kristina, Darci, and Bradley; and eight grandchildren.

1970sPETER FREDERICK BOYLE (BA, Political Science, ’72) died July 4, 2013, at the age of 68. He moved almost every year during his childhood and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He enjoyed Chico more than any other place he had been and so made it his permanent home. For a historical festival, he grew a handlebar mustache that was so popular he wore it for the rest of his life. He is survived by sister Barbara.

BILL SPANGLER (BA, Geology, ’72) died May 8, 2013, at the age of 64. During his time at Chico State, he frequently collected fossils and subse-quently donated a notable ammonite example to the university collection. Spangler enjoyed golfing with his sons, woodworking, and fishing. He was a member of the Neighborhood Church of Chico, a donor to the American Cancer Society, and coached his sons’ Durham Little League baseball team. He is survived by sons Nicholas and Peter. He was predeceased by wife Barbara.

CHRISTINE LOUISE (FITZGERALD) GILBERT (BS, Business Administration, ’78) died June 20, 2013, at the age of 64. Upon graduation, she got married and raised two children in Chico. She worked as an accountant for several local businesses and eventu-ally moved into management. She loved to read, cook, and spend time with her family. She is survived by husband Roger and children Reidun and Justin.

KEVIN PIERCE (attended ’75–’78) died May 2, 2013, at the age of 55. For the past 15 years, Pierce specialized in sustainable design. As a sustainabil-ity consultant for The Green Exchange, he helped create the country’s first commercial real estate development to advance green business. In 2011, he became chief operating officer for the nonprofit Resource Center, which promotes sustainability through creative reuse of unseen and neglected resources. He is survived by wife Annie.

1990sMARGUERITE SCAMMON (BS, Home Economics, ’92) died July 15, 2013, at the age of 57. She worked for many years with adults and children with disabilities both at the Work Training Center and Chico Unified School District. She was proud of having traveled to every state except Alaska. She loved to crochet, and was a good cook and huge baseball fan. She is survived by husband Dennis, daughters Janelle and Sarah, brothers Rick and Tim, and four grandchildren.

2010sFROILAN FRIAS (BA, Sociology, ’11; graduate stu-dent, Social Work) died Aug. 1, 2013. He was 36. Frias is remembered as a kind and generous man who overcame a life of drugs and legal trouble to become a highly engaged and successful student.

He was active in Gamma Zeta Alpha, volunteered for CAVE, and attended trainings at the Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center. He is survived by parents Froilan and Maria, three brothers, and three sisters.

MATTHEW CAIN (BS, Business Administration, ’13) died Aug. 18, 2013, as the result of an auto-mobile accident in Tappan, North Dakota. He was 23. Following graduation, he pursued his interest in agriculture, moving to North Dakota to take a position with Sitzmann Farms as an agronomist. Cain is survived by parents Joanne and Wayne, sister Danielle, and brother Jeffrey.

JEREMY HOPTOWIT (undergraduate on break, Computer Engineering) died April 17, 2013, at the age of 41. He first enrolled at Chico State in 1988. After an extended break, he re-enrolled in classes as a computer engineering major. He is survived by wife Joanna and three children.

CORTLAN BENCE LININGER (undergraduate, Psychology) died July 20, 2013, at the age of 23. During his senior year of high school, Lininger was student body president and captain of the basketball team. He grew an interest in computers while working with his mother at Family Solutions and Counseling Solutions. He had a special tal-ent for diagnosing technical issues and helping people fix them. He is survived by parents Steve and Trishanne.

CARISSA MADRID (undergraduate, Animal Science) died April 28, 2013, at the age of 22. She was expected to graduate in fall 2013. “She always struck me as a very bright, capable, and caring young person,” says Dave Daley, her aca-demic advisor and associate dean of the College of Agriculture. She is survived by parents Kathy and Marty.

MICHAEL MATTHEWS (undergraduate, Social Science) died May 14, 2013, at the age of 54. He had been taking online courses at CSU, Chico since spring 2012. He was from Omaha, Nebraska, and lived the past few years in Lompoc as his mother’s primary caregiver. “Mike was such a wonderful online student. He was very smart, responsible, hardworking, and a good person,” says geography professor Guy King.

CARMEN LORRAINE PAHLKA (undergraduate, Health Education) died June 11, 2013, at the age of 37. Pahlka had been enrolled part-time since trans-ferring to CSU, Chico in 2010. “Carmen impressed me as a hardworking, conscientious, and dedicated student,” says Professor Roland Lamarine. She is survived by children Caleb and Shantall.

PA HOUA LOR (undergraduate, Health Science) died Aug. 27, 2013, at the age of 18. She entered CSU, Chico and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) in fall 2012. She was a member of the Upward Bound program and her long-term goal was to become a nurse. “She was a very positive person—shy, respectful, a really good student,” says Victoria Bass, coordinator of EOP Admissions. Lor is survived by her parents and five siblings.}


34 CHICO STATEments

In Memoriam–Faculty and Staff

STUART “BART” BARTHOLOMEW, Construction Management, died July 12, 2013, at the age of 88. After 35 years in the private sector, he and wife Margaret moved to Chico, where he began a second career in the fledgling Department of Construction Management. He is survived by sons Steve, Tony, Jay, Nate, and Bill; daughters Caroline and Margot; 11 grandchildren; and a number of great-grandchildren.

ZAUR BERKALIEV, Mathematics and Statistics, died June 3, 2013, at the age of 53. Berkaliev joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 2011. He previously taught math at the Illinois Institute of Technology and at Karaganda State University in the former Soviet Union. He is survived by wife Lilia and daughters Kamila and Asem.

GUY BESNARD, Psychology and Administration, died Aug. 4, 2013, at the age of 92. He joined Chico State College in 1968 as a psychology professor and associate vice president for admin-istration. He was hired to help manage the politi-cal and civil unrest on campus during that time. He is survived by wife Brita, children John and Catherine, daughter-in-law Debra, five grandchil-dren, and five great-grandchildren.

LOIS CHRISTENSEN, History and Humanities and Fine Arts, died May 24, 2013, in Chico. She was 87. Christensen was recruited to Chico State College in 1957 by President Kendall. In 1967, President Hill appointed her dean of the School of Humanities and Fine Arts. In 1968, she was hon-ored with a campuswide distinguished teaching award. She is survived by three siblings.

ALLEN E. FORBES, Speech and Drama, died April 28, 2013, at the age of 86. He was in speech and drama from 1948 to 1986, beginning as an assistant professor and director of the speech and hearing department. He later served as department chair, head of the Faculty Senate, associate vice president for academic affairs, and acting vice

president for administration. He was appointed executive vice president in 1980. He is survived by daughters Mary Ann and Jennifer and four grandchildren.

MELISSA GROVES, Child Development, died March 15, 2013, at the age of 54. She joined CSU, Chico in 2000, teaching early childhood curricu-lum, assessment, and administration. She had a grant from the Department of Education to support child care on campus and frequently presented at conferences.

RICHARD HORNADAY, Art, died May 17, 2013, in Chico. He was 85. Hornaday joined the Chico State faculty in 1954. He was art department chair and professor of painting and art history. During his 30-year career at Chico, he was very involved in K–12 and community college art programs in the North State. He is survived by wife Jenifer, daughter Emily, and many other family members.

JUDITH KERRINS, Credential Program, died July 18, 2013, in Chico. She was 71. Kerrins was hired in 1991 and taught in the School of Education’s Preliminary Administrative Credential Program. She was named Professor of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators and traveled to South Africa as a Fulbright Summer Scholar. She is survived by partner Katherine, pro-fessor emerita in the Department of Psychology.

DON LILLIBRIDGE, History, died Dec. 21, 2012, at the age of 91. He was hired as a professor at Chico State in 1952. He taught American history until his retirement in 1981 and authored well-regarded books and essays. In 1972, he was select-ed as the CSU Trustees’ Outstanding Professor. In 1999, after his wife Flo’s death ended 56 years of marriage, Lillibridge married his former colleague, Michele Shover. His children by his marriage to Flo are Michael, Linda, Jennifer, and Catherine. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

BOB MAURER, Physical Sciences, died July 30, 2013, in Chico. He was 92. Maurer joined Chico State in 1952 in the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences. He was chair of the department, chair of Faculty Senate, and dean of the School of Professional Studies. He retired in 1983 but continued to teach until 1991. Maurer is survived by daughters Martha and Ann, two grand-children, and one great-granddaughter.

BOB ROSS, Political Science, died Aug. 3, 2013, at the age of 73. He served as associate professor, vice chair, and graduate advisor for the political science department. In 1993, he was appointed department chair, a position he held until he retired in 2002.

ANDREW J. SIKULA JR., Business, died June 4, 2013, at the age of 68. Sikula served as dean of the School of Business from 1980 to 1986. After a stint at CSU, Fullerton, he returned to CSU, Chico as a management professor, earning the meritorious performance award in 1989. He served as man-agement department chair before retiring in 1999. Sikula is survived by wife Judy and six children.

MARY WILBY, Research and Sponsored Programs, died Aug. 18, 2013, at the age of 67. Wilby came to CSU, Chico in 2005 and was the opera-tions coordinator in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. She was the “first face and voice” of the office. Wilby is survived by sisters Sydnei and Fran, brother Joe, and nephew Dennis.

NOELE WINANS, Career Center, died July 21, 2013, at the age of 71. She served as director of the Career Center from 1980 to 2000. She was hired in 1971 as an assistant at the then-called College Placement Office. She is remembered for the way she inspired student devotion. Winans is survived by sister Margie, brothers Grant and Collin, many nieces and nephews, and beloved dogs Jude and Bear.}



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an exceptional education.

And one of the most important ingredients is …

YOU!Make your gift to the Chico State Fund or

to the college, department, or program of your choice by going to www.csuchico.edu/

giveagift or by completing and returning the envelope provided in this issue.

Your support means the Chico Experience we cherish will be available to future generations of outstanding students.

36 CHICO STATEments

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