RCE News and Updates: Press Releases

The Fall Welcome Reception for all new and continuing Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) participants will be held Wednesday, August 20, 2008, from 10am-noon at the Chico Masonic Family Center, 1110 W. East Avenue, Chico.

OLLI is a peer-led, learning in retirement organization that offers participants, 60 and older, the chance to explore new topics, discuss current events, and network with other talented and interesting people.

For more information please contact 530-898-6105 or visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/osher

In collaboration with Butte County Office of Education, and Region 2 Learning Support, California State University, Chico Center for Regional and Continuing Education will host Stepping Up To The Plate - After School Program Professional Development Institute, July 28 - August 1, 2008 on the CSU, Chico campus.

The conference will provide K-8 after school program paraprofessionals, coordinators, and teaching staff the opportunity to explore ways to develop and improve their programs, facilitate experiential learning and promote a positive after school environment. Participants will also have the opportunity to develop new leadership skills, network with their peers, and discover the emerging computer, Web and media technologies through hands-on labs.

“We are planning for an exciting conference. We have a full schedule of sessions hosted by experienced leaders who will present and discuss new approaches for those looking to create high quality after school programs. This year we have added spectacular music and art performances which will really enhance the experience,” remarked Amy Christianson, program coordinator, Butte County Office of Education.

Opening the conference will be a musical performance from the group CREW. The high-energy performance, modeled after the successful off-Broadway show STOMP, emphasizes leading a positive and healthy lifestyle by demonstrating hobbies as anti-drugs.

CREW will also present a public performance, July 28, 7:00PM in the BMU Auditorium. Tickets are available at the University Box Office at 2nd and Normal Street, Chico, or at the door. For more information please visit http://www.csuchico.edu/upe/boxoffice.html or call 530-898-5917.
To conclude the conference, artist David Garibaldi will present his nationally acclaimed Rhythm and Hue performance art show. Garibaldi is known for his expressive, large format paintings of pop icons which he creates live while incorporating inspirational messages for the audience.

Garibaldi’s Rhythm and Hue will begin August 1, 2008, 11:00AM in the Performing Arts Building, room 144. This performance is free and open to the public.

Completed art from his performance will be available through an auction to raise funds towards after school programs in the region.
For more information please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/afterschool or call CSU, Chico Continuing Education, 530-898-6105.

Continuing Education, in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, is pleased to present Forensic Archaeology: Field Recovery Methods, June 9-13.

This five-day intensive and rarely offered course focuses on the application of archaeology, anthropology, and forensic science to the location and recovery of human remains in the outdoor environment.

Students will learn search strategies for locating clandestine graves and mapping human remains as well as archaeological methods used for excavating, documenting and interpreting grave sites. They will also participate in simulated outdoor forensic scenes. Supplemental course material will include lectures on forensic anthropology, the recovery of burned remains from fire scenes and the role of archaeology and forensic anthropology in large scale investigations.

Field Recovery Methods is being taught by CSU, Chico anthropology faculty members Eric Bartelink, Turhon Murad and Georgia Fox; anthropology graduates Melanie Beasley and Kevin Dalton; and visiting forensic anthropologist Roland Wessling.

Wessling is a research officer in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom and is the forensic science and operations manager for the Inforce Foundation. He has worked on international cases in Bosnia, Croatia and Iraq, as well as domestic cases in Germany and the United Kingdom.

“This is a unique, affordable opportunity for students interested in forensic anthropology to gain valuable hands-on training from scientists with international experience in mass grave excavations and archaeology. The Department of Anthropology is dedicated to providing distinctive educational opportunities for our students. This is the first university course of its kind on the West Coast,” said Bartelink.

The California State University, Chico Forensic Anthropology Program is recognized internationally for its scholarly contributions to the field. CSU, Chico is one of two universities with three practicing forensic anthropologists and one of a few universities that support two forensic anthropologists that are American Board of Forensic Anthropology certified. For more than 35 years, the CSU, Chico Forensic Anthropology Program has offered its identification services through the Physical Anthropology Human Identification Laboratory (PAHIL). The lab has proven to be a valuable investigative resource for government agencies throughout the country.

The American Language and Culture Institute is proud to welcome 30 Nevada-California International Consortium (NIC) students from Tokyo, Japan, who will participate in this year’s ALCI Summer Bridge Program on campus.

The five-week, ALCI Summer Bridge Program runs June 25 through August 8, and features a combination of credit-bearing coursework, intensive English language coursework, academic preparation, and cultural immersion.

All of the students who are attending the ALCI Summer Bridge are preparing for admission to Chico State, Butte College, or Shasta College.

“Now in its 15th year, the ALCI Summer Bridge Program is part of the Chico experience,” remarked, William Dantona, American Language and Culture Institute Director. “The Summer Bridge is ALCI’s marquee special program and we are pleased to welcome our new international students to our beautiful campus and assist them in their academic preparation. Beyond the classroom, our student services team has prepared a dynamic cultural program as well. Our Japanese students will have a chance to see the beauty of the North State, enjoy downtown, catch an Outlaw baseball game, and experience the California culture.”

Established in 1979, the American Language and Culture Institute at California State University, Chico, offers intensive English language programs for international students and professionals. For more information please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/alci or call the ALCI Chico office, +1-530-898-6821.

We are very happy to announce that The Bernard Osher Foundation recently approved our grant proposal to provide scholarships for reentry students.

This award provides $50,000 for reentry scholarships for students whose studies were interrupted for at least five years by circumstances beyond their control and who now want to resume their university studies at CSU, Chico.

This is the second year in a row that our students will receive funding through the Bernard Osher Foundation.

This funding augments the ongoing fundraising efforts of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU, Chico, which currently supports three scholarships for reentry students at the University.

The deadline for Osher Reentry Scholarship applications is May 19, 2008.

Scholarship application details and online application are available at
http://rce.csuchico.edu/osherscholarships.

For more information please give us a call, 530-898-6105.

California State University, Chico, Center for Regional and Continuing Education, the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) and the Localization Institute announce early enrollment for the 2008 Localization Certification Program and Localization Project Management Certification.

The Localization Certification Program will be offered on the campus of EUROMED Marseille Ecole de Management, Marseille, France, March 31-April 2, and on the campus of Saint Louis University, at the Boeing Institute of International Business, St. Louis, USA, June 16-18.
The Localization Project Management Certification will be presented April 3-4 at EUROMED Marseille Ecole de Management and June 19-20 at Saint Louis University.

Now in its third year, the Localization Certification Program was developed by industry experts, representing the leading professional associations, publishers, and academic institutions in the field, in response to the growing demand for localization professionals. More than 150 professionals have now received certification through the program.

“The Localization industry continues to mature, as more and more businesses and organizations are learning the positive value of ‘localizing’ their products and services with properly translated messages and culturally sensitive Web sites. The industry has now topped more than $8.8 billion in translation and localization services, and our current research demonstrates that there is more room for growth and improvement in this emerging market,” commented Professor Nitish Singh, Saint Louis University.

The Localization Certification Program and the Localization Project Management Certification consist of a mix of online coursework leading to an onsite workshop with practitioner-led lectures and lab sessions culminating with a certification exam.
New this year is the offering of the Localization Project Management Certification in Europe for the first time.

“Our presenters represent some of the major leaders in localization. Last year we hosted experts from Lionbridge, Oracle, SDL Trados, Idiom Technologies, Microsoft, Cisco, and HP, just to name a few. We will also highlight leading businesses who emulate best-practices and working professionals who serve the industry with advanced applications and approaches to localization,” added Boris Bartikowski, Associate Professor of Marketing, EUROMED Marseille Ecole de Management.

Individuals who successfully complete the Localization Certification Program will be eligible for American Translators Association (ATA) continuing education credits.

Translators, product marketing managers, Web project managers, business development executives, Web developers and designers, Web application developers, global entrepreneurs, localization professionals, international trade representatives, educators and students in the field are encourage to take advantage of these certification programs.

For more information on the Localization Certification Program and the Localization Project Management Certification please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/localize or call the California State University, Chico Continuing Education office at +530-898-6105.

California State University, Chico College of Business will offer a Professional Master of Business Administration in the Yuba-Sutter area starting August 2007.

First offered in 1995, the Professional MBA meets the needs of working professionals by providing convenient access to the only Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accredited MBA in the North State.

Courses in the two-year, 30-unit MBA program will be taught by experienced Chico faculty and scheduled in an accelerated Saturday format. Classes will be delivered through two-way video teleconferencing originating from the Chico campus and Shasta College. Participants can elect to attend live, two-way video courses in the Yuba-Sutter area, or can join the Chico State cohort in Chico.

The Professional MBA curriculum focuses on the real-world application of theory and best business practices to give candidates the knowledge and skills required to proactively manage both small and large enterprises.

Individuals who are interested in the Professional MBA program are encouraged to attend the upcoming information session in Yuba City. Faculty will be on hand to discuss the program, answer questions and assist in the admissions process.

The Yuba City information session will be held Thursday, September 28, 2006, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools Office boardroom, located at 970 Klamath Lane, Yuba City.

Interested individuals who want to attend the information session are asked to RSVP by calling CSU, Chico Continuing Education at 530-898-6105 or by sending an e-mail to rce@csuchico.edu with their contact information. For more information please visit http://rce.csuchico.edu/mba.

An anticipated 1,000 scientists and students from around the country will visit Chico for Botany 2006, the joint annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America (BSA), the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), the American Fern Society (AFS), and the American Bryological and Lichenological Society (ABLS).

Botany 2006 has special significance as it will be the 100th anniversary celebration of the Botanical Society of America. The conference will be hosted on the Chico State campus, July 28 - August 3, 2006.

The meeting will include a full schedule of more than 850 scientific presentations, papers, posters, lectures, symposia, and workshops from prominent botanists whose contributions have shaped and advanced the varied fields of plant biology. Also included on the schedule will be a full slate of field trips which will demonstrate the unique botanical nature of Northern California.

The full conference begins July 31 with, “The Lessons of History: A Historian Reflects on 100 years of American Botany,” a plenary presentation by Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, professor of zoology and history, University of Florida.

On August 2, Peter Raven, former Home Secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and President of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Edward Schneider, BSA President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, will host a special awards ceremony to honor more than 100 scientists who have contributed significantly to the advancement of plant biology and the Society.

The 5th Educational and Outreach Forum, for teachers and professors involved in the teaching of biology and plant science will take place July 29-30. The Forum will include interactive sessions, and a keynote lecture, by Roger Hangarter, biology professor, Indiana University. Hangarter is internationally recognized for his scholarly work and his strong record of public outreach, sharing his passion for plants with community groups, children, teachers, and museums throughout the country. His talk is titled “Communicating an Awareness of Plants through Science and Art.”

“CSU, Chico is happy to host this important academic conference. For a few days this summer Chico will be the place to be if you are a botanist. It’s a great opportunity for local teachers to meet the researchers in the field, for our professors to network with colleagues, and for Chico to welcome hundreds of guests to our city and the North State,” commented Professor Kristina Schierenbeck, CSU, Chico, Department of Biological Sciences, Herbarium Director.

CSU, Chico Continuing Education is coordinating the local arrangements for the Botanical Society of America. For more information please visit http://www.2006.botanyconference.org.

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