Pancakes aplenty - Faculty and staff got a breakfast treat thanks to the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Budget. Rachel Velasquez, left, and Kathy Johnson of the Facilities Planning Office celebrated the morning’s meal served al fresco outside Plant Operations.

Early voting at Fresno State
Fresno State is one of the locations chosen by the Fresno County Elections Department to allow voters to cast their ballots well in advance of the Nov. 7 general election, a move designed to encourage more participation in the electoral process. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, new touch-screen voting machines will be available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Satellite Student Union. All registered voters in Fresno, Tulare and Madera are eligible to cast ballots on Oct. 10. Click here for election details.

Candidates’ talks open to campus community
Sally Tannenbaum’s Political Campaign Communication Class class will host several guests speaking about the November election. The lineup begins with two speakers on Wednesday, Oct. 4, with Julie Griffith representing 29th District Assemblymember Mike Villines at 4:30 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. 30th Assembly District Republican nominee Dan Gilmore will speak.
On Oct. 11, Rep. George Radonovich’s campaign managers will speak at 4:30 p.m. On Oct. 18, Liz Shields of the League of Women voters speaks at 4:30 p.m. On Oct. 25, Rep. Devin Nunes will speak at 4:30 p.m. On Nov. 8, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s education campaign co-chair, Peter G. Mehas, will do a post-election analysis at 4:30. Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend any of the sessions in Speech Arts Building, Room 26.

Proposition 1-D on November ballot
Of the numerous propositions on the November ballot, five measures aim to address critical infrastructure needs for the state. Among them is Proposition 1-D: Education Facilities: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act Of 2006 (AB 127-Nuñez). Proposition 1-D would enact the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2006 worth $10.4 billion, with K-12 education receiving $7.3 billion and higher education receiving $3.1 billion. Of this amount, the CSU would receive $690 million over two years ($345 million each year). Proposition 1-D would be targeted toward the CSU's ongoing capital projects, which include earthquake safety; building renovation and repair; and modernizing and upgrading classroom and research facilities, labs, technologies and more. At Fresno State, the measure would provide approximately $14 million for the following:

• $1.2 million for nursing classroom renovation to accommodate additional students

• $6.1 million for projects including Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, minor classroom/ lab upgrades and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades

• $6.8 million for equipment and furniture for the Henry Madden Library

Proponents argue that it is a fiscally responsible way to finance school repair and construction and make earthquake safety improvements, and that it does not take on more than the state can afford now. While there is no organized opposition at this time, some have voiced concern about the cost of the bond for the state, the variety of new programs funded and the fact that it is designed to fund only two years of need. Click here or here for more information.

Retired faculty member donates frontier history collection
Tom Ebert, a reference and documents librarian for 26 years and then associated vice president for academic personnel until his retirement in 2005, has donated to the Henry Madden Library a collection of more than 680 titles about the American frontier. The Thomas J. Ebert American Frontier collection emphasizes the history and development of the Trans-Mississippi West to 1912. As a result of his donation, the Madden Library has the preeminent collection of material about Gen. George Armstrong Custer among California State University libraries. With time, Ebert hopes to help the Madden Library have the preeminent collection on the American frontier in the CSU and one of the stronger collections in the state. Ebert says, “I am not a graduate of Fresno State, but this university allowed me to have an extraordinarily successful career during my thirty-five years of employment. I feel it is important that I give back to Fresno State for allowing me this success.”

Arts and Humanities lectures in October
Current events, Japanese art and an author’s view of his native Fresno are the attractions this month of the Arts and Humanities Lecture Series. On Oct. 13, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, the Bush administration critic whose wife, Valerie Plame, was publicly exposed as a CIA agent, will be part of the Roger Tatarian Journalism Symposium on “Truth, War & the CIA.”  Award-winning McClatchy Washington news bureau reporters Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay will join Wilson for a panel discussion on the subject. Other series lectures will feature Daniel McKee, curator of collections at the Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art in Hanford, on Oct. 19, and Daniel Chacon, an alumnus and the Department of English’s Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, on. Oct. 24. A brochure is available from the College of Arts and Humanities or by phoning 278.3056. Click here for more on Wilson’s appearance or here for a preview of Chacon’s return to Fresno.

TII Project nearer Stage 2
The Stage 1 construction of the new telecommunications infrastructure is mostly completed. Left out of the project because of design issues, inaccessibility or non-state status were Home Management, the older portions of Duncan and Strength & Conditioning, Keats and the Health Center.  These buildings will go out to bid this fall and be brought up to Telecommunications Infrastructure Initiative (TII) standards.  Much work remains in TII Stage 2 before the new cable system is ready so we can take advantage of increased access speeds and new technologies on the network.

TII Stage 2 will provide network services for the infrastructure developed in Stage 1. The Information Technology Services staff is working with SBC/ATT to formalize the design of the new network that will run on the new cable system. The new electronics will arrive towards the end of this year and transition to the new infrastructure and electronics is anticipated to begin in February and continue for six months. The transition schedule will be developed with regard to the Academic Calendar to minimize inconvenience to the campus.  Click here for information on TII. Address questions or concerns to Sydney Jackson at 278.7167 or syjackson@csufresno.edu.

(Article by Sydney Jackson , who is communications coordinator for IT Services and Facilities Management.)

Deborah Adishian-Astone promoted
Deborah Adishian-Astone has been promoted to associate vice president for Auxiliary Operations and Enterprise Development. She has been executive director of Auxiliary Services since 2001, responsible for the campus bookstore, food services, campus housing, the Save Mart Center, and now is overseeing the proposed Campus Pointe development.

Parten takes up new HR duties next month
Janice A. Parten, newly appointed as Fresno State’s new director of human resources, will begin work Nov. 13, succeeding Dr. Jeannine Raymond, who is director of human resources at the University California, Berkeley. Parten has been human services director at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) since 2003 and held the same position from 1995 to ’98. In announcing the appointment, Cynthia Matson, Fresno State’s vice president for administration and chief financial officer, praised Parten for “innovative ideas and breadth of HR experiences.” Matson, who worked with Parten when both were administrators at UAA, added that Parten “will provide leadership to our strategic planning initiatives that further develop the university community.”  Click here for more information.

Wong retiring as science and math dean
Dr. Kin-Ping Wong, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics for 24 years, will retire next summer to do more biochemical research to discover new ways to cure cancer. Even while leading the college, Wong has found time to remain an internationally recognized researcher, writer and inventor, whose name is on several pending patents, and as a professor of chemistry. “He will have some time to travel the world with his wife, Anna, who is an accomplished biologist and has contributed to many of his research projects. They also look forward to taking their grandson Evan to the playground on weekends,” says Dr. Jeri Echeverria, the provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Dean Wong is entering the final year of an impressive deanship – one in which the College has been advanced on multiple fronts and in which he has advanced the field of biochemical research,” Echeverria adds. Click here for more details.

September grants near $1 million
Nearly $1 million in new grant awards were received by Fresno State schools, colleges and a division during the first three weeks of September. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs recognized the work of the following project directors and other faculty and staff instrumental in securing the funding: Segun Ogunjemiyo, Sam Omolayo, Chris Fiorentino, Joe Moore, Charles Arokiasamy, John Lloyd, Kate Norum, Ramakrishna Nunna, Rick Wheeler, Carol Fry Bohlin, Lori Hamada, Lisa Portela, and Sal Montana. Click here for details.

CPR certification course
Advance registration, which is mandatory, will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 6, for an adult CPR certification session on campus. The course will be offered at 5 p.m. Oct. 13. Cost is $35. Click here for details or contact Justine McAlpine at 278.8903 or jmcalpin@csufresno.edu.

Laser pointer safety tips available
The Division of Environmental Health and Safety has approved the use of low- and medium-power laser pointers as instruction and presentation aids in classrooms, but issued a warning about potential dangers of laser pointers. The division also lists safety tips for using laser pointers. Click here for details.

Conference presentations sought
A national conference in Fresno presented by the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. will give faculty and graduate students an opportunity to make presentations. The organization’s 21st annual conference is scheduled March 22-25 around the theme "Work, Migration, and Globalization: Contested Journeys in U.S. Ethnic Literature." Organizers are seeking proposals for paper abstracts and panels, workshops and rountables on all aspects of multiethnic literatures in the United States. The deadline to submit proposals is Nov. 6. For details, contact Dr. Kathleen Godfrey (English) at kgodfrey@csufresno.edu (use “MELUS SUB” in subject line).

Overseas programs seek faculty
The Office of International Programs is accepting applications from qualified faculty to serve as resident directors during the 2008-09 and for 2009-10 academic years in China, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Japan and, possibly, Israel. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1. Applicants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty members who have overseas experience, language skills and the terminal degree in their discipline. Click here for application materials.