Ken Millar, current dean of College of Professional Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, has been selected dean of the College of Health and Human Services at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). He will begin his new position on June 1.
Millar brings to Cal State Long Beach 27 years of administrative experience in higher education. Throughout his career he has increased external funding in support of faculty research and scholarly activity, enhanced fund raising and community outreach and bolstered student enrollment.
“Dr. Millar’s breadth of experience and his impressive list of accomplishments as a faculty member and administrator will be a major addition to the College of Health and Human Services, our campus and our region,” said Don Para, CSULB’s interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “In addition to his strong record of accomplishments, Dr. Millar demonstrates a high level of collegiality, positive energy and enthusiasm.”
The College of Health and Human Services is the second largest college at CSULB with more than 7,500 declared majors within its programs. Departments in the college include Communicative Disorders, Criminal Justice, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Care Administration, Health Science, Kinesiology, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Professional Studies, Graduate Center for Public Policy & Administration, Recreation & Leisure Studies and Social Work.
Since 2006, Millar has served as dean of the College of Professional Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla. There, he oversees the divisions of Justice Studies, Public Affairs, Resort and Hospitality Management and Social Work. Over the past two years, he has led the college through difficult financial times, working to protect jobs, professional development funds and graduate assistant support.
During his tenure as dean, Millar established a mentoring program among senior and junior faculty members to encourage and support scholarship and research, collaborated throughout the university to provide programs that enhance professional development and has overseen the construction of a new state-of-the-art building for the Resort and Hospitality Management and the Professional Golf Management programs.
“I am looking forward to providing leadership to an enormously talented group of scholar-practitioners in all the disciplines represented in the College of Health and Human Services,” Millar said. “Many of the faculty in the college are on the cutting edge of research in their fields and my job will be to provide the infrastructure support and climate to nurture and enhance their development of new knowledge and skills.
“Despite the fiscal challenges faced by higher education in California, I look forward to the opportunity of leading the educational mission of preparing the next generation of professionals in all the diverse fields represented in the college,” he added. “I look forward to furthering the community outreach/service aspects of our college and, through the actions of our faculty and students, making our community a better place to live and prosper.”
Before joining Florida Gulf Coast University, Millar served as director of the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, dean of the School of Social Work at Louisiana State University, dean of George Williams College of Health and Human Services at Aurora University in Illinois and director of the School of Social Work at Aurora University.
He earned his doctorate at the University of Texas at Arlington, his master’s in social work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, and his bachelor’s degree at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Quebec.
Millar is recognized as a leader in the field of social work. In 1991, he was selected as Social Worker of the Year by the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. That same year, he developed a partnership with the state public child welfare agency. The partnership was one of the first in the country and became a model for state public child welfare-university collaborations nationally. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and book chapters and co-authored two books. He is currently working on a text on child abuse.
Millar replaces Ron Vogel, who left CSULB in 2009 to become provost at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
-- Linda Fontes
Monday, February 22, 2010
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program at CSULB Offering Free Income Tax Return Assistance to Students, Community
Accounting majors at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) are assisting students and members of the community with their 2009 tax returns free of charge through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
The program will run through April 9 at the university, but volunteers will not see clients when the campus closes for Spring Break, March 29-April 4.
VITA is a cooperative effort by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and many individual states, including California, to provide income tax assistance to low- and moderate-income individuals, the handicapped and the elderly. Volunteers are trained to prepare basic income tax returns at VITA sites, and returns can take up to 30 minutes to prepare.
Last year, Cal State Long Beach’s volunteers prepared more than 550 returns for individuals both on and off campus.
“Cal State Long Beach has had the VITA program for a number of years, and it’s really a great program. Unfortunately, many students and community members are unaware that they can have their taxes done at the campus for free,” said Bernadette Hunter, a senior accounting major and this year’s campus VITA coordinator. “The program is just one of the many ways in which CSULB continues to be conscious of the needs of its students and the Long Beach community.”
Sponsored by the IRS but funded through the campus’ Beta Alpha Psi & Accounting Society, VITA helps students on campus and people from the community who cannot afford to go to paid preparers to get their taxes filed. At the same time, the program gives student volunteers valuable experience that can further help them to attain full-time employment in the accounting field.
Hunter noted that this year’s campus VITA program has 37 volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS to prepare and E-file basic income tax returns and foreign student tax returns. They are also qualified to answer many tax questions or concerns that those coming in for assistance may have.
There are limitations to those who can use the service, however. VITA program volunteers do not prepare business tax returns. In addition, the CSULB program can only assist those who made less than $50,000 in 2009.
Those interested in having their 2009 tax returns prepared through the CSULB VITA program should bring the following items: proof of identification; Social Security cards, including spouse’s and dependents’ (or a Social Security number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration); birth dates, including spouse’s and dependents’; current year’s tax package; wage and earnings statements (W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers); and interest and dividend statements from banks (1099 forms).
Additionally, clients also should try to bring a copy of their federal and state returns from last year, if available; bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit; total paid for day-care provider and the day-care provider’s tax identifying number (the provider’s Social Security number or the provider’s business employer identification number); and, if a client paid rent for at least half of 2009 for property in California, he/she should have the rental dates and landlord's information (name, address, phone number).
It is also important to note that when filing taxes electronically on a married filing joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.
The CSULB VITA program operates out of Room 237 on the second floor of CSULB’s College of Business Administration (CBA) Building. It is open to assist students and members of the community on Mondays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Members of the community are advised to use the metered parking in Lot 15, adjacent to the CBA Building. The cost is $2 per hour. Hunter said returns can take up to 30 minutes to prepare.
Walk-ins are welcome but an appointment can be made by contacting Hunter at 909/645-5488 or by e-mailing her at vita.csulb@gmail.com. Those interested can also visit the Web site at csulb.edu/~bap, then click on VITA.
-- Rick Gloady
The program will run through April 9 at the university, but volunteers will not see clients when the campus closes for Spring Break, March 29-April 4.
VITA is a cooperative effort by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and many individual states, including California, to provide income tax assistance to low- and moderate-income individuals, the handicapped and the elderly. Volunteers are trained to prepare basic income tax returns at VITA sites, and returns can take up to 30 minutes to prepare.
Last year, Cal State Long Beach’s volunteers prepared more than 550 returns for individuals both on and off campus.
“Cal State Long Beach has had the VITA program for a number of years, and it’s really a great program. Unfortunately, many students and community members are unaware that they can have their taxes done at the campus for free,” said Bernadette Hunter, a senior accounting major and this year’s campus VITA coordinator. “The program is just one of the many ways in which CSULB continues to be conscious of the needs of its students and the Long Beach community.”
Sponsored by the IRS but funded through the campus’ Beta Alpha Psi & Accounting Society, VITA helps students on campus and people from the community who cannot afford to go to paid preparers to get their taxes filed. At the same time, the program gives student volunteers valuable experience that can further help them to attain full-time employment in the accounting field.
Hunter noted that this year’s campus VITA program has 37 volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS to prepare and E-file basic income tax returns and foreign student tax returns. They are also qualified to answer many tax questions or concerns that those coming in for assistance may have.
There are limitations to those who can use the service, however. VITA program volunteers do not prepare business tax returns. In addition, the CSULB program can only assist those who made less than $50,000 in 2009.
Those interested in having their 2009 tax returns prepared through the CSULB VITA program should bring the following items: proof of identification; Social Security cards, including spouse’s and dependents’ (or a Social Security number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration); birth dates, including spouse’s and dependents’; current year’s tax package; wage and earnings statements (W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers); and interest and dividend statements from banks (1099 forms).
Additionally, clients also should try to bring a copy of their federal and state returns from last year, if available; bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit; total paid for day-care provider and the day-care provider’s tax identifying number (the provider’s Social Security number or the provider’s business employer identification number); and, if a client paid rent for at least half of 2009 for property in California, he/she should have the rental dates and landlord's information (name, address, phone number).
It is also important to note that when filing taxes electronically on a married filing joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms.
The CSULB VITA program operates out of Room 237 on the second floor of CSULB’s College of Business Administration (CBA) Building. It is open to assist students and members of the community on Mondays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Members of the community are advised to use the metered parking in Lot 15, adjacent to the CBA Building. The cost is $2 per hour. Hunter said returns can take up to 30 minutes to prepare.
Walk-ins are welcome but an appointment can be made by contacting Hunter at 909/645-5488 or by e-mailing her at vita.csulb@gmail.com. Those interested can also visit the Web site at csulb.edu/~bap, then click on VITA.
-- Rick Gloady
Cal State Long Beach President, VP, Others to Speak at African American Churches as Part of CSU Super Sunday
Encouraged by their contribution to a 78 percent increase in African Americans applying to the California State University (CSU), Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) President F. King Alexander and others on Feb. 28 will again address church congregations to discuss early college preparation during the fifth annual CSU Super Sunday.
The program is part of the CSU’s African American Initiative, which strives to find new ways to educate youth and parents about the value of a college degree and the steps that must be completed in launching a successful college career.
Alexander will speak at Friendship Baptist Church, located at 17145 Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda during the 8 to 11:30 a.m. service. CSULB Vice President for Student Services Douglas Robinson will address the congregation at First AME Church, located at 2270 S. Harvard Boulevard in Los Angeles during the 8 to 10 a.m. service.
“Over the past five years, Super Sunday has proven to be an increasingly important component of California State University’s and Cal State Long Beach’s overall commitment in reaching out to local and regional underserved communities,” said Alexander. “Because of our, CSU’s and the churches’ efforts, tens-of-thousands of students and their families learn that planning for college should start as early as the sixth grade.”
Since Jan. 31, CSU officials, such as Chancellor Charles Reed, trustees, campus presidents, and other higher education representatives have been reaching out to more than 100,000 families in 100 African American churches throughout the state. In 2005, Super Sunday was launched with only 11 churches in Los Angeles and 13 churches in Northern California.
In just five years, the initiative has contributed to a 78 percent increase in the number of African American students applying for freshman admission to the 23 CSU campuses and a 20 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment by African American students.
Besides promoting higher education, CSULB speakers will also highlight the role of parental involvement and early preparation in facilitating successful access to college for African Americans.
“As long as the need is there, and that need is apparently increasing, we will continue to deliver these messages each year, because the data shows that our efforts are paying off. We believe that good information drives good decisions for children, students and families,” said Alexander. “Therefore, it is our responsibility to reach beyond the confines and comfort of our own campuses to put important college-bound information about what students should be studying and learning in order to prepare adequately.”
Also speaking and representing CSULB during Super Sunday will be Hearst Scholar Tanisha Washington, a management information systems/applications development graduate student at CSULB who will address church goers at Price Chapel AME Church at 4000 W. Slauson Ave. in Los Angeles at 11 a.m.
Washington earned the prestigious William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees Award after demonstrating the courage and tenacity to go from briefly living in poverty on Skid Row, to becoming a top CSULB student while, in her “spare time,” translating textbooks into Braille and helping struggling college students and impoverished children.
Corion Lucas will speak at Holy Trinity AME Church in Long Beach at 9:30 a.m. Lucas is the campus tours and special projects assistant at CSULB.
The complete list of churches and schedule of events is available online and includes locations in Northern California, Southern California and Fresno. For the first time, this list includes congregations in Corona, Oceanside, Oxnard, Riverside, Santa Ana, Yorba Linda, Fresno and the San Fernando Valley.
Following Super Sunday services, CSU outreach staff and church education counselors will provide information about the steps to college and financial aid. Students and their families will receive information about CSU Mentor, the website that prospective students use to find information and apply to a CSU campus. Participants will also receive the “How to Get to College” poster, which provides middle and high school students and their parents step-by-step information on planning for college.
“It is amazing how broad the scope and reach of Super Sunday has become. Now, outreach staff work with the congregations throughout the year on college outreach programs. We have also further developed our financial aid workshops and have expanded distribution of college materials to sixth-12th grade students and their parents,” said Robinson. “The church educational advisers and liaisons who work directly with young students and their families are phenomenal. We are definitely making a difference here in Long Beach and across the state.”
For more information, visit the CSU Super Sunday website.
-- Paul Browning
The program is part of the CSU’s African American Initiative, which strives to find new ways to educate youth and parents about the value of a college degree and the steps that must be completed in launching a successful college career.
Alexander will speak at Friendship Baptist Church, located at 17145 Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda during the 8 to 11:30 a.m. service. CSULB Vice President for Student Services Douglas Robinson will address the congregation at First AME Church, located at 2270 S. Harvard Boulevard in Los Angeles during the 8 to 10 a.m. service.
“Over the past five years, Super Sunday has proven to be an increasingly important component of California State University’s and Cal State Long Beach’s overall commitment in reaching out to local and regional underserved communities,” said Alexander. “Because of our, CSU’s and the churches’ efforts, tens-of-thousands of students and their families learn that planning for college should start as early as the sixth grade.”
Since Jan. 31, CSU officials, such as Chancellor Charles Reed, trustees, campus presidents, and other higher education representatives have been reaching out to more than 100,000 families in 100 African American churches throughout the state. In 2005, Super Sunday was launched with only 11 churches in Los Angeles and 13 churches in Northern California.
In just five years, the initiative has contributed to a 78 percent increase in the number of African American students applying for freshman admission to the 23 CSU campuses and a 20 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment by African American students.
Besides promoting higher education, CSULB speakers will also highlight the role of parental involvement and early preparation in facilitating successful access to college for African Americans.
“As long as the need is there, and that need is apparently increasing, we will continue to deliver these messages each year, because the data shows that our efforts are paying off. We believe that good information drives good decisions for children, students and families,” said Alexander. “Therefore, it is our responsibility to reach beyond the confines and comfort of our own campuses to put important college-bound information about what students should be studying and learning in order to prepare adequately.”
Also speaking and representing CSULB during Super Sunday will be Hearst Scholar Tanisha Washington, a management information systems/applications development graduate student at CSULB who will address church goers at Price Chapel AME Church at 4000 W. Slauson Ave. in Los Angeles at 11 a.m.
Washington earned the prestigious William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees Award after demonstrating the courage and tenacity to go from briefly living in poverty on Skid Row, to becoming a top CSULB student while, in her “spare time,” translating textbooks into Braille and helping struggling college students and impoverished children.
Corion Lucas will speak at Holy Trinity AME Church in Long Beach at 9:30 a.m. Lucas is the campus tours and special projects assistant at CSULB.
The complete list of churches and schedule of events is available online and includes locations in Northern California, Southern California and Fresno. For the first time, this list includes congregations in Corona, Oceanside, Oxnard, Riverside, Santa Ana, Yorba Linda, Fresno and the San Fernando Valley.
Following Super Sunday services, CSU outreach staff and church education counselors will provide information about the steps to college and financial aid. Students and their families will receive information about CSU Mentor, the website that prospective students use to find information and apply to a CSU campus. Participants will also receive the “How to Get to College” poster, which provides middle and high school students and their parents step-by-step information on planning for college.
“It is amazing how broad the scope and reach of Super Sunday has become. Now, outreach staff work with the congregations throughout the year on college outreach programs. We have also further developed our financial aid workshops and have expanded distribution of college materials to sixth-12th grade students and their parents,” said Robinson. “The church educational advisers and liaisons who work directly with young students and their families are phenomenal. We are definitely making a difference here in Long Beach and across the state.”
For more information, visit the CSU Super Sunday website.
-- Paul Browning
Japanese Garden at California State University, Long Beach to Host 'Kimono In Color: A Spectrum of Seasons' on Feb. 26
How the beauty of changing seasons is reflected in harmonious colors of kimono in ancient and modern Japanese culture is the topic of the Winter Lecture titled “Kimono in Color: A Spectrum of Seasons,” presented by Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).
The program takes place Friday, Feb. 26, in the Daniel Recital Hall on the CSULB campus. Light refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. followed by the program at 7:30.
Kimono will be displayed and Alison Redfoot-DiLiddo, the garden’s assistant director for education, will discuss examples of color use in kimono, the imagery of the four seasons based on the garden’s kimono collection and the garden itself, as well as her research into this topic.
Admission is free to members of the Friends of the Japanese Garden and $10 for non-members. Seating is limited and reservations are required by calling the garden’s Education Department at 562/985-8420.
For more information, visit www.csulb.edu/~jgarden.
-- Anne Ambrose
The program takes place Friday, Feb. 26, in the Daniel Recital Hall on the CSULB campus. Light refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. followed by the program at 7:30.
Kimono will be displayed and Alison Redfoot-DiLiddo, the garden’s assistant director for education, will discuss examples of color use in kimono, the imagery of the four seasons based on the garden’s kimono collection and the garden itself, as well as her research into this topic.
Admission is free to members of the Friends of the Japanese Garden and $10 for non-members. Seating is limited and reservations are required by calling the garden’s Education Department at 562/985-8420.
For more information, visit www.csulb.edu/~jgarden.
-- Anne Ambrose
Local Non-Profit Leaders to Address ‘Making a Difference by Serving Others’ During CSULB’s Notable Speakers Series
From helping incarcerated youngsters and those at the end of life, to a multi-facetted crusade for children, animals and the planet, three diverse Long Beach non-profit leaders will share their insights Tuesday, March 2, from 7-9 p.m. during the Notable Speakers Series at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB).
Addressing the topic “Nonprofit Leadership: Making a Difference by Serving Others,” this second installment of the Notable Speakers Series will feature Melanie Washington, founder of Mentoring A Touch From Above (MATFA); Cindy Skovgard, executive director of Pathways Volunteer Hospice, and Justin Rudd, founder of Community Action Team.
CSULB’s College of Business Administration’s (CBA) Notable Speaker Series was established to add relevance to current students’ learning experiences and to offer opportunities for professional development and intellectual engagement to students, alumni, staff, faculty and the community.
“My words [during the Notable Speakers Series] will focus on giving back after you have gone through the trials and tribulations of life,” said Washington. “In life I would go through the worst of times, then get up and take the hand of someone else who may have been going through what I just came out of. This is leading by example, working with others who may not feel like working with me.”
Washington has experienced more than her share of violence. When she was very young, she saw gangs, domestic violence and prejudice tear her family and community apart. Her mother, sister and husband were all murdered. Then, in December 1995, her 19-year-old son was killed by a young gang member he had befriended, taken into his home and tried to help.
MATFA serves youth ages 10-25 who are incarcerated in the juvenile detention centers and California Youth Authority. Many young lives have been turned around through MATFA with program graduates working at stable jobs and attending college, enabling them to become as asset rather than a threat to their communities.
“MATFA is all about my life and the struggles. We teach those less fortunate in life and those who have been or are incarcerated to get up and take hold of life in a positive way, and then turn around and help someone else,” said Washington.
Rudd is the founder and director of a nonprofit organization the Community Action Team (CAT). Its mission is to promote social well-being within the general public and to produce quality events within the community that benefit children, animals and the environment.
Rudd has received numerous awards for his community activism, including the 2004 Outstanding Young Californian Award presented by the California Jaycees Foundation.
“During my speech I’ll share how my upbringing in small-town Alabama prepared me for big city life and service here in Long Beach, as well as how I’ve created my nonprofit to do the things I love,” said Rudd. “I will also cover the past, present and future of CAT and how I have focused my more than 30 annual events and projects in three areas: environment, animals and youth. In addition, I’ll explain how my non-profit works in relations to my diverse portfolio, since I am also a photographer, fitness trainer and pageant interview coach.”
Pathways is a community-based volunteer hospice. It began as a community outreach program in 1985 that was developed by Lakewood Regional Medical Center. Skovgard’s 28 years of experience in community relations, fundraising and nonprofit management has helped Pathways gain its reputation in the Long Beach/Lakewood community as the organization people turn to for hospice, volunteer care-giving and bereavement support.
For the past 14 years, Skovgard has coordinated Pathways’ programs and services, in addition to community outreach efforts that include volunteer training, grant writing, a speaker’s bureau, and a number of community collaborations. Her professional affiliations include the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Association of Home Care and Hospice, Volunteer Hospice Network, Los Angeles County Commission on Aging, Women’s Business Council of Long Beach and Soroptimist International of Lakewood/Long Beach.
About the Notable Speakers Series
The Notable Speakers Series will take place on select Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. in the CBA building Room 140A during the 2010 spring semester and feature renowned professionals from a variety of fields who will share their expertise on leading edge business issues.
There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. Visitors to the campus must purchase a $4 parking permit at the yellow kiosk in Lot 15.
To register or learn more about the Notable Speaker Series and its speakers visit http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/nss.
-- Paul Browning
Addressing the topic “Nonprofit Leadership: Making a Difference by Serving Others,” this second installment of the Notable Speakers Series will feature Melanie Washington, founder of Mentoring A Touch From Above (MATFA); Cindy Skovgard, executive director of Pathways Volunteer Hospice, and Justin Rudd, founder of Community Action Team.
CSULB’s College of Business Administration’s (CBA) Notable Speaker Series was established to add relevance to current students’ learning experiences and to offer opportunities for professional development and intellectual engagement to students, alumni, staff, faculty and the community.
“My words [during the Notable Speakers Series] will focus on giving back after you have gone through the trials and tribulations of life,” said Washington. “In life I would go through the worst of times, then get up and take the hand of someone else who may have been going through what I just came out of. This is leading by example, working with others who may not feel like working with me.”
Washington has experienced more than her share of violence. When she was very young, she saw gangs, domestic violence and prejudice tear her family and community apart. Her mother, sister and husband were all murdered. Then, in December 1995, her 19-year-old son was killed by a young gang member he had befriended, taken into his home and tried to help.
MATFA serves youth ages 10-25 who are incarcerated in the juvenile detention centers and California Youth Authority. Many young lives have been turned around through MATFA with program graduates working at stable jobs and attending college, enabling them to become as asset rather than a threat to their communities.
“MATFA is all about my life and the struggles. We teach those less fortunate in life and those who have been or are incarcerated to get up and take hold of life in a positive way, and then turn around and help someone else,” said Washington.
Rudd is the founder and director of a nonprofit organization the Community Action Team (CAT). Its mission is to promote social well-being within the general public and to produce quality events within the community that benefit children, animals and the environment.
Rudd has received numerous awards for his community activism, including the 2004 Outstanding Young Californian Award presented by the California Jaycees Foundation.
“During my speech I’ll share how my upbringing in small-town Alabama prepared me for big city life and service here in Long Beach, as well as how I’ve created my nonprofit to do the things I love,” said Rudd. “I will also cover the past, present and future of CAT and how I have focused my more than 30 annual events and projects in three areas: environment, animals and youth. In addition, I’ll explain how my non-profit works in relations to my diverse portfolio, since I am also a photographer, fitness trainer and pageant interview coach.”
Pathways is a community-based volunteer hospice. It began as a community outreach program in 1985 that was developed by Lakewood Regional Medical Center. Skovgard’s 28 years of experience in community relations, fundraising and nonprofit management has helped Pathways gain its reputation in the Long Beach/Lakewood community as the organization people turn to for hospice, volunteer care-giving and bereavement support.
For the past 14 years, Skovgard has coordinated Pathways’ programs and services, in addition to community outreach efforts that include volunteer training, grant writing, a speaker’s bureau, and a number of community collaborations. Her professional affiliations include the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Association of Home Care and Hospice, Volunteer Hospice Network, Los Angeles County Commission on Aging, Women’s Business Council of Long Beach and Soroptimist International of Lakewood/Long Beach.
About the Notable Speakers Series
The Notable Speakers Series will take place on select Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. in the CBA building Room 140A during the 2010 spring semester and feature renowned professionals from a variety of fields who will share their expertise on leading edge business issues.
There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. Visitors to the campus must purchase a $4 parking permit at the yellow kiosk in Lot 15.
To register or learn more about the Notable Speaker Series and its speakers visit http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/nss.
-- Paul Browning
Monday, February 15, 2010
Strategic Language Initiative at Cal State Long Beach to Receive $2.88 Million Appropriation from U.S. Defense Bill
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) will receive a $2.88 million appropriation from a recently approved defense spending bill as the lead institution in the multi-CSU campus Strategic Language Initiative (SLI).
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., along with U.S. Reps. Laura Richardson, Ed Royce and Diane Watson, requested the funds for the initiative. The U.S. Senate passed the spending bill in late December, and it has since been signed by President Barack Obama.
According to a release from Sen. Boxer’s office, “The defense funding will further the development of critical foreign language programs that will help meet America’s national security needs. The initiative will help graduate more professionals with language skills and cultural knowledge in Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Persian and Russian.”
Housed in the CSULB College of Liberal Arts, SLI was created in 2006-07 through the Southern Consortium of California State Universities. Now called the CSU Consortium on Strategic Language Initiative, the program brings together the infrastructure and language faculty expertise of five different southern California CSU campuses. This year, the program is adding two northern California CSU campuses.
Those campuses (and the foreign language each focuses on) that will receive funding include CSULB (Mandarin Chinese), Cal State Fullerton (Persian), Cal State L.A. (Korean), Cal State Northridge (Russian) and Cal State San Bernardino (Arabic). The appropriation monies will also support expansion of the program to San Francisco State (Mandarin Chinese) and San Jose State (Arabic).
“We’re extremely grateful to Senator Boxer and Representatives Richardson, Royce and Watson for recognizing the value of the Strategic Language Initiative and the role it can play in meeting the country’s national security needs,” said CSULB President F. King Alexander. “But beyond national security, we can see that languages such as these are called for in both the public and private sectors, especially as our universities and our nation think more globally.”
The consortium has created 18-month intensive and highly demanding programs in these five languages and has integrated language learning with academic majors for career opportunities in government and industry professions. Each campus enrolls students who are subdivided into two cohorts of heritage speakers and advanced non-heritage speakers.
“The success of the SLI Language Immersion Program model is evident in the fact that the completion rate of SLI participants is 98 percent. That’s very high,” noted KimOahn Nguyen-Lam, SLI’s executive director at CSULB. “A number of our SLI graduates received offers to work with international companies and others were accepted to advance their language study in countries where they did their study abroad.
“Moreover, the SLI participants’ average gain in language proficiency is significant across all five campuses. The 18-month language immersion program yields an average language gain equivalent to that of students who had taken three plus years of language study in traditional classroom setting. This is quite significant considering that these students are not language majors,” she added. “We are confident that subsequent cohorts will yield even greater results as the program’s curricula being refined and enhanced.
SLI officials have pointed out that CSU campuses are ideally positioned to lead this language initiative as the campuses serve some of the most linguistically diverse populations in the nation, enrolling more than 100,000 students each year with large heritage language communities near each campus.
-- Rick Gloady
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., along with U.S. Reps. Laura Richardson, Ed Royce and Diane Watson, requested the funds for the initiative. The U.S. Senate passed the spending bill in late December, and it has since been signed by President Barack Obama.
According to a release from Sen. Boxer’s office, “The defense funding will further the development of critical foreign language programs that will help meet America’s national security needs. The initiative will help graduate more professionals with language skills and cultural knowledge in Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Persian and Russian.”
Housed in the CSULB College of Liberal Arts, SLI was created in 2006-07 through the Southern Consortium of California State Universities. Now called the CSU Consortium on Strategic Language Initiative, the program brings together the infrastructure and language faculty expertise of five different southern California CSU campuses. This year, the program is adding two northern California CSU campuses.
Those campuses (and the foreign language each focuses on) that will receive funding include CSULB (Mandarin Chinese), Cal State Fullerton (Persian), Cal State L.A. (Korean), Cal State Northridge (Russian) and Cal State San Bernardino (Arabic). The appropriation monies will also support expansion of the program to San Francisco State (Mandarin Chinese) and San Jose State (Arabic).
“We’re extremely grateful to Senator Boxer and Representatives Richardson, Royce and Watson for recognizing the value of the Strategic Language Initiative and the role it can play in meeting the country’s national security needs,” said CSULB President F. King Alexander. “But beyond national security, we can see that languages such as these are called for in both the public and private sectors, especially as our universities and our nation think more globally.”
The consortium has created 18-month intensive and highly demanding programs in these five languages and has integrated language learning with academic majors for career opportunities in government and industry professions. Each campus enrolls students who are subdivided into two cohorts of heritage speakers and advanced non-heritage speakers.
“The success of the SLI Language Immersion Program model is evident in the fact that the completion rate of SLI participants is 98 percent. That’s very high,” noted KimOahn Nguyen-Lam, SLI’s executive director at CSULB. “A number of our SLI graduates received offers to work with international companies and others were accepted to advance their language study in countries where they did their study abroad.
“Moreover, the SLI participants’ average gain in language proficiency is significant across all five campuses. The 18-month language immersion program yields an average language gain equivalent to that of students who had taken three plus years of language study in traditional classroom setting. This is quite significant considering that these students are not language majors,” she added. “We are confident that subsequent cohorts will yield even greater results as the program’s curricula being refined and enhanced.
SLI officials have pointed out that CSU campuses are ideally positioned to lead this language initiative as the campuses serve some of the most linguistically diverse populations in the nation, enrolling more than 100,000 students each year with large heritage language communities near each campus.
-- Rick Gloady
Cal State Long Beach Professor Named "Diversity Champion" for Work in Communicative Disorders of Linguistically Different
Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) Communicative Disorders Chair Carolyn Conway Madding was named a Diversity Champion recently by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in a ceremony held in New Orleans.
Madding was recognized for her initiation, development and supervision of CSULB’s Linguistically Different Clinic, which incorporates instruction in bilingual assessment and management and for restructuring the Communicative Disorders Department curriculum to include instruction in serving clients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
“During the 20 years I have been here, we have treated clients in 26 different languages with disorders that cover the spectrum, including aphasia, traumatic brain injuries, autism and stuttering,” pointed out Madding, who has brought in nearly $2 million in grant money for the education of bilingual speech-language pathologists. “These linguistically different services are so rare in this area that people will come from 40 to 50 miles away to avail themselves of these services.”
Madding, who joined CSULB in 1989, said she was near tears when she received the award’s medallion and a standing ovation from her peers. “It was a very special honor to get this award,” she said. “It was the highlight of my career.”
Madding believes her initiation of the linguistically different clinic was a big reason for her distinction. “There is no other clinic like this,” she explained. “Some schools allow a student to work with one or two clients in the student and client’s non-English language. All of our graduate students must obtain clinical hours in the Linguistically Different Clinic. Even if they speak only English, they go through the clinic and work with an interpreter to serve people in another language. That is unique in this profession.”
Madding said when she came to CSULB, she came to work on the diversity track. For her, getting the Diversity Champion award from ASHA was icing on the cake after having spent 21 years working in the area of diversity.
"Our linguistically different clinic has been in operation for 21 years to provide services for anybody with any communicative disorder whose first language is not English. We also do special evaluations for the Stephen Benson Program to determine if students being evaluated for a learning disability may have a language-based problem," she said. "A language disorder can only be determined if the student is evaluated and shows problems in all languages spoken, and is not an English-as-a-second-language problem.”
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 150,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders. ASHA recognizes Diversity Champions for advancing multicultural issues in communication sciences and disorders.
Madding earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Ohio State, a master’s in communicative disorders from Cal State Fullerton in 1982 and a Ph.D. in anthropology and linguistics from Claremont Graduate University in 1995.
In addition to the clinic, Madding is the co-creator of a new special cohort M.A. program, which is run through the university’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. Started in 2007, the program has doubled the number of graduate students in the Communicative Disorders Department. The first cohort of 30 students graduated last summer, and according to Madding, all 30 students left the program with good-paying jobs. A second cohort of students began last fall.
Her recognition as a Diversity Champion reflects how CSULB has changed in the 20 years since her arrival, Madding feels. “When I received my first grant, I had to scour the campus to find a bilingual student,” she recalled. “Now bilingual students practically beat down my door. We offer a welcome to students of all linguistic groups and ethnicities. Other programs believe students must speak English as a first language in order to be a competent speech-language pathologist. ASHA doesn’t feel that way and neither do we.”
-- Rick Manly
Madding was recognized for her initiation, development and supervision of CSULB’s Linguistically Different Clinic, which incorporates instruction in bilingual assessment and management and for restructuring the Communicative Disorders Department curriculum to include instruction in serving clients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
“During the 20 years I have been here, we have treated clients in 26 different languages with disorders that cover the spectrum, including aphasia, traumatic brain injuries, autism and stuttering,” pointed out Madding, who has brought in nearly $2 million in grant money for the education of bilingual speech-language pathologists. “These linguistically different services are so rare in this area that people will come from 40 to 50 miles away to avail themselves of these services.”
Madding, who joined CSULB in 1989, said she was near tears when she received the award’s medallion and a standing ovation from her peers. “It was a very special honor to get this award,” she said. “It was the highlight of my career.”
Madding believes her initiation of the linguistically different clinic was a big reason for her distinction. “There is no other clinic like this,” she explained. “Some schools allow a student to work with one or two clients in the student and client’s non-English language. All of our graduate students must obtain clinical hours in the Linguistically Different Clinic. Even if they speak only English, they go through the clinic and work with an interpreter to serve people in another language. That is unique in this profession.”
Madding said when she came to CSULB, she came to work on the diversity track. For her, getting the Diversity Champion award from ASHA was icing on the cake after having spent 21 years working in the area of diversity.
"Our linguistically different clinic has been in operation for 21 years to provide services for anybody with any communicative disorder whose first language is not English. We also do special evaluations for the Stephen Benson Program to determine if students being evaluated for a learning disability may have a language-based problem," she said. "A language disorder can only be determined if the student is evaluated and shows problems in all languages spoken, and is not an English-as-a-second-language problem.”
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 150,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders. ASHA recognizes Diversity Champions for advancing multicultural issues in communication sciences and disorders.
Madding earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Ohio State, a master’s in communicative disorders from Cal State Fullerton in 1982 and a Ph.D. in anthropology and linguistics from Claremont Graduate University in 1995.
In addition to the clinic, Madding is the co-creator of a new special cohort M.A. program, which is run through the university’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. Started in 2007, the program has doubled the number of graduate students in the Communicative Disorders Department. The first cohort of 30 students graduated last summer, and according to Madding, all 30 students left the program with good-paying jobs. A second cohort of students began last fall.
Her recognition as a Diversity Champion reflects how CSULB has changed in the 20 years since her arrival, Madding feels. “When I received my first grant, I had to scour the campus to find a bilingual student,” she recalled. “Now bilingual students practically beat down my door. We offer a welcome to students of all linguistic groups and ethnicities. Other programs believe students must speak English as a first language in order to be a competent speech-language pathologist. ASHA doesn’t feel that way and neither do we.”
-- Rick Manly
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