Before she went to Russia for a wedding 10 years ago, Linda-Marie Sundstrom had no real thoughts of visiting that part of the world. Afterwards, she knew she would return some day.
Sundstrom returns to the region this month after being awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture in the masters of public administration program in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
“At that point I wasn’t really familiar with anything dealing with Ukraine, but I loved it,” said Sundstrom of her initial visit a decade ago. “As an aside, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, it wasn’t a country. So, people from Russia would say ‘I’m going to The Ukraine’ with the ‘the’ in front of it. But you wouldn’t say I am going to The Italy or The France. Most Americans still refer to it as The Ukraine, but that is insulting to them to use ‘the’ which we all have a tendency to do.”
In Ukraine, Sundstrom, a lecturer in the Graduate Center for Public Policy and Administration, will teach at Kharkiv's Regional Institute of Public Administration of the National Academy of Public Administration, which is attached to the Office of the President of Ukraine. Students from the Masters of Public Administration program, along with Ph.D. candidates in economics will attend her classes. Additionally, she will travel throughout the country presenting workshops for elected officials, public administrators, non-governmental organizations and the general public.
“In order to tell them why we would do a program like this, we have to understand that the structure is different and the autonomy at local levels is different, so that’s a lot of what I’ll be teaching at the university,” said Sundstrom, now in her fourth year at CSULB. “And then they added additional funding to my award so I can go talk to elected officials and government officials throughout the country and talk to them about what we would call non-profit sectors and their general public. I will be traveling around the country and doing those kinds of workshops.”
Sundstrom, an experienced grant writer, will teach a little on the basis on how the U.S. public administration is structured and the techniques used when doing program evaluation, especially for people who get grants. In addition, she says they are attempting to get an accreditation so that might be part of the reason she is being sent there.
“The (Ukraine) president has mandated these public administration programs and there is a chance they will want me to help with their accreditation,” she said. “Then, there is also the possibility that they like what they are teaching and there will be more resistance to an outsider coming in.”
Language is going to be a problem, she noted, especially where she will be, but they will provide interpreters for her as often as possible. In the meantime, “I’m trying to learn the language the best I can with Rosetta Stone,” she said.
Sundstrom earned her undergraduate degree from Cal Poly Pomona, master's from CSU San Bernardino and Ph.D. from the University of La Verne.
She is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The Fulbright program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is an international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
-- Shayne Schroeder
Monday, February 1, 2010
Music Professor at CSULB Marks His 20th Year of Running in Marathons to Raise Funds for the University Wind Quintet
Celebrating two decades of sweat philanthropy, Cal State Long Beach Professor John Barcellona will run the 20th Annual Scholarship Run on Feb. 7, a personal fundraiser he created to generate funds for the University Wind Quintet that he directs.
Barcellona’s fundraiser will take place during the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. He will be one of 2,000 athletes to run the 26.2-mile marathon, which starts at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street.
To date, Barcellona, also a professional flutist, has raised nearly $60,000 for his students. Netting about $3,000 a year, he is able to guarantee each of the students in his quintet about $300 a semester. Still, he believes in the expression “a little goes a long way.”
“When I started this, I wanted to attract quality woodwind students to our program, and I thought we needed some scholarship money to attract them. But, there wasn’t then and still isn’t a lot of scholarship money out there for a wind quintet,” said Barcellona.
This is the second year Barcellona will run the Surf City Marathon for this scholarship fund. He began running for the wind quintet in the Long Beach Marathon in 1990, followed by the Los Angeles Marathon until last year when the race was moved by new organizers to May, which is too late in the spring semester.
The quintet is a select group of musicians comprised of a horn player, flute player, clarinetist, bassoonist and oboe player. The five are chosen based on auditions held at the beginning of each academic year and are considered the university’s best at their respective instruments.
Since the inception of his annual scholarship run, Barcellona believes there has been an improvement in the level of musicians selected for the quintet, which he said has acquired a very good reputation over the last two decades.
Besides the ample supply of talented woodwind musicians Barcellona has trained over the years, he was also impressed with the second cohort of Cole Scholar musicians who came to campus as freshman this past fall. The Cole Scholarship program is the result of a $16.4 million donation, the largest in university history, from the Bob Cole Trust to provide scholarships for student musicians to attend CSULB and its newly-named Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.
“Cole Scholarships have brought us many top-quality students. This is making the conservatory even more competitive with the top musical institutions nationally,” said Barcellona.
Barcellona, 62, began running in the Army during basic training. Now, with a regimen that is not quite as tough, he still runs three days a week and lifts weights four. Two to three weeks before the marathon he will tackle a 20-mile run to ensure he is prepared.
“I decided to start running marathons to raise money 20 years ago when I saw groups of people putting together events, such as walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons and 5Ks,” he said. “It was a natural fit for me since I’ve been running for so long. And I get a great workout in the process.”
To solicit donations, Barcellona prints and mails out fliers to mailing lists he has accumulated over the years, including those who have given in the past; Carpenter Center patrons who enjoy chamber music; and all of the woodwind players in Local 47, a musicians union. This year, donors will receive free tickets to the quintet’s annual concert on Wednesday, April 14.
Anyone interested in making a pledge to Barcellona’s 20th Annual Scholarship Run can call him at 562/985-4739. Donations may be sent to John Barcellona, Music Department, Cal State Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840.
-- Paul Browning
Barcellona’s fundraiser will take place during the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach. He will be one of 2,000 athletes to run the 26.2-mile marathon, which starts at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street.
To date, Barcellona, also a professional flutist, has raised nearly $60,000 for his students. Netting about $3,000 a year, he is able to guarantee each of the students in his quintet about $300 a semester. Still, he believes in the expression “a little goes a long way.”
“When I started this, I wanted to attract quality woodwind students to our program, and I thought we needed some scholarship money to attract them. But, there wasn’t then and still isn’t a lot of scholarship money out there for a wind quintet,” said Barcellona.
This is the second year Barcellona will run the Surf City Marathon for this scholarship fund. He began running for the wind quintet in the Long Beach Marathon in 1990, followed by the Los Angeles Marathon until last year when the race was moved by new organizers to May, which is too late in the spring semester.
The quintet is a select group of musicians comprised of a horn player, flute player, clarinetist, bassoonist and oboe player. The five are chosen based on auditions held at the beginning of each academic year and are considered the university’s best at their respective instruments.
Since the inception of his annual scholarship run, Barcellona believes there has been an improvement in the level of musicians selected for the quintet, which he said has acquired a very good reputation over the last two decades.
Besides the ample supply of talented woodwind musicians Barcellona has trained over the years, he was also impressed with the second cohort of Cole Scholar musicians who came to campus as freshman this past fall. The Cole Scholarship program is the result of a $16.4 million donation, the largest in university history, from the Bob Cole Trust to provide scholarships for student musicians to attend CSULB and its newly-named Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.
“Cole Scholarships have brought us many top-quality students. This is making the conservatory even more competitive with the top musical institutions nationally,” said Barcellona.
Barcellona, 62, began running in the Army during basic training. Now, with a regimen that is not quite as tough, he still runs three days a week and lifts weights four. Two to three weeks before the marathon he will tackle a 20-mile run to ensure he is prepared.
“I decided to start running marathons to raise money 20 years ago when I saw groups of people putting together events, such as walk-a-thons, jog-a-thons and 5Ks,” he said. “It was a natural fit for me since I’ve been running for so long. And I get a great workout in the process.”
To solicit donations, Barcellona prints and mails out fliers to mailing lists he has accumulated over the years, including those who have given in the past; Carpenter Center patrons who enjoy chamber music; and all of the woodwind players in Local 47, a musicians union. This year, donors will receive free tickets to the quintet’s annual concert on Wednesday, April 14.
Anyone interested in making a pledge to Barcellona’s 20th Annual Scholarship Run can call him at 562/985-4739. Donations may be sent to John Barcellona, Music Department, Cal State Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840.
-- Paul Browning
Monday, January 25, 2010
4 Students in Global Logistics Specialist Program at CSULB Receive Scholarships from Los Angeles Transportation Club
Helping Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) supply quality shipping industry professionals to the workforce in port cities like Long Beach, the Los Angeles Transportation Club (LATC) recently named four Global Logistics Specialist (GLS) students at CSULB as recipients of its 2009 scholarships.
This year the LATC received the largest amount of scholarship applications in its history to compete for a total of $22,000 in awards. Each CSULB recipient will receive $3,500.
All four scholars are currently employed college graduates or working students studying in the GLS program within the campus’ Center for International Trade and Transportation. GLS is the only program of its kind on the West Coast and has been overwhelmingly successful since its debut in January 1997.
The CSULB scholars are:
• Jannine Mongeon, who is from Palos Verdes Estates and holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Lima and a master’s degree in business administration from the Graduate School of Business Administration in Lima;
• Hee Jung (Heidi) Kim, who is from Orange and holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel, tourism management and public administration from Sejong University in Korea;
• Hector Calderon is currently working on a bachelor’s of arts degree in international business administration at San Diego State University;
• Noemi Zepeda is currently working in the industry as a customer service representative at Paramount Global Services. She has an associate’s degree in business management from Cerritos College.
“I felt so blessed, grateful and happy when I found out I got the scholarship. The money will help me to start a business or continue studying,” said Mongeon. “The Global Logistics Specialist program is very good. The instructors show a lot of support in helping us achieve our goals and finish the program. In the program, I learned the right industry terminology, which was important to me because all transactions, business and goods need transportation that is on time, the most economical and at top quality.”
The GLS program at CSULB is a ship-to-shelf training solution for those involved in the international movement of goods. It is endorsed by industry professionals as a comprehensive educational program for individuals entering or seeking advancement in the supply chain and logistics industry. A GLS designation enhances students’ marketability and opportunities for advancement in the industry.
GLS is designed in a flexible format. Through innovative delivery methods and extensive class participation and involvement, students work with and solve real transportation issues. The program is taught for the industry by the industry, providing students with the opportunity to interact and network with professionals from various segments of the supply chain.
“I believe that the GLS program could lead me to more opportunities in the logistics field in United States and enhance my knowledge for my career,” said Kim. “There is so much information we GLS students learn from our instructors in terms of their own professional experiences. In addition, GLS students share their experiences and information with each other, which is really helpful because we have all been in the same logistics fields.”
Before CSULB, Kim worked with forwarding companies in Korea and China and had received several performance and achievement awards. “I recently received a job offer with a manufacturer, which would be my first step toward my goals. I also believe my previous work experience in China will definitely be an advantage to my career,” she added.
The LATC was incorporated in 1924 as a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing transportation professionals, shippers and suppliers a forum to foster relationships, share ideas and solutions as well as promote the contributions that the industry offers to global commerce. Its number one priority is to make sure that the club provides value to its members and the community at large.
-- Paul Browning
NCLR/CSULB Latino Center Receives $296,000 USDA Grant to Develop Course on Latino Nutrition, Chronic Disease Prevention
Having just completed a two-year project with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)/Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training has received another two-year grant from the USDA.
The new USDA grant, worth $296,000, will fund a two-year project to develop a permanent Cal State Long Beach course called “Latino Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention.” In addition to course development, the project will include the training of faculty and lecturers who will implement the course as well as the opportunity for them to learn techniques to provide Latino students with culturally-relevant advisement that incorporates the socioeconomic and institutional issues many Latino students face.
“With the first two-year grant, we were able to establish the Student Community Health Educator experience on campus in collaboration with Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services’ WIC Program. Our students learned to integrate their cultural and linguistic abilities with community based participatory research techniques to better understand and serve the needs of Latina mothers and their families.” said Britt Rios-Ellis, director of the NCLR/CSULB Latino Center and director of the project. “With this second USDA grant, we will take what we’ve learned from the first project and weave it into the institutional and curricular fabric of CSULB.”
In 2007, the NCLR/CSULB center received a $295,000 grant for a project called “Comienzo Sano: Familia Saludable” (“Healthy Start: Health Family”), a two-year program aimed at facilitating the empowerment of the Long Beach Latino community to increase breast feeding and age-appropriate nutrition to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity in Latino communities. The program recruited 12 first generation-educated Latino students in nutrition and health science at CSULB who were both bilingual and bicultural and trained them to engage in training and outreach.
“Through the first project, nutrition and health science students have learned to apply their academic knowledge to the needs of the local Latino community in Long Beach, gaining respect for their education and increasing their belief that they can make a difference,” noted Gail Frank, CSULB professor of nutrition and co-director of both projects. “They will take this knowledge with them into their professional careers and future volunteer service in any U.S. state or community.
“By creating a permanent course in Latino nutrition, we will be preparing health and human service professionals to meet the needs of the growing Latino population,” Frank added.
Like the 2007 “Comienzo Sano” project, the course-development project will continue to provide experiential learning internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, who will receive training in various research methods, receive financial assistance and be given opportunities to attend local and national conferences. Students also will be trained to provide nutrition and health education within the local Latino community.
The NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training promotes and advocates for the health and well-being of diverse Latino/Hispanic communities, striving to eliminate disparities in access to and quality of care and health outcomes and to improve the cultural relevance of health information.
The center is a partnership between the National Council of La Raza and CSULB. NCLR, the largest civil rights advocacy organization for Latinos in the nation, also addresses human rights by providing direct services to Latinos --through the center and other affiliates. The center also embodies the CSULB mission of training our nation’s leaders by offering experiential learning opportunities for Hispanic and the diverse population of CSULB students pursuing their degrees and incorporating community needs into their programmatic and research activities.
For more information about the project, contact Melawhy Garcia, project coordinator, at the NCLR/CSULB Center at 562/985-5242.
-- Rick Gloady
The new USDA grant, worth $296,000, will fund a two-year project to develop a permanent Cal State Long Beach course called “Latino Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention.” In addition to course development, the project will include the training of faculty and lecturers who will implement the course as well as the opportunity for them to learn techniques to provide Latino students with culturally-relevant advisement that incorporates the socioeconomic and institutional issues many Latino students face.
“With the first two-year grant, we were able to establish the Student Community Health Educator experience on campus in collaboration with Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services’ WIC Program. Our students learned to integrate their cultural and linguistic abilities with community based participatory research techniques to better understand and serve the needs of Latina mothers and their families.” said Britt Rios-Ellis, director of the NCLR/CSULB Latino Center and director of the project. “With this second USDA grant, we will take what we’ve learned from the first project and weave it into the institutional and curricular fabric of CSULB.”
In 2007, the NCLR/CSULB center received a $295,000 grant for a project called “Comienzo Sano: Familia Saludable” (“Healthy Start: Health Family”), a two-year program aimed at facilitating the empowerment of the Long Beach Latino community to increase breast feeding and age-appropriate nutrition to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity in Latino communities. The program recruited 12 first generation-educated Latino students in nutrition and health science at CSULB who were both bilingual and bicultural and trained them to engage in training and outreach.
“Through the first project, nutrition and health science students have learned to apply their academic knowledge to the needs of the local Latino community in Long Beach, gaining respect for their education and increasing their belief that they can make a difference,” noted Gail Frank, CSULB professor of nutrition and co-director of both projects. “They will take this knowledge with them into their professional careers and future volunteer service in any U.S. state or community.
“By creating a permanent course in Latino nutrition, we will be preparing health and human service professionals to meet the needs of the growing Latino population,” Frank added.
Like the 2007 “Comienzo Sano” project, the course-development project will continue to provide experiential learning internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, who will receive training in various research methods, receive financial assistance and be given opportunities to attend local and national conferences. Students also will be trained to provide nutrition and health education within the local Latino community.
The NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training promotes and advocates for the health and well-being of diverse Latino/Hispanic communities, striving to eliminate disparities in access to and quality of care and health outcomes and to improve the cultural relevance of health information.
The center is a partnership between the National Council of La Raza and CSULB. NCLR, the largest civil rights advocacy organization for Latinos in the nation, also addresses human rights by providing direct services to Latinos --through the center and other affiliates. The center also embodies the CSULB mission of training our nation’s leaders by offering experiential learning opportunities for Hispanic and the diverse population of CSULB students pursuing their degrees and incorporating community needs into their programmatic and research activities.
For more information about the project, contact Melawhy Garcia, project coordinator, at the NCLR/CSULB Center at 562/985-5242.
-- Rick Gloady
2 Students from California State University, Long Beach Receive Prestigious Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
Two California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) students have received prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, allowing them to spend this spring semester studying abroad.
Junior Kathy Tran will be at City University of Hong Kong studying international business and Chinese. Senior Sienne Diaz will be finishing her bachelor’s of fine arts degree at the University of Hertfordshire in England.
Tran and Diaz are among just 800 undergraduate students from more than 320 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The program provides financial support for students who might not otherwise be able to afford to study abroad.
“The goal of the Gilman Scholarship program is for U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world,” said Linda Olson Levy, CSULB's advisor for education abroad and international scholarships. “We are proud to once again have exceptional students chosen for this scholarship. We are confident that they will represent CSULB well overseas and will return home with a deeper understanding of the world in which we live.”
Both Diaz and Tran have studied abroad before. Last summer, Tran traveled to China for an Asian studies class led by Professor Teri Yamada (Asian and Asian American studies) and then took a culture class in Cambodia with Alex Morales, director of school improvement for the Center for Language Minority Education and Research. Her experiences left her wanting to participate in a longer study abroad program.
“No matter whether you have a 4.0 or the best teacher recommendations, nothing compares to having the full experience of being overseas,” said Tran, who is working on a double major in international business and Chinese and a minor in Spanish. “When you are overseas, your view of the world changes drastically.”
Diaz also traveled to Cambodia after receiving a scholarship established by CSULB President F. King Alexander for the Art and Social Action short-term study abroad program led by Art Professor Carlos Silveira. There, Diaz designed and taught art lessons for girls who had been rescued from sex trafficking operations. In England this spring, Diaz will focus on refining her art skills. She also plans to once again get involved in the community.
“Hertfordshire has a prestigious program comparable to the illustration program at CSULB,” said Diaz who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in art education at CSULB and plans to get her single-subject credential in art after finishing her bachelor’s in fine arts. “I really wanted to focus on honing my skills. I hope that my work in the community will be an extension of my education, that it will help me fully immerse myself in the experience.”
When Diaz’ study abroad program ends in June, she hopes to participate in a short-term Summer Arts in Florence program. She will complete her student teaching credential at CSULB in spring 2011.
Tran will return home in May but hopes to get involved in the Strategic Language Institute to continue studying Chinese. She is also applying for an internship with a non-profit organization in Indonesia that promotes public health and economic development and is applying to the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Queretaro, Mexico to study for one year to enhance her Spanish speaking skills.
-- Linda Fontes
Junior Kathy Tran will be at City University of Hong Kong studying international business and Chinese. Senior Sienne Diaz will be finishing her bachelor’s of fine arts degree at the University of Hertfordshire in England.
Tran and Diaz are among just 800 undergraduate students from more than 320 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The program provides financial support for students who might not otherwise be able to afford to study abroad.
“The goal of the Gilman Scholarship program is for U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world,” said Linda Olson Levy, CSULB's advisor for education abroad and international scholarships. “We are proud to once again have exceptional students chosen for this scholarship. We are confident that they will represent CSULB well overseas and will return home with a deeper understanding of the world in which we live.”
Both Diaz and Tran have studied abroad before. Last summer, Tran traveled to China for an Asian studies class led by Professor Teri Yamada (Asian and Asian American studies) and then took a culture class in Cambodia with Alex Morales, director of school improvement for the Center for Language Minority Education and Research. Her experiences left her wanting to participate in a longer study abroad program.
“No matter whether you have a 4.0 or the best teacher recommendations, nothing compares to having the full experience of being overseas,” said Tran, who is working on a double major in international business and Chinese and a minor in Spanish. “When you are overseas, your view of the world changes drastically.”
Diaz also traveled to Cambodia after receiving a scholarship established by CSULB President F. King Alexander for the Art and Social Action short-term study abroad program led by Art Professor Carlos Silveira. There, Diaz designed and taught art lessons for girls who had been rescued from sex trafficking operations. In England this spring, Diaz will focus on refining her art skills. She also plans to once again get involved in the community.
“Hertfordshire has a prestigious program comparable to the illustration program at CSULB,” said Diaz who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in art education at CSULB and plans to get her single-subject credential in art after finishing her bachelor’s in fine arts. “I really wanted to focus on honing my skills. I hope that my work in the community will be an extension of my education, that it will help me fully immerse myself in the experience.”
When Diaz’ study abroad program ends in June, she hopes to participate in a short-term Summer Arts in Florence program. She will complete her student teaching credential at CSULB in spring 2011.
Tran will return home in May but hopes to get involved in the Strategic Language Institute to continue studying Chinese. She is also applying for an internship with a non-profit organization in Indonesia that promotes public health and economic development and is applying to the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Queretaro, Mexico to study for one year to enhance her Spanish speaking skills.
-- Linda Fontes
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