A symposium on Life in the San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday, April 26, at California State University, Fresno will demonstrate how scholarship and social research at the university can inform solutions to some of the region’s most difficult challenges.
During the half-day symposium in the Residence Dining Facility, Fresno State professors will present research into education, governance, immigration, housing, health disparities and health care in the Valley.
Carol Whiteside, president of the Great Valley Center, will deliver the keynote address on the role of academia in the region’s future.
Among the presentations will be an overview on the area’s quality of life by Dr. Edward Nelson, a sociology professor and director of the Social Research Laboratory at Fresno State. Nelson and his research team have compiled annual reports on community concerns for the past five years. The data examines financial satisfaction and expectations; government performance; confidence in political and business leadership; crime and fear; performance of public schools; and overall satisfaction with communities and neighborhoods.
Scholarly research information helps organizations and individuals identify problem areas within the region that need solution as well as the positives that can be enhanced.
The symposium is sponsored by the College of Social Sciences’ Department of Sociology and the Social Research Laboratory in collaboration with the university-based Central California Social Welfare, Research, Training and Evaluation Center.
The day begins with refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed at 9 o’clock by welcoming remarks from Dr. Jeromina Echeverria, the university provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Luz Gonzalez, dean of the College of Social Sciences.
Dr. Robert S. Palacio, chair of the Department of Sociology, and an organizer of the event, said the symposium “is part of our effort to inform the public about issues relevant to life in the San Joaquin Valley and part of Fresno State’s effort to be a truly premier regional university.”
Additional details are available by contacting the Department of Sociology at 559.278.2234 or Palacio via e-mail at robert palacio@csufresno.edu.
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