Native Plant Garden growing near library
An outdoor sanctuary near the library tells the story of the hand weaving process. The entryway landscape on the north side of the Henry Madden Library features indigenous plants, trees and grasses used in the traditional basket-making process. The plants are surrounded by locally quarried granite walls. The garden was created as an outdoor laboratory intended to replicate the plants and tools used in basket making. The names of these are etched and translated in three languages – Western Mono, Yokuts and English. See the full story here.

Lyles Center lauded by Entrepreneur Magazine
The Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship received recognition for its extensive programming. Entrepreneur Magazine named Fresno State along with other schools with top entrepreneurship programs, such as Stanford, MIT, University of Miami and Arizona State University. “We are a unique program in the country,” notes Genelle Taylor, associate director of the Lyles Center. “We offer support to student entrepreneurs throughout the community and have built a pathway for students from high school to community colleges and Fresno State.” See the full story here.

Chemical Safety Day hosted by Lyles College
The Lyles College of Engineering at Fresno State hosted the Inaugural Central Valley Chemical Safety Day on May 1 at Fresno State with 700 industry attendees. Morning sessions included an overview of regulatory programs, health and physiology of hazardous chemicals, a review of incident investigations and a regulatory panel answering audience questions. Focus sessions were Ammonia for the Operator, Chlorine for the Operator, Emergency Response, and a management session with seven separate topics. The event concluded with a simulated release demonstration involving volunteer participants, Fresno and Clovis Fire Departments..

Maddy Institute announces summer 2009 interns
The Maddy Institute is proud to announce the recipients of its prestigious Intern Scholar Program for the Summer 2009 semester. They are Daniel Cisneros, Lauren Johnson, Adriana Mendoza, Stephen Noori, Caitlin Sawatsky, and Cassidy Smith. Costa Federal Legislative Intern Scholars interning in Washington, D.C. will receive a $6,000 scholarship from the Institute and will spend nearly 9 weeks interning at the Capitol. While in D.C., the students will live at George Washington University. Maddy State Legislative Intern Scholars interning in Sacramento will receive a $4,000 scholarship from the Institute and will spend nearly 9 weeks interning at the Capitol. While in Sacramento, the students will live at California State University, Sacramento. The Institute’s Legislative Intern Program is offered three times each academic year, during the fall, spring and summer. Students interested in applying to the program should contact the institute at jejohnson@csufresno.edu for deadlines and more information.

Table Mountain Rancheria Tower, Reading Room unveiled
The Table Mountain Rancheria’s $10 million donation to the Henry Madden Library was celebrated April 13 and included a Mediamesh® display at the Henry Madden Library showing artist Lois Connor (Mono, Chukchansi) weaving a basket from start to finish. The “Table Mountain Rancheria Tower” name near the building entrance was unveiled, as well as the “Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room” on the third floor. The reading room contains a stunning 11-panel etched glass mural that honors the history of the Rancheria. See the full story here.

Craig School places second in HR competition
A team of three students from the Craig School of Business won second place in the Pacific West Regional Human Resource Management Games (HR Games) held at Boise State on April 4. The HR Games uses a “Jeopardy” style format that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of management practices, employee selection, labor and employee relations, compensation and benefits, training and development, and safety and health. See the full story here.

CSU closes the gap on college attendance and graduation rates
The California State University has taken decisive steps to address the serious shortfall in California’s supply of college-educated workers identified by the report "Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates," released April 17 by the Public Policy Institute of California. “CSU has taken affirmative steps to improve the number of students attending and graduating from college," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "The state must also do its part by investing in higher education to ensure we can prepare the workforce that will make this state prosper in the future.” To close achievement gaps at every level of the educational pipeline, the CSU has established programs addressing community college transfer readiness, baccalaureate degree completion at CSU campuses, and college-going rates among high school graduates. See the full story here.

CSU trustees endorse May 19 ballot measures
The California State University Board of Trustees April 15 voted to endorse Propositions 1A through 1E, scheduled for the May 19 statewide special election. The measures were adopted by the Legislature with a two-thirds vote and supported by the Governor as part of the 2009-10 budget package. "These measures are designed to bring much needed cash revenue to the state and will serve the CSU system well," Trustee Bill Hauck said after the March 25 vote. "They avoid making a bad situation even worse." See the CSU press release here. Learn more about Prop. 1A (PDF).