Campaign themes announced

 
By Shannon Puphal
Campaign Communications Director
At the fall Academic Assembly, President Welty introduced five visionary themes that highlight the distinctiveness of California State University, Fresno. These themes will serve as the focus of the Comprehensive Campaign. They are Advancing World-Class Agriculture, Educating Our Children, Creating a Healthier Valley, Helping the Economy Grow, and Celebrating the New California’s Arts and Cultures. 

Existing academic initiatives are already advancing these themes, and the campaign will enable the university to expand the relevant programs that meet these challenges. For example, in agriculture the Institute of Food and Nutrition Innovation will extend research in food safety, packaging and the development of new food products.

In education, the Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute is already working with struggling schools to resolve chronic budget problems, deal with violence and promote family involvement, and the campaign will expand its reach. The campaign will also seek support for the Center for Excellence in Literacy Practices to develop new curriculum and teaching methods that will improve the reading skills of children.

The campaign will help to create a healthier valley by supporting the expansion of the university’s existing Health Policy Institute. The institute will broaden its research efforts, train students to address regional health problems, and maintain health data on the region. Additionally, planning has begun for joint doctoral programs in nursing and physical therapy. 

Advancing economic growth in Central California will be fueled by the expansion of the university’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.  The expansion will include more student scholarships, student venture funds and an enhanced entrepreneur-in-residence program. The campaign also will seek funding for a new Advanced Manufacturing Center – a leading edge facility combining state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment with the latest computer systems.

To help celebrate the Valley’s arts and cultures, the university aims to establish two major efforts to study the cultural issues of the region and to identify opportunities for greater cultural understanding. To that end, the campaign aims to endow the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute and the university’s Center for the Music of the Americas.