See this week's ad              

Weekly newspaper advertisements highlighting the dynamic changes underway in Central California and Fresno State's work to transform the region have begun in The Fresno Bee.

 

The ads run each Monday on Page B2 of the Bee and also will include information on campus events happening each week and promote a new series of radio programs called "Profiles of the New California."  That radio program has been in development for months, and will be broadcast on Valley Public Radio, KVPR 89.3 FM beginning Sept. 3.  .

 

"Our university is located in the heart of the fastest growing region of California--inland California," said Mark Aydelotte, associate vice president of university communications.  "Central California represents opportunity for the people of California, and Fresno State is sparking innovation and positive change. We want to show people important trends that will help keep them in front of all that's happening here."

 

Ashley Swearengin, director of the university’s Office of Community and Economic Development, is profiled this week.

 

Swearengin works with industry, government and community in an eight-county area to develop jobs and improve telecommunications infrastructure, rural development, entrepreneurship and leadership development. She’s also chief operating officer of the Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative, a comprehensive community and economic development strategy to create 30,000 new jobs in the Fresno area by 2009.

 

The efforts are paying off: 21,000 jobs have been created in our region, which is being called “the New California.”

 

On the state level, Swearengin was recently appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Commission for Economic Development. The commission serves as a bipartisan advisory board on economic development issues to the governor and Legislature.

Watch for future ads each Monday to see how Fresno State is Powering the New California.

For more information contained in this release, please go to the following Web site(s):
Inland California innovation sparked by Fresno State successes
Overview of "The New California" and Fresno State's role
Whitepaper: "The University for the New California"
Fresno State's Office of Community and Economic Development
Los Angeles Times: "The Third California"
www.KVPR.org
Fresno State Magazine feature traces economic development issues in the New California (pdf format)