Tag: CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)

Congresswoman Julia Brownley presents $250,000 to CSUCI for a Native American and Indigenous Studies Program

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will begin working to develop a new Native American and Indigenous Studies academic program thanks to a $250,000 check presented to the University by Congresswoman Julia Brownley recently.

The presentation ceremony took place Thursday, April 21 in the President’s Courtyard where about 20 campus and community members gathered to hear remarks from Brownley, President Richard Yao, Ph.D., Provost Mitch Avila, Ph.D., and Chumash elder Raudel Bañuelos, who holds an honorary Doctor of Letters from CSUCI.

Bañuelos began the ceremony with a traditional Chumash blessing, filling the courtyard with the smell of sage as he fanned the fragrant herb with an eagle feather and honored the east, west, north and south, all living beings, and the Chumash ancestors.

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CSUCI student advocate for LGBTQ individuals is named a Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow

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The CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) student who founded the national  Youth Pride Association (YPA) has been named a 2022-2023 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow.

Chemistry major Cameron Bartosiewicz, who founded the 501(c)3 to support and advocate for LGBTQ youth, is among 173 students from 38 states and Mexico to be named a Newman Fellow.

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CSUCI Teacher Residency Partnership gets two $250,000 grants to expand program

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Two $250,000 grants from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing will enable a successful CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) teacher residency partnership program to expand and explore new opportunities.

One of the grants went to the teacher residency program launched in 2019, which provides full tuition for CSUCI teaching credential candidates who are selected as residents, plus a stipend up to $10,000. The program is in partnership with the Oxnard School District (OSD), Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD); the Rio School District and the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD).

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CSUCI program that paves the way to college for farmworking families gets a boost

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For children who are the first in their family to attend college, pursuing higher education is often a family decision. This can be especially true for farmworking families who may believe they don’t have the background or finances to support their student.

A CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) program designed to show farmworking families a pathway to college has just received a $50,000 boost from Reiter Affiliated Companies’ philanthropic arm.

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CSUCI’s 2022 commencement will be four ceremonies over two days

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) graduates, friends and families will celebrate 2022 Commencement in-person.

Commencement will consist of four in-person ceremonies spread out over the weekend of May 21 and 22 to allow for social distancing. There will be a morning and an afternoon ceremony on both Saturday and Sunday, with different academic programs scheduled for specific times and dates.

President Richard Yao, Ph.D. said he is thrilled that his first commencement ceremony as the permanent president of CSUCI will be fully in-person.

“These students have worked hard for this moment, and we are delighted to be able to offer them, their friends, and families a full in-person experience,” Yao said. “The past three years have been filled with challenges that these students met with resilience and determination, and we could not be prouder of them. This also gives our faculty, who have been equally resourceful, a chance to celebrate this day along with the graduates. I am honored to be the president of such a dynamic campus community.”

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Calling all citizen scientists to the CSUCI BioBlitz!

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Download iNaturalist on your smartphone, grab your sneakers and come on down to CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) on Saturday, Feb. 19 to join in the annual BioBlitz.

CSUCI students of all majors and members of the community are invited to wander around campus anytime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. this Saturday and take photos of any plants, flowers, fungi, insects, birds, or trees that catch your eye. The iNaturalist app will identify what you’ve just seen and upload it to their global citizen science database of plants, flowers, fungi, trees, insects and animals found on and around the CSUCI campus – and the world.

No scientific background is required, just a smartphone, the app and a healthy sense of curiosity about the world around you.

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CSUCI Open CI program saves students almost $1.8 million in textbook costs over one semester

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Ever since the “OpenCI” initiative was launched at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) in the 2016/2017 academic year, the savings for students on textbooks has risen steadily. But the most recent report on this initiative shows the most dramatic student savings to date.

A mid-year report shows OpenCI saved CSUCI students almost $1.8 million­ —$1,769,569.73 — over the Fall 2021 semester alone. Since 2016, Open CI has saved students over $7 million total in textbook costs.

“I was genuinely surprised — shocked, in fact,” said Associate Professor of Communication Jacob Jenkins, Ph.D. “That number from just one semester is bigger than our savings from the entire 2020/2021 academic year. And we’re on pace to save well over $3 million for students this academic year with a student body of only 7,000.”

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First two weeks of CSUCI Spring semester will be virtual and “fully vaccinated” is redefined

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To minimize class disruptions to the greatest extent possible, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) courses will be virtual for the first two weeks of class, from Jan. 22 through Feb. 6, with some exceptions.

In addition, the CSU’s recently updated Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Policy redefines “fully vaccinated” to include a booster vaccine for students, staff and faculty when they become eligible to receive one.

Measures are being taken in addition to the ongoing requirement of appropriate mask-wearing indoors and other safety protocols because of the current wave of the highly-contagious Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, according to Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D.

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Feb. 27 — CSUCI will be part of the CSU’s Statewide Super Sunday

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) President Richard Yao, Ph.D., and Provost Mitch Avila, Ph.D., will speak at two local churches as part of the 17th Annual CSU Super Sunday Feb. 27.

Yao will speak at St. Paul Baptist Church in Oxnard at 1777 Statham Blvd.  and Avila will speak at Bethel AME Church, 855 South ‘F’ Street in Oxnard with services at both locations beginning at 10 a.m. This Sunday marks CSUCI’s return to in-person Super Sunday events after the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a virtual event in 2021.

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March 24 — CSUCI to host ‘An American Journey,’ a raw and honest look at the African American experience in America

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With shackles and bullet holes, a child’s Ku Klux Klan outfit, and signs reading “Colored only,” the collection called “Forgotten Images” is raw, unblinking and authentic.

“You look at these images and you can’t help but have some kind of emotion evoked,” said CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Outreach and Engagement Librarian Lydia Collins. “I hope it will create opportunities for authentic dialogue and disruptive discourse that leads to positive changes and helps us learn about one another.”

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Sept. 30 — Art exhibit features marine debris from Channel Islands

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is presenting an exhibit of art created by students, faculty and community members from marine debris found on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands to highlight one of the most widespread pollution problems facing the world’s ocean and waterways.  

The “Channel Islands Marine Debris Art Show” will be held Friday, Sept. 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. at MadeWest Brewery at 1744 Donlon St. in Ventura. The exhibit will then be viewable by appointment throughout October at the 643 Project Space at 643 N. Ventura Ave. in Ventura. A reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 7, as part of ArtsVentura’s First Friday.  

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Oct. 31 — Trailblazing scientist and tech executive to speak at CSUCI

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A former NASA rocket scientist, tech firm executive and Girls Scouts CEO will share her experience and advice with CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students and community members during a free luncheon on Monday, Oct. 31.

The Martin V. Smith Speaker Series event featuring Sylvia Acevedo of Santa Barbara will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon, located at the northwest corner of Camarillo Street and Rincon Drive.

“Sylvia is a true trailblazer,” said Susan Andrzejewski, Ph.D., Dean of the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics at CSUCI. “As a lifelong advocate for the transformational power of education, Sylvia’s values strongly align with those of CSU Channel Islands, and I am certain our students, faculty, staff, and community members will enjoy the luncheon event.”

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Nov. 12 — CSUCI and the Ventura County Library invite everybody to dig into “Taste Makers” with ‘One County, One Book’ event

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Desperation drove Mexican immigrant Elena Zelayeta and her husband to begin selling homemade Mexican and Spanish meals out of their San Francisco living room after they lost their car and their home during the Great Depression. 

Zelayeta went on to become a renowned Mexican American celebrity chef, and one of the women profiled in the 2021 book “Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America” by Mayukh Sen, an award-winning food journalist who teaches in Columbia University’s Creative Writing program.  

“Taste Makers” is this year’s selection for the Ventura County Library (VCL)’s “One County, One Book” reading program, which will culminate with a public event in the Grand Salon at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12. 

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Through Dec. 9 — CSU Channel Islands Exhibit honors late educator and pioneering animator

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A free public exhibition at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will commemorate the life and work of Art Lecturer and pioneering animator Kathleen Quaife, a longtime Oak Park resident who died unexpectedly in October 2021.

“Kathleen Quaife: A Portrait of the Artist” will run through Dec. 9, in the Napa Hall Gallery.

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Newest members bring financial and economic development expertise to the CSUCI Foundation Board

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The CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Foundation Board is welcoming two new members with a wealth of experience in banking and community investment opportunities.

The two new members are New Capital LLC Chief Executive Officer Beatriz Olvera Stotzer of Los Angeles and Montecito Bank & Trust Senior Vice President and Director of Community Banking Cari Shore of Ojai.

Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D., said he is excited to welcome two such accomplished leaders in the community and looks forward to working with them both.

“We are fortunate to have these two innovative and entrepreneurial women join our board,” Yao said. “They not only bring incredible talent, experience and thought leadership to the Foundation, but also are deeply connected in our region and are committed to our mission as a University and to the work of the Foundation Board.”

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Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation becomes CSUCI’s single largest donor

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Following more than 20 years of strong philanthropic partnership, the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Foundation has generously donated $10.5 million to the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics (MVS) at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). Ventura County philanthropist and real estate developer Martin V. “Bud” Smith and his wife Martha created the Foundation to support community organizations.  

The transformational gift brings the total contributed to CSUCI to more than $19 million since the family’s first donation in 1999, making them the University’s largest donor.  

Just over $3.5 million will be used to complete the renovation of the MVS School’s new home, located in the campus’ former Manzanita Hall, and the refurbishment of an adjacent courtyard. The new space will be named “Martin V. Smith Hall” in honor of Bud Smith, and the courtyard will be named the “Martha K. Smith Courtyard” after Smith’s wife. The remaining $7 million will be used to create a new endowment for the MVS School to enhance the quality of the educational programming and experience for its students and faculty. 

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CSUCI Borderline remembrance and bench dedication ceremony

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CSU Channel Islands(CSUCI) alumnus Jessica Webb was a sophomore the night of Nov. 7, 2018, when she and her friends went out dancing at the Borderline Bar & Grill.

It was an ordinary Wednesday night and Webb and her friend decided to relax and unwind at the country western-themed bar, a favorite place for many CSUCI students.

At about 11:15 p.m., Webb, then 18, was standing by the pool tables across from the dance floor when she turned and saw the shooter walk into the bar about 20 feet away from her.

“I froze. There is a fight, flight or freeze response and I froze,” she said. “A man screamed “Get down!” and I crawled under the pool table. I later found out that man was Cody Coffman.”

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CSUCI will take Oxnard area teachers to Santa Cruz Island to share environmental science research techniques

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Oxnard area elementary, middle, and high school teachers and CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) faculty, staff, and students will sail to Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park, Dec. 4 and 11 for day-long trips in which CSUCI researchers will share science research techniques that the teachers can take back to their students.? 

“Obviously we’d love to bring all the students to the islands,” said Assistant Professor of Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) Dan Reineman, Ph.D., “But this way it’s a multiplier:, we can bring the teachers to the islands and then the teachers can bring the islands to the students.” 

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CSUCI ranks 15th in the nation for social mobility

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has ranked 15th out of the 1,549 four-year institutions listed in the just-released 2021 Social Mobility Index (SMI). 

That’s up five rungs from the 2020 SMI, when CSUCI held the rank of No. 20 in the nation —still in the top 20 U.S. colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and enable them to graduate into well-paying jobs. 

The eighth annual 2021 SMI was released while COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact low-income students, forcing many to abandon, delay, or alter their pursuit of a college degree and the potential that degree provides for social mobility.  

CSUCI Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D. is well aware of the additional pressure placed on all students by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those historically underserved in higher education, so the SMI ratings came as welcome news. 

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CSUCI Biology faculty who studied reptiles in the Amazon shares research methods with students

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Class of 2021 Biology alumnus Alisa Lopez said one of the best parts about the upper division independent research course she took from Assistant Professor of Biology Rudolf von May, Ph.D., was the fact that he had actually traveled to the Peruvian Amazon for weeks at a time to do research.  

“Personally, I find it really admirable and important because he has actually gone out and done field research, which is what I want to do,” Lopez said

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New CSUCI teacher residency program provides stipends, tuition and classroom experience

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Teaching credential candidate Julieta Silva turned the page on “The Pigeon Has to Go to School” by Mo Willem, then turned the book around so the children seated at the library table could see the pictures of the reluctant pigeon.

“What if there is math, or numbers?” Silva read from the book designed to help children with common school anxiety. “Why does the alphabet have so many letters?”

Silva, who plans to earn her teaching credential in spring of 2022, is student teaching at Washington Elementary School in Santa Barbara under a new teacher residency program for teaching credential candidates at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). Like the other 40 students in the program, she has her tuition paid for and is receiving a $10,000 a year stipend.

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CSUCI part of a grant to increase social science research opportunities for minority-serving institutions

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) social scientists will soon take part in a multi-campus grant writing program aimed at increasing social science research opportunities for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI)s. 

The program is funded by a new National Science Foundation (NSF) “Build and Broaden 2.0” grant, which was awarded to researchers from three campuses working together: CSUCI, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and University of California, Irvine (UCI). The grant totals $796,858 with $260,740 awarded directly to CSUCI.   

The grant will expand access to external funding opportunities in social sciences for the CSU and UC campuses, with a focus on HSIs.  

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New development within CSUCI’s University Glen residential community moves ahead

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Site Authority has signed a long-term ground lease with global real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson to develop a 32-acre site within the campus’s University Glen residential community.

The development, located directly north of the existing University Glen neighborhood, will include 310 market-rate apartments, 109 for-sale homes, 170 income-restricted apartments for seniors, as well as community-serving amenities.

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Two CSUCI students who won a Lisagor Fellowship Award believe research skills will serve them throughout their lives

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Whether a student decides to conduct research in psychology, biology, computer science or another field, that student will always benefit from learning the research process itself.

That’s according to Professor Emeritus of Nutrition and Food Science Terri Lisagor, Ed.D., who—along with her husband Mark Lisagor, D.D.S.—created a fellowship for undergraduate researchers in the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program.

… “Having the opportunity to create my own research questions and take the reins of my own hypotheses was both stressful and invigorating,” said Psychology major Kaylena Mann, who conducted research into psychological testing. “I learned a lot about my own capabilities as a researcher, as well as how exciting this experience can be.”

“The whole eight weeks of SURF and the project challenged me as a student and my abilities as a Computer Science major,” said Desiree Caldera, who conducted research into cybersecurity. “It was rewarding and I can definitely say I cried when I found out I won the fellowship. It meant a lot to be recognized as a woman of color in computer science.”

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U.S. Department of Education grants CSUCI almost $5 million to diversify and support STEM students

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is launching a new initiative aimed at promoting diversity and enhancing success for students wishing to pursue a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) degree, thanks to an almost $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The competitive $4,999,990 grant, open to the nation’s 569 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI)s, funds Project AYUDAS (Articulating Your Undergraduate Degree & Academic Success in STEM) over a five-year period.

“This is CSUCI’s third U.S. Department of Education STEM grant and continues to work to serve our Latina/o students well by providing the resources necessary for their success,” said Professor of Mathematics Cynthia Wyels, Ph.D., who was part of the team that pursued the grant. “We were eligible to apply for this funding because we are an HSI, but what we can provide with these resources will benefit all of our STEM students.”

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An honorary plaque on CSUCI campus honors civil rights activist Dolores Huerta

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In 1962, civil rights leaders Dolores Huerta and César Chavez founded what would later become the United Farm Workers. They worked side-by-side for farmworkers’ rights, but she wasn’t afraid to go head-to-head with Chavez if she disagreed with him.  

“As much as she was César’s right hand, she could also be the greatest thorn in his side,” said one passage from the Dolores Huerta Foundation webpage, doloreshuerta.org.  “The two were infamous for their blow out arguments, an element that was a natural part of their working relationship.”  

… Students returning to the CSUCI campus for the first time in more than a year saw a new addition along the sidewalk in front of the John Spoor Broome Library: a plaque under a tree along the walkway that reads: 

“Honoring Dolores Huerta, whose fearless activism has contributed to a more just society rooted in the values of equity, social justice and inclusivity.”  

…CSUCI leaders will hold an event to honor the placement of the plaque on campus on Thursday Oct. 21 from 3-5 p.m. at the Central Mall. 

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CSUCI Students finish on top in global Business Strategy Game

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A team of four CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Business students tied for first place in the international Business Strategy Game (BSG), beating out more than 600 teams from 56 colleges from across the globe.  

The BSG is an online competition pitting teams of college students against each other in running imaginary footwear companies. Each team is responsible for making decisions regarding production, shipping and inventory, corporate social responsibility, pricing and marketing, finance, worker compensation, and other aspects of management. 

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CSUCI first-year and new transfer students to receive free loan of iPad Air bundle

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First-year and new transfer students enrolled in CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) for the Fall 2021 semester will receive the free loan of a brand new iPad Air, Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard Folio—theirs to use for the duration of their enrollment years.  

All new students who register to participate in the initiative will get the bundle, which is part of the largest device distribution program ever conducted by the CSU system. The CSU Chancellor’s Office is launching the pilot program at eight campuses, which together have a total of about 35,000 first-year and new transfer students.  

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CSUCI Mathematics faculty member Selenne Bañuelos, Ph.D. to co-direct a national mathematics research institute  

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Associate Professor of Mathematics Selenne Bañuelos, Ph.D., will join the Institute for Pure and Applied Math (IPAM) as an associate director “which is a HUGE deal,” said Associate Professor of Mathematics Cynthia Flores, Ph.D., a friend and colleague. 

Beginning in August, Bañuelos will spend a two- or three-year sabbatical at the institute, which is one of only seven in the nation funded by the National Science Foundation. Bañuelos will work with math researchers from all over the world at IPAM, which is housed at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). 

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CSUCI students create dozens of do-it-yourself science experiments for Rio del Sol Elementary School students

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Behind plexiglass guards and in Zoom rooms, Rio del Sol Elementary School fourth graders trained their eyes on their individual plastic cups filled with various yeast mixtures. Finally, thick, soupy bubbles began to rise above the rims of some cups. 

“It has bubbles!” 

“It’s rising to the top, it’s about to overflow!” 

“I have bubbles, too!”  

“Can I take mine home?” 

The yeast fermentation experiment was a hit.  

“The hands-on aspect of actually doing or making something really makes the experience more memorable,” said Rio del Sol teacher Jo Anna Mendoza said. “They get the joy of having fun with science and learning along the way.” 

The activity resulted from one of 75 do-it-yourself science experiment videos created by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students from various majors for more than 550 Rio del Sol STEAM Academy students in grades K through 8. 

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CSUCI Professor of Physics and self-described “gypsy” will travel to Indonesia on a Fulbright scholarship

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Professor of Applied Physics Geoff Dougherty, Ph.D., will teach in Indonesia during the 2021/2022 academic year on a Fulbright Senior Scholarship. It’s another chapter in a career that has taken Dougherty around the world.  

“I’ve been a bit of a gypsy since I turned 18,” Dougherty said. “I was born in Northern Ireland, I went to England and did a Ph.D., a post-doc in Switzerland, then went to teach in Malaysia.” 

Dougherty will spend six months in Indonesia teaching at two universities: Diponegoro University, a public university in Semerang in Central Java; and Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. 

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CSUCI Associate VP for Student Affairs earns regional award

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Rarely does a student affairs administrator face a series of crises quite like two fires and mass shooting that occurred in late 2018. But that’s one of the moments that tested Cindy Derrico, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). 

“We had to safely evacuate the students off campus and quickly. Cindy was able to prepare them for that moment and as I sat with her in the Emergency Operations Center, I witnessed her grace under pressure while making the impossible happen,” said Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Toni DeBoni. “She had this elegant way of gliding through a difficult experience demonstrating confidence, compassion and optimism.” 

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CSUCI Associate Professor of History awarded Harvard Radcliffe Institute fellowship—and two others

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Associate Professor of History Robin Mitchell, Ph.D., is headed east in the Fall after receiving a year-long fellowship from Harvard Radcliffe Institute in Cambridge, Mass.  

“It is humbling and really wonderful,” Mitchell said. “Most of the time we apply for these fellowships that don’t come through. So, we’re encouraged to apply for multiple fellowships.” 

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CSUCI’s Study Abroad program rated 9th in the nation by Open Doors

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Open Doors 2020 Study Abroad report has ranked CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Study Abroad as 9th in the nation for the 2019-2020 academic year. The 2020 Open Doors report is released by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE).  

The pandemic cut the programs short at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, but the Study Abroad staff is ready to go when it’s safe for students to travel again.

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E-books and online class material curated by library staff saves CSUCI students $237,759  

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) was already in the process of saving money on textbooks for students with its openCI initiative when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, sending the program into hyperdrive.  

Recent calculations showed that the John Spoor Broome Library staff’s work to provide faculty and students with online learning materials and e-books saved CSUCI students $237,759 over the last academic year—and counting. 

“The number is a moving target as the semester moves along, but we’re estimating that the final savings for the 2020-21 school year is about $245,513,” said Library Services Specialist Elizabeth “Bitten” Skartvedt. 

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CSUCI contributes to global research showing surfers and environmentalists could join forces to protect ecosystems

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About 76% of the ocean areas rich in biodiversity also contain great places to surf—which presents the opportunity for the conservation community to mobilize a global tribe of surfers who want to protect these areas as much as they do.  

That’s the bottom line of a study conducted in part by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) Dan Reineman, Ph.D. with the Save the Waves Coalition and Conservation International. The two organizations merged to form the Surf Conservation Partnership.  

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Arbor Day Foundation again names CSUCI a Tree Campus

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During a year like no other, the Arbor Day Foundation recognized CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) with a 2020?Tree Campus Higher Education® designation. The Tree Campus Higher Education program honors colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for involving staff and students in conservation goals.

“Tree Campuses?and their students set examples for not only their student bodies but for the surrounding communities by showcasing how trees create a healthier environment,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of CSUCI’s participation, air will be purer, water cleaner and students and faculty will be surrounded by the shade and beauty trees provide.” 

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Economic impact study shows each dollar invested in CSUCI provides a sevenfold return

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For every dollar invested in CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI), the state’s economy receives a return on investment of nearly seven dollars for every dollar invested in CSUCI by California.

A new economic impact study analyzing data from all 23 of the CSU campuses for 2018-2019 indicated that, overall, the CSU system generated $26.9 billion in industry throughout the state; $10.3 billion in labor income; $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue; and the creation of 209,400 jobs.

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CSUCI’s Virtual Science Carnival will bring more than 50 hands-on science activities to kids and families 

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Chemistry major Sahira Lorenzo Aguilar is very excited about the soap monster activity. 

“We put Ivory soap in a microwave and it expands,” said Aguilar, who helped coordinate the Virtual Science Carnival, “It vibrates and looks like a little cloud. That’s the kind of magic we want students to see.” 

The magic of CSU Channel Islands’ (CSUCI) annual Science Carnival will be virtual this year, which will allow teachers, parents and kids from pre-school age on up to the eighth grade to bring hands-on science activities into their own homes and classrooms.   

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CSUCI Early Childhood Studies students center virtual lessons on a family-friendly topic: food

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Magda is turning seven years old and wants to learn to make tortillas.

That’s the story told in “Magda’s Tortillas,” one of five bilingual children’s books that are the main course of a virtual learning program that is giving 34 CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Early Childhood Studies (ECS) students the chance to get the field teaching experience they need to graduate this May.

Usually, ECS students teach in classrooms during their senior year, but the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible. So, during fall semester, Assistant Professor Annie White, Ed.D. and ECS Lecturer Lauren Chase worked with CSUCI’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) to come up with a creative way for seniors to get teaching experience in the field.

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CSUCI webinars on March 9, 30 will detail plans for higher education in a post-pandemic world

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D. will be first speaker in a series of webinars designed to familiarize the public with CSUCI’s plans for a post-pandemic campus. Yao will present his “Vision of the Next Chapter” from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, March 9. 

 “We want people to see how the University is taking on its mission and preparing for a world that will never be the same,” said Vice President for University Advancement Nichole Ipach. “The purpose of the webinar series is to share with the community all of the incredible undertakings happening at Cal State Channel Islands as we work to reimagine higher education for a new generation in a post-pandemic world.” 

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CSUCI Nursing students volunteer at vaccination clinics in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties

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For CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Nursing student Rebecca Warden, helping vaccinate people during a global pandemic gives her exactly the kind of rewarding experience she was hoping for when she becomes a nurse.

“It feels huge — it does! It doesn’t seem like it in the moment and then you take a look back and it’s like, we’re doing so much for everyone,” Warden said. “I’m excited. Everyone’s excited.”

Warden is among about 250 CSUCI nursing students and faculty members who are helping out in Ventura, Santa Barbara and soon, Los Angeles County in any way they can during the massive COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

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CSUCI’s Ekhobot, ‘Learning Online 101’ and Student Affairs Division win national recognition

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has earned national recognition for innovative programs in the Division of Academic Affairs’ Teaching & Learning Innovations area, as well as the Division of Student Affairs.  

CSUCI is one of 10 universities across the nation to garner one of the inaugural Virtual Innovation Awards: Excellence in Delivering Virtual Student Services, a newly created award program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and presented Feb. 23 through the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. It carries a prize of $15,000.  

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CSUCI’s growing virtual micro-internship program continues into the spring semester

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A virtual micro-internship program launched at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) during the first months of the pandemic has proved to be so successful, it is continuing through the spring semester with even more participants. 

The micro-internships, which are hands-on learning projects with pay, are offered through the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics’ (MVS) Entrepreneurship & Small Business Institute (ESBI) with Associate Professor of Marketing Ekin Pehlivan, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Management Cynthia Sherman, Ph.D., Director of the ESBI. 

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CSUCI student research suggests students who take ethnic studies tend to stay in school and graduate

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Beginning in Spring of 2021, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will require undergraduate students to take at least one 3-unit ethnic studies class. The CSU Chancellor’s Office made the determination that all 23 campuses will require ethnic studies for lower division undergraduates following the passage of AB 1460 in the state legislature.

A study conducted by three students and two faculty members in 2019 suggests this requirement may help students stay in school and graduate, regardless of their ethnicity.

“I think it’s cool that our little math project that we worked on one summer may make such a difference,” said 2020 Mathematics alumnus Avery Brunk, who is now working on her master’s degree in statistics at CSU Fullerton. “It seems to say ‘You should take more ethnic studies!’”

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CSUCI gets grant to establish residency program for Education majors planning to become math and science teachers

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 CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) teacher candidates planning to teach middle or high school math or science can apply for a new $8,000 residency grant funded through the CSU-wide Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI).  

Assistant Professor of Education Kara Naidoo, Ph.D. wrote the grant, which is called the Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Challenge.  The MSTI is an effort by the CSU Chancellor’s Office to increase the number of credentialed and highly-qualified mathematics and science teachers in middle and high schools. 

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Feb. 8 — CSUCI students’ journey through the Arctic captured in “Frozen Obsession” documentary 

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The public is invited to join four CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students as they relive the 18-day, 2,000-mile research journey they took through the breathtaking Canadian Arctic archipelago during the summer of 2019. 

Viewers who RSVP online can experience the expedition through “Frozen Obsession,” a documentary about the journey that will air live on YouTube Monday, Feb. 8 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  

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Feb. 26 — Black history, culture, literature and scholarship celebrated with two Broome Library lecture series

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It’s 1936 and young Opal Pruitt is growing up in Parsons, Georgia where the tension is thick with the Depression, the summer and the Ku Klux Klan.

This is the premise behind “When Stars Rain Down” by award-winning author Angela Jackson-Brown, a rising star in the African American literary community, and a guest speaker Feb. 26 for CSU Channel Islands’ (CSUCI) Broome Library Monthly Recognition Lecture Series.

Each month, the John Spoor Broome Library will welcome a speaker that celebrates a theme from the California Department of Education’s calendar. Jackson-Brown’s presentation honors February as Black History Month. March is National Women’s History Month and April is Poetry Month and Autism Awareness Month, and so on.

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April 7 — CSUCI Campus Reading Celebration book examines racism hidden in search engines

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 If you run “Black girls” through a search engine, what sorts of results do you get? Are they sexualized? Derogatory? Do search engines on the internet really provide a level playing field for all? 

The author of the 2021 CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Campus Reading Celebration selection argues that they do not.  

“Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism,” by Safiya Umoja Noble, Ph.D., explains how a combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that discriminate against people of color — specifically women of color, and promote white privilege.  

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Through Nov. 13 — Chumash legend, a nurse’s diary, Clark Gable and a haunted cow are part of student-written play, ‘Camarillo Tales’

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CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students will perform a series of vignettes about the history of the campus with “Camarillo Tales: Echoes in the Hills,” through Nov. 13.

“It’s a collection of original short plays written and performed by the students,” said Performing Arts/Theater Lecturer Laura Covault. “It’s a story of Cal State Channel Islands inspired by the history and lore of the land—the Chumash, the hospital, the people and the campus.

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