Learning for Excellence And Development (LEAD) workshops under way
Learning for Excellence And Development (LEAD) is a new Fresno State initiatve. LEAD encompasses the knowledge building and enhancement of skills sets in five tracks – Technology Development, Customer Service, Navigating through Fresno State, Essentials for Managers, Chairs and Work Leads” and Wellness@Work. Most workshops are interactive and will engage participants in a variety of learning styles including presentations, case studies and discussion. A combination of external professionals and seasoned university content experts will facilitate the workshops. You may register for the workshops or classes online at the HR website at http://www.csufresno.edu/etraining.

AASCU features Fresno State student
A video featuring Fresno State student Zhanette Coffee has been accepted by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) for posting on its First Generation Web page. The video, which was produced by University Communications staff members Katie Johnson and Randy Haar, can be viewed by clicking here.

Housing market webinar is Feb. 2
The Arnold and Dianne Gazarian Real Estate Center will host an internet conference focusing on the Central Valley housing market on at 9 a.m. on Feb. 2. in the University Business Center, Room 192, located in the Peters Business Building, 5245 N. Backer. The event is free and open to the public. Mark Boud, CEO of Real Estate Economics, will lead the webinar. For more information, contact Tracy Newel at 278-5660 or tnewel@csufresno.edu.

Student Recreation Center celebrates 5th anniversary
The Student Recreation Center will celebrate its fifth anniversary from 5 - 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, with music, prizes, product samples, information tables and refreshments. The event is free and open to the campus community. The 92,000-square-foot center just west of the Save Mart Center, features a fitness area, two gymnasiums, an indoor track, two racquetball courts, locker rooms and fitness studios. The center offers open recreation, group fitness classes, personal training, an extensive intramural sports program and a variety of student employment opportunities. The center has had over 1 million visits by students and members. For more, contact Amy E. Allen at 347-3876.

Guest speaker at University Business Center Feb. 10
The Gazarian Real Estate Center in the Craig School of Business, in cooperation with the Urban Land Institute of San Francisco, will present "From Rhetoric to Reality: Sustainable Communities in a Recovering Market" Thursday, Feb. 10 at 8 a.m. in the University Business Center. The speaker is Steven Kellenberg of AECOM (NYSE:ACM), who has more than 25 years of experience planning large scale, new and infill communities in the United States, the Middle East and Asia. Admission is free but registration is required by calling 800-321-5011 .

Best-selling author Terry McMillan
to speak Feb. 12
New York Times best-selling writer Terry McMillan, author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale, will speak at California State University, Fresno on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union. Her appearance, open to university and community members, is sponsored by the campus Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Scholars Committee. McMillan will speak on her latest novel Getting to Happy, a sequel to Waiting to Exhale. Author of nine fiction and non-fiction novels, McMillan has touched on topics ranging from the issues facing contemporary African-American women to advice for college-bound students. She received the Doubleday New Voices in Fiction Award, American Book Award and in 2002 was awarded am NAACP Image Award and Essence Award. The presentation is free and open to the public. The event is co-sponsored by USU Productions and Associated Students Inc. For more information, contact Roxanne Hinds at 278-8242.

Nomination deadline for Provost's Awards March 18
Nominations are now being accepted for the Provost's Awards for the 2010-2011 academic year. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to submit nominations of full-time tenure and tenure-track faculty, or an academic program for the Assessment of Learning Award. Nominations may be submitted in the following categories: Excellence in Teaching, Technology in Education; Graduate Teaching and Mentoring; Faculty Service; Promising New Faculty; Distinguished Achievement in Assessment of Learning; and Distinguished Achievement in Research, Scholarship, or Creative Activities. All nominations must be submitted to the Office of the Provost on or before 5 p.m. on Friday, March 18. (Funding for the awards is provided through non-state dollars.) Nomination forms are available on-line: http://www.csufresno.edu/academics/faculty_resources/opportunities_awards/provost_award.shtml

International Wine Microbiology Symposium set for March 29-30
California State University, Fresno's viticulture and enology program will host the second International Wine Microbiology Symposium on March 29-30 at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite with support from several industry sponsors. Presenters from more than five continents will participate. Program and registration details are online at http://jcast.csufresno.edu/ve/winemicro.

32nd annual Central California Research Symposium
The Central California Research Symposium will be held on Wednesday, April 6, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University Business Center. The purpose of the symposium is to share recent research with community investigators in various fields, college students, and faculty as well as to encourage research activities in the Central Valley. All fields of research will be considered for presentation to exchange further ideas among investigators and the general public. Abstract submission date: Friday, Feb. 25 by 11:59 p.m. For additional information and a sample abstract, please visit http://csufresno.edu/grants/programs/students/symposium.shtml.

25th Annual CSU Student Research Competition
The 25th annual California State University Student Research Competition will be held May 6-7. This system-wide competition will showcase excellent research conducted by CSU undergraduate and graduate students in the full range of academic programs offered by the CSU. Student participants will make oral presentations before juries of professional experts from major corporations, foundations, public agencies, and colleges and universities in California. For more information, please visit http://www.csufresno.edu/grants/programs/students/student.shtml.

Travel study program to Ireland next fall
The Division of Continuing and Global Education has announced a non-credit travel study program open to curious travelers of all ages. A new destination is Shades of Ireland, a 10-day journey to the Emerald Isle, which departs next fall on Oct. 2, 2011. For details, call 559.278.0423 or email mailto:travelstudy@csufresno.edu