The Oviatt Library

The Friends of the Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge is putting out a call for submissions for its inaugural San Fernando Valley Award for Nonfiction.

The new honor was created to recognize the important contributions to nonfiction writing about the San Fernando Valley, and to promote research and writing related to the region.

“The San Fernando Valley, with a population of almost 2 million people, has a colorful history and bright future,” said Mark Stover, dean of CSUN’s Delmar T. Oviatt Library. “The Valley has played an important role in the evolution of the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding region for many years.

“Growth in the population, in industry and in the arts and culture make the Valley a rich source of material for nonfiction literature, including fields like history, journalism, the social and behavioral sciences, physical and life sciences, the arts, and biography,” he continued. “There are no other awards for books written specifically about the San Fernando Valley, so it makes perfect sense for the Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge — the largest university in the region — to honor writers and researchers with this prize.”

Authors, publishers or any member of the public may submit entries for the award. All entries must be received no later than Dec. 1, 2015. Submissions must be original, nonfiction publications in book format. (E-books are eligible, but check the website below for details.) Acceptable subject categories include history, the social and behavioral sciences, physical and life sciences, biography and autobiography, and nonfiction works dealing with the humanities. The subject of the works must be related directly to the San Fernando Valley.

An award of at least $750 will be given to a writer who has produced a significant work of nonfiction dealing directly with the San Fernando Valley region. In addition, an honorable mention award of $250 also may be presented if warranted. If no honorable mention is given, the main award will be in the amount of $1.000.

For additional information about the San Fernando Valley Award for Nonfiction, for complete guidelines or to request a submission application, call (818) 677-2638 or visit the Friends of the Library website.

The Oviatt Library is located at the center of the CSUN campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. The library serves as the main research facility in the San Fernando Valley. For more information about the library or its hours, visit its website or call (818) 677-2285.

Dianne R. Bartlow

California State University, Northridge gender and women’s studies professor Dianne R. Bartlow has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award for a piece spotlighting organizations that serve the homeless in Santa Monica.

“Santa Monica Cares” aired on Dec. 31, 2014, on CityTV of Santa Monica and was a joint effort by members of the Women’s Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America, of which Bartlow is a member. The program was nominated for an Emmy in the public, municipal and operator-produced cable category. The winner will be announced at the 67^th Los Angeles-area Emmy Awards presentation on Saturday, July 25.

Bartlow, an accomplished television director, writer and producer, said she was honored to receive the nomination.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s been over a decade since I’ve been nominated for an Emmy. It’s kind of nice.”

Joining Bartlow in the nomination are fellow producers Jerri Sher and Melanie Wagor, executive producers Mary Lou Belli and Robin Gee, and associate producers Al Johnson and Evan Zissimopulos. The team produced three segments featuring Santa Monica-based organizations that work with the homeless: Bread and Roses Cafe, Step Up on Second and OPCC (Ocean Park Community Center).

Bartlow, chair of CSUN’s Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, produced the feature on the Bread and Roses Café of the St. Joseph Center. The café, headed by chef Derek Walker, provides homeless men, women and children with a nutritious meal in a comfortable, welcoming environment.

“It’s a phenomenal place, where the homeless are able to get gourmet food and, at least for a short period of time each day, be treated with respect,” she said. “It’s a place where they can go to eat quality freshly prepared food and for a little while, forget they’re homeless.”

Bartlow, who has been teaching at CSUN since 2002, started her career as a news director and producer. She spent more than a decade in the broadcast journalism arena, garnering several Emmy Award nominations along the way. She worked on the “Two on the Town” magazine show for KCBS through the 1980s. When the show ended, she worked as a freelance producer for a number of years before returning to school to get a doctorate in communications, with an emphasis on critical cultural/media studies, gender, race and discourse, cognition and human interaction. Her research focuses on representations of African-American women in popular music, culture and film; 19^th-century black feminism; pedagogy and diversity; mothering, and violence against women.

She is currently developing two documentaries: “Justice Denied: Mothers Who Lose Custody” and “New Agenda: African-American Women and Music.”

Cole Christie

Cole Christie isn’t exactly sure what he will encounter when his plane lands next January in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but he does know that his life will be changed forever.

The recent California State University, Northridge graduate has been awarded a Fulbright Student Scholarship. He leaves in January 2016 to spend a year working as an English teaching assistant in Malaysia.

“I know I’ll spend my first few weeks in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, getting acclimated, and then after that, who knows?” Christie said. “It’s exciting, and I am so looking forward to it.”

In addition to teaching English, Christie will work with secondary education students to help them develop leadership skills and their ability to work with others. He will be in Malaysia for a year.

Christie, who graduated last month with a bachelor’s degree in management and a minor in geography, said he had always wanted to study overseas, but was so involved on campus — from working with CSUN’s student Outdoor Adventures program and mentoring fellow students to helping train orientation leaders and leading team-building efforts for students and staff — he was afraid he would lose his “momentum” if he took a semester abroad.

He was working at student orientation last year when he heard a staff member with CSUN’s International and Exchange Student Center talk about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“What I heard intrigued me,” Christie recalled.

Christie said he was interested in visiting Southeast Asia, but didn’t know where. He was researching countries when he stumbled upon Malaysia.

“It’s got three distinct cultures — Malay, Chinese and Indian,” he said. “Its population is so distinct, yet the country thrives. The country has a lot of strong values, and it’s been independent only about 60 years.

“I’ve always been in a place where I’ve been very comfortable,” Christie said. “I’ve never done anything out of my comfort zone. This Fulbright is different. I hope it helps me to realize how much I don’t know. I am also looking forward to observing another culture and bringing that back with me to use in a future business venture and help me in understanding people. Everything is socially based now. It’s important to know how to talk and work with people, with a strong and respectful understanding of their differences.”

Marta Lopez, director of CSUN’s international programs, said Christie’s appetite for knowledge and self-sufficiency have led to a passion for teaching. His extensive campus involvement and mentorship and volunteer efforts on and off campus have demonstrated strong leadership skills and a “strong desire to enrich the life experiences of others.”

“For this, the CSUN community is grateful, and we know that his experience in Malaysia will be very unique and enriching for Cole and those whose lives he will positively affect,” Lopez said.

The Fulbright Program is the leading international exchange program sponsored by the United State government. It is designed to provide students and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research worldwide. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides fellowships for U.S. graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study abroad for one academic year.

“CSUN encourages all undergraduate and graduate students to consider participating in the program to advance their understanding of other cultures and to further their study and research endeavors,” Lopez said.

The Fulbright Program’s goal is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating government and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Looking for a “golden ticket” for an entertaining summer family treat? California State University, Northridge’s Teenage Drama Workshop (TADW) is offering a journey “under the sea” with Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian, or a special tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Ariana George, as Ariel, and Canaan Smith, as Eric, rehearse a scene fro ‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.’ Photo by Michael Smith, courtesy of TADW.

The acclaimed summer youth theater program is presenting “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” adapted from Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, from July 10-25, and “Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.,” based on the Hans Christian Anderson story and Disney film, from July 15-24, at CSUN.

“Each summer for the last 58 years, the Teenage Drama Workshop has presented highly entertaining shows that, in many cases, introduce the art of live theater to young audiences,” said CSUN theater professor Doug Kaback, TADW’s executive director. “Our productions feature the creative work of professional directors and scenic, costume and lighting designers, but always keep the focus on our emerging teen artists as they shine on stage and behind the scenes.”

TADW started out as an activity for teens, to call attention to the cultural resources available at what was then San Fernando Valley State College. Over the years, the workshop has grown into a nationally acclaimed drama program.

One of the nation’s oldest such programs, TADW immerses the teenagers — this year there are about 80 students in grades seven to 12 — in the day-to-day reality of a professional theatrical troupe, from designing lighting, costumes and sets to learning lines and choreography during an intense six weeks, which started June 15.

The cast of ‘Disney’s the Little Mermaid Jr.’ in rehearsal. Photo by Melissa Filbeck.

In the mornings, the teenagers attend classes in acting, voice and dance. They can choose electives in improvisation, musical theater, playwriting or the technical aspects of theater production. The afternoons are spent in rehearsal, building sets or putting together costumes and props.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” audiences will meet “the most amazing, the most fantastic, the most extraordinary chocolate maker the world has ever seen!” A golden ticket awaits Charlie Bucket and others for a special factory tour by Willy Wonka and the Oompa-Loompas, as Dahl’s classic story is brought to life. The play is directed by Ronnie Sperling, with Chris Halsted.

Shipwrecks, a sea witch and silly sea gulls cannot stop true love in “Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.” Directed by Ray Saar, the musical invites audiences to journey “under the sea” with Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian the Crab.

There will be 10 performances of each show, with one performance each set aside as “sensory friendly” to make the theater experience accessible to children and adults on the autism spectrum or people with special needs. The sensory-friendly performances are scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on July 11 for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and at 11 a.m. on July 18 for “Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.”

The cast of ‘Charlie and Chocolate Factory’ rehearsing. Photo courtesy of Melissa Filbeck.

To make those shows sensory friendly, subtle adjustments will be made, including just a slight dimming of the lights and a reduction of jarring sounds or strobe lights focused on the audience. There will be a pre-performance introduction of the characters and synopsis of what will be happening on stage. In the lobby, there will be quiet areas and an activity area for those who need a break during the performance.

“There are families who have never before felt they could take their children to a live theater performance,” Kaback said. “We want them to feel welcome here at CSUN. We have made as many accommodations as we can to ensure that these performances are not overwhelming, and to take into account their children’s needs.

“This is our third year offering sensory-friendly performances, and each year the response has been overwhelmingly positive from the community.”

In addition to the two plays, TADW also will present its annual “10-Minute Play Festival,” where student playwrights explore the dreams and challenges of their lives in original, short plays. Students in TADW’s playwriting and improvisation electives collaborate to bring an idea from “age to stage” in six weeks.

For more information about TADW or any of the performances, call (818) 677-5811, email tadw@csun.edu or visit the website www.csun.edu/tadw.

Performances of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” are scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 10, 16 and 18; 11 a.m. on July 15, 17, 22, 23, 24 and 25; and 2 p.m. on July 11 in CSUN’s Little Theatre in Nordhoff Hall. Nordhoff Hall is located at the southwest corner of the campus near Etiwanda Avenue and Nordhoff Street in Northridge.

Performances of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.” are scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 15, 16, 17, 18 and 22; and 11 a.m. on July 17, 18, 22, 23 and 25 in CSUN’s Campus Theatre, also in Nordhoff Hall.

The “10-Minute Play Festival” is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on July 23 and 24 in the Little Theatre.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for children, seniors and groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased through the A.S. Ticket Office on campus or by telephone at (818) 677-2488.

Rebecca Mieliwocki, the 2012 National Teacher of the Year and California State University, Northridge alumna, will lead hundreds of fellow educators in an exploration of the best classroom practices during an unprecedented convergence on Friday, July 31. Teachers will gather at 33 locations across the state, including CSUN, for a free summit led by teachers for teachers.

“Better Together: California Teachers Summit” is a one-of-kind event designed to help teachers build a network of peers, share best practices and access effective resources to implement California’s educational standards. The statewide gathering is scheduled to take from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The CSUN meeting will take place at the Valley Performing Arts Center, located at the southern end of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

From left, Rebecca Mieliwocki and Michael Spagna. Photo by Lee Choo

“We all agree teachers deserve more opportunities to connect with other teachers, share what’s working in classrooms and learn cutting-edge strategies that help them maximize their skills,” said Michael Spagna, dean of CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. “That is why organizations from across the state, including the California State University system, have joined together to present this unprecedented day of learning.”

The program will include presentations from nationally renowned speakers and discussions led by teachers about new innovative practices.

“Teachers will walk away with access to resources and concrete tools they can immediately use in their classrooms,” Spagna said.

The event will include two keynote addresses that will be streamed live at the Valley Performing Arts Center. Mieliwocki will be one of three presenters to give Ed Talks at the CSUN location.

Mieliwocki, who earned a credential in secondary education from CSUN in 2001, teaches seventh grade English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank. She was the 2005 California League of Middle Schools Educator of the Year for Southern California. In 2012, she was recognized by President Barack Obama as the 62^nd National Teacher of the Year in a ceremony at the White House.

In additional to Mieliwocki, Tina Repetti-Renzullo and Aba Ngissah will give Ed Talks. Repetti-Renzullo is a 28-year veteran educator of K-12 grades, and currently a kindergarten teacher in the Pasadena Unified School District. She was named Los Angeles County Teacher of the year in 2010. Ngissah is a sixth grade teacher in the Inglewood Unified School District.

“Better Together: California Teachers Summit” is hosted by New Teacher Center, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and the California State University system. For more information or to register, visit the website http://www.cateacherssummit.com.

A rendering of what the KCSN on-site studio at the Village at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills.

When the San Fernando Valley’s newest street-retail destination, the Village at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills, opens this fall, it will feature an on-site radio studio and performance event venue for California State University, Northridge’s own public radio station, KCSN 88.5-FM/Los Angeles.

The partnership between the station and Westfield will allow the public to experience on-air broadcasts and live music from one of the Southland’s most talked-about radio stations. KCSN offers a 24-hour, commercial-free blend of rock, alternative, soul, blues and Americana.

“KCSN is excited to have been chosen by the Village at Westfield Topanga as its curator of popular music and entertainment,” said Sky Daniels, KCSN’s general manager and program director. “We know that Westfield has already attracted some of LA’s most iconic retail brands to the Village, and we are honored to be part of that mix.”

The station’s remote studio and performance venue at the Village will broadcast live daily with a programming slate that includes “Mornings with Nic Harcourt,” which airs Monday through Friday; Les Perry’s “Saturday with The Beatles” and Jim Nelson’s “Music Mix,” which air on Saturdays; Lisa Finnie’s “Dylan Hour” and “Masters of Song” and Pat Baker’s “Tangled Roots,” which air on Sundays.

“88.5 KCSN is Southern California’s premier music public radio station, as well as LA’s ultimate tastemaker when it comes to the music scene,” said Larry Green, Westfield’s senior vice president for development. “This partnership not only will provide the opportunity for Westfield’s visitors to engage with their favorite DJs and artists, but allows them to become part of the music experience itself.”

In addition to its radio shows, KCSN produces and broadcasts live performances from high profile and legendary acts, as well as local artists. The station now will be able to host these sessions at the Village. Among the station management’s plans are a live performance from one of Los Angeles’ top local artists every Sunday afternoon.

KCSN live acts in the past have included such bands as Alabama Shakes, Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket and Snow Patrol, legendary artists such as Paul Weller, John Hiatt, Los Lobos and John Mellencamp.

The KCSN space will feature large, transparent windows, providing visitors to the Village the opportunity to get an up-close look at what’s going on in the studio. It also will have a portable 16-by-24-foot wide performance stage outside the studio.

Opening in fall 2015 across the street from the Westfield Topanga mall, the Village will be home to many of Los Angeles’ leading street retail, restaurants, home furnishing, personal services and celebrity concepts, including Kate Hudson’s Fabletics, Karina Smirnoff’s Dance Studio, Fred Levine’s M. Fredric and celebrity florist Amy Marella’s Fleurish. The open-air Village, landscaped with mature California Sycamores, olive trees and native California plants, also will host 15 eateries. Upon opening, the  Village, combined with Westfield Topanga and the adjacent Promenade, will be home to more than 300 tenants, with an anticipated 20 million annual visits.

A service of California State University, Northridge, KCSN 88.5-FM offers a 24-hour, commercial-free blend of rock, alternative, soul, blues and Americana, including a wide range of artists such as U2, Tom Petty, Jack White, Arcade Fire, The Head and the Heart, and Beck. The station’s programming also is available on the station’s HD1 channel and online at KCSN.org. The station reaches an audience of more than 3.5 million people.

WHAT:         California State University, Northridge student-athletes, Olympians and Matty the Matador will all be on hand to give a hearty send-off to nearly 500 athletes from around the world as they head off to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games.

As part of the Special Olympics Host Town program, from July 21-24, CSUN is hosting the largest contingent of 2015 Special Olympics World Games competitors as they train and prepare for the event being held in Los Angeles July 25 through Aug. 2. CSUN will be temporarily home to athletes from Azerbaijan, Hellas (Greece), Malta, Serbia, Venezuela, and Vietnam. CSUN has partnered with multiple communities throughout the San Fernando Valley to make this a memorable experience for the competitors. Partner communities include Chatsworth, Northridge, Reseda, Tarzana, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

On July 24, the CSUN community will be on hand to cheer the athletes on as they enjoy breakfast on campus, gather their gear and climb onto buses headed to the competition

WHEN:           8:15 to 9 a.m., Friday, July 24, 2015

 WHERE:         

California State University, Northridge

Matador Track & Field Complex — off Lindley Avenue between Lassen and Halsted Streets

Northridge, CA 91330

(Media parking will be available along Lindley Avenue.)

WHO:             

Nearly 500 Special Olympic athletes from around the world

Dozens of CSUN student-athletes

Matty the Matador

CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison

CSUN Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brandon Martin

Jeff Stork, CSUN’s head women’s volleyball and beach volleyball coach and a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist

Dawn Ellerbe, CSUN’s associate athletic director for marketing, branding and fan engagement and a former track & field Olympian

Media Contacts: CCarmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN Media Relations,  (818) 677-2130, carmen.chandler@csun.edu

From left to right, Phyllis Bradley, Lorraine Bradley, Ethel Bradley and Tom Bradley as they celebrate the election of Tom Bradley as mayor of Los Angeles in 1973. The photo was taken by Guy R. Crowder and is part of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center’s collection at CSUN.

California State University, Northridge has joined forces with the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation to develop a unique resource for the study of the ethnic communities of Los Angeles and the sharing of their stories.

The Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at CSUN will build on the efforts of the university’s Institute for Arts & Media to preserve the visual history of Southern California, with an emphasis on ethnic minority communities. The Bradley Center will continue the collection and archiving already done at CSUN and will encourage research into and exploration of the collections.

“This is a very exciting step forward for us at CSUN,” said journalism professor Kent Kirkton, director of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center, named for the late Los Angeles mayor and his wife. “We already have a significant historical collection of approximately a million photographs and many dozens of oral histories documenting the ethnic communities of the region. Now, having cemented our relationship with the Bradley family and foundation, we expect to be even more productive.

“Lorraine Bradley [the Bradelys’ daughter] and Greg Franks, president of the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation, bring not only new ideas and great enthusiasm to the project, they have lifelong interests and a commitment to developing a place where this kind of work can take place. They are also intimately connected to Los Angeles and its citizens.”

Franks said Tom Bradley had a great appreciation of and love for all aspects of the city, “particularly the rich cultural diversity that makes Los Angeles unique and special.”

“But the story of our great city — the story of all the communities that make up Los Angeles — really hasn’t been told correctly,” he said. “We, at the foundation, were looking for a partner to help us tell that story, and we found the greatest institution we could partner with — CSUN,” he said. “The university shares our interest in telling Los Angeles’ story and is an exciting environment of learning that truly understands the power of education in the exchange of ideas, facilitating dialogue and making positive change.”

Lorraine Bradley called CSUN the “perfect partner” to carry on her parents’ legacy, which included a respect and love for Los Angeles and its residents.

“Daddy wasn’t mayor of just one section of Los Angeles; he was mayor of all of LA, and the people who live here and voted for him for five terms knew that,” she said. “It just seems right that Cal State Northridge, one of the biggest and one of the most diverse universities in the country, be home to a center dedicated to his and my mother’s legacy.

“People forget that the San Fernando Valley is part of the City of Los Angeles, and CSUN, with its rich diversity of students, truly represents all the people of Los Angeles,” Bradley said.

Kirkton said the Bradley Center will continue the institute’s efforts to preserve the area’s visual history, but will have a renewed focus on the years when Tom Bradley served as Los Angeles’ mayor, from 1973 to 1993.

“We plan to focus on the spirit of inclusion and cooperation that marked Tom Bradley’s years as mayor,” Kirkton said. “As one of our colleagues put it, Los Angeles in the ’80s was a unique city. It worked.”

Bradley was Los Angeles’ only African-American mayor, and his 20 years in office marked the longest tenure of any mayor in the city’s history.

Bradley was the grandson of a slave and born to poor sharecroppers in a small log cabin in Texas. His family moved first to Arizona and then California in the early 1920s. He attended UCLA on an athletic scholarship, but left his studies in 1940 to become one of just 400 African-Americans in the Los Angeles Police Department. At the time, there were only two options for African-American LA police officers: serve in the predominately African American Newton Street Division or work traffic downtown. He married his wife, Ethel, in 1941.

Tom Bradley spent his days as a police officer and attended law school at night. He became active in Democratic politics and eventually won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council in 1963. In 1973, he unseated incumbent Sam Yorty to become mayor.

While her husband oversaw Los Angeles, Ethel Bradley avoided the political spotlight. She held teas, rooted for the Dodgers from her permanent seat behind home plate at Dodger Stadium and took pride in cultivating a garden showcase at the mayoral mansion in Windsor Square.

Tom Bradley died in 1998, and Ethel Bradley followed him in death 10 years later.

The Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation was established in 2003 and was charged with carrying on the Bradleys’ legacy.

CSUN’s Tom & Ethel Bradley Center will absorb the functions of the university’s Institute for Arts & Media, which was originally established by Kirkton in 1981 as the Center for Photojournalism and Visual History. In addition to having an extensive collection of photographs, the institute gathered oral histories, manuscripts and other ephemeral materials supporting the photograph collection.

The Bradley Center holds more than 1 million images. Many of the images were produced by African-American freelance and independent photographers in the African-American communities in and near Los Angeles.

Other noteworthy collections held by the Bradley Center include images by acclaimed Mexican photographer Julián Cardona, who spent the past two decades chronicling life on both sides of the border; the late freelance photographer Richard Cross, who documented the wars in El Salvador and Honduras for Newsweek, Associated Press, The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report, where he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; Emmon Clarke, a volunteer photographer for César Chávez and the United Farmworkers during the formative period of the union; and photographer Herb Carlton, who spent his career at the Los Angeles Daily News, starting at the paper when it was known as the Valley News and Green Sheet.

While celebrities such as Halle Berry, Lady Gaga, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Fonda, Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Sarah Silverman and John Krasinski looked on, California State University, Northridge was awarded a $60,000 grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to support students working on their senior film projects.

CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison and actor Jon Hamm at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s dinner earlier this month. Photo courtesy of Dianne F. Harrison.

The presentation to CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts was made during the association’s star-studded annual dinner earlier this month at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. In addition to the grant, the association also gave $5,000 towards a $25,000 endowed scholarship fund at CSUN to support students in the department’s film option.

“As our film program continues to garner accolades from industry leaders around the world, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been and continues to be an integral partner in our success,” said cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas, who heads CSUN’s film option and attended the dinner with CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. “Its generous funding continues to be a factor in the aspiration and realization of the dreams of our film students.”

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is made up of international journalists who report on the entertainment industry and hosts the Golden Globes each year, donated more than $2 million in grants to a variety of entertainment-related and charitable organizations at the luncheon. The donations benefit a wide range of projects, including higher education, training and mentoring and the promotion of cultural exchange through film.

Thomas noted that over the past 18 years, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has awarded CSUN more than $835,000 for senior film projects.

“That translates into about 150 senior film fellows — students who, through the generosity of the association, made major steps forward in becoming filmmakers,” he said. “In addition, various institutional grants from the association have funded equipment purchases and outfitted various department facilities. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has truly made a difference on our campus.”

In addition to the association’s continued support of the film students’ senior projects, CSUN students also edit in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Senior Film Edit Suite on campus and work on sound design in a state-of-the-art sound mix facility made possible by a grant from the association.

Hailed by Variety as among the top film schools in the world, California State University, Northridge’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts, housed in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication, has an international reputation for producing dedicated and talented entertainment industry professionals who recognize the value of hard work as they learn and continue to perfect their crafts. The department’s alumni work in all aspects of entertainment media, from writing, producing and directing to manning cameras and having the final say in what project is made.

From left, Aby Catalan, Michelle Bonilla, Eliana Barouni and Michelle Sanchez. They are among the students who are helping to organize CSUN’s first Matadors Day of Service. Photo courtesy of Maria Elizondo.

WHAT:           Hundreds of California State University, Northridge freshmen will fan out into the community Saturday, Aug. 29, to take part in several beautification projects on and off the campus as part of Matadors Day of Service.

 University officials have partnered with local community leaders, including Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander’s office, Northridge Sparkle, the three Northridge neighborhood councils and the Northridge Chamber of Commerce, to initiate what they hope will become a tradition of service for CSUN’s incoming freshmen classes.

The Matadors Day of Service will focus on the neighborhoods surrounding the university and will include such projects as street sweeping, litter clean up and weed removal, as well as a gardening project at CSUN’s Associated Students Children’s Center.

WHEN:          8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

8 a.m. – Registration

8:30 a.m. – Welcome remarks

9 a.m. – Departure on foot to project sites

10:30 to 11 a.m. – Return to campus for a celebratory picnic

WHERE:        California State University, Northridge

18111 Nordhoff St.

Northridge, CA 91330

(Students will begin and end the day’s activities on CSUN’s Bayramian Lawn, located on the west side of the campus just north of Prairie Street on Etiwanda Avenue.)

WHO:                         Hundreds of CSUN freshmen

Media Contacts: Carmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN Media Relations, (818) 677-2130 or Maria Elizondo, Matador Involvement Center, at the event.

Students sit in front of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library during the first week of classes for the 2015-16 academic year. A record 42,000 students are expected to attend CSUN this year. Photo by Luis Garcia..

With a record 42,000 students enrolled, California State University, Northridge is launching its 2015-16 academic year with a flurry of activities — from picnics and a Matadors Day of Service to Freshman Convocation — to welcome its students, including the reinstatement of students’ ability to engage in fraternity and sorority recruitment efforts.

New-member recruitment, intake and pledging was suspended last year following several hazing incidents and the tragic death of Armando Villa. During that time, student leaders — with the support of campus staff — dedicated themselves to an intense process of discussion and self-reflection. This exchange resulted in a set of recommendations intended to change the culture and end hazing behaviors within the Greek community, and to improve the overall quality of new-member recruitment and intake processes.

These guidelines, created and submitted by the CSUN New Member Intake Review Committee, were adopted by university officials this summer and underscore CSUN’s zero-tolerance policies on hazing. The guidelines emphasize personal responsibility, as well as organizational accountability, with a focus on Greek chapter programs and activities related to new members. They also focus on increased transparency for achievements and infractions among the fraternities and sororities.

Senior Joshua Stepakoff, president of CSUN’s Interfraternity Council and co-chair of the New Member Intake Review Committee, said committee members believed the root of the issue was in an “outdated” view of what it means to be a fraternity or sorority member.

“As student leaders, we came to the realization that there needs to be a culture shift among our peers and within the fraternity and sorority community,” Stepakoff said. “A return to our fundamental values — core values such as respect, dignity, leadership and service to our communities — values that should never be associated with behaviors that potentially harm or humiliate another person under the guise of belonging, ritual or tradition.”

He noted that there is significant support and excitement around the new direction of the Greek community.

“Everyone is looking forward to the ability to recruit, but more importantly, our community understands and knows it was time for a change,” he said.

In fall 2014, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison said that this change was not negotiable and that student safety was of paramount importance.

“Fraternities and sororities have long provided meaningful leadership, service and philanthropic opportunities to our students,” she said. “However, Greek life must take place in a hazing-free environment. I am pleased that Greek student leaders have championed the necessary cultural shift to move past the outdated and toxic thinking that leads to hazing.”

Since the suspension of recruitment efforts, university administrators made it clear that new member intake activities would not be allowed to resume until acceptable guidelines were developed and adopted for use by all recognized fraternity and sorority chapters. Student leaders worked closely with their peers, as well as campus administrators, to achieve this goal.

“Following a thorough review of the proposed guidelines and several opportunities to listen to students engage in thoughtful dialogue about changing Greek culture through use of the then-proposed guidelines, I became confident that it is time to permit the resumption of new-member intake,” said William Watkins, CSUN’s vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “The new guidelines require the positive participation of all active members, and it is expected that all members will fully support the leaders of their fraternity or sorority chapters as the new guidelines are implemented.”

Watkins pointed out that the university’s zero tolerance for hazing remains in effect.

“This means that prospective, new and active members are expected to report all acts of hazing, and every report will be taken seriously and investigated,” he said. “Confirmed acts of hazing will result in individual student and/or chapter sanctions as appropriate.

The guidelines include requiring the submission of a form on which the president of the sorority or fraternity chapter acknowledges and agrees that the chapter will abide by the new guidelines; all recruitment and new-member education will be concluded before the start of finals, and an emphasis will be placed on educating new members and pledges about hazing prevention and bystander intervention; and increasing visibility of all pre-initiation/recruitment activities by placing them online where anyone, including parents, can see them. The online content would also contain information about new-member intake/education plans and list any conduct sanctions against the organization in the past five years.

A moratorium on new-member off-campus retreats, outings, hikes and similar events remains in place this fall while guidelines policing those activities are finalized.

“It goes without saying that many individuals on and off campus will be watching to see whether the fraternity and sorority community at CSUN will move in the right direction of providing a high-quality engagement in Greek life without future incidence of harm to our students,” Watkins continued. “We are all hoping that as the semester moves forward, we will see the emergence of a new era of Greek life.”

New-member recruitment for fraternities and sororities formally begins next week. It is one of more than a dozen activities taking place on the campus in conjunction with the start of the new academic year.

Thousands of students attended the annual President’s Welcome Picnic on Aug. 27, and hundreds of freshmen fanned out into the community to take part in several beautification projects on Aug. 29, as part of the inaugural Matadors Day of Service.

Today and tomorrow, thousands of students will be exploring hundreds of ways to get involved on campus at CSUN’s annual Meet the Clubs events. On Saturday, Sept. 9, thousands of students will take part in Matador Nights, an evening celebration of the start of the new year. The welcome activities culminate on Thursday, Sept. 10, with Freshman Convocation, an annual event that formally welcomes first-year students to the university.

The Los Angeles River. Photo courtesy of Mike Antos

Despite rising temperatures, Californians this summer cut their water use significantly in an effort to help the state deal with a severe, ongoing drought.

The reduction for two straight months — by more than 31 percent in July alone –caught many officials by surprise, but not Mike Antos, director of California State University, Northridge’s new Center for Urban Water Resilience. Antos, former programs director for the Council for Watershed Health, noted that most policymakers underestimated how responsive the public would be once it realized how serious the state’s water situation was.

Mike Antos

“There’s something fundamentally different in our human relationship with water than our relationship with other resources, and it changes the conversation,” he said. “It puts people in a more collaborative, cooperative spirit when you are talking about water. The response to the drought, the overwhelming response to the ‘cash for grass’ programs [that offer rebates for replacing water-consuming landscaping] are examples of the community stepping up to the challenge. The community response has been powerful. Californians get it, and that community knowledge sometimes is discounted and shouldn’t be.”

Tapping into that knowledge to help the region and state get a handle on the impact of the drought — and help develop plans for how urban areas respond to issues created by a less-certain water supply — is why CSUN’s Center for Urban Water Resilience was created, Antos said.

“We really are focused on people’s relationship with water and with one another in relation to water, how we can draw from the strengths that are already there and change those things that need to be changed,” he said.

The center was established earlier this year in CSUN’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as a way to build a bridge between those at CSUN doing social research with implications for California’s water, and those in the community dealing directly with water issues. By working together, Antos said, university researchers and community members may be able to find solutions to water problems that are unique to urban environments, like the Los Angeles region.

“A resilient community has the capacity to respond to and recover from both acute and chronic challenges, and urban communities confront specific water-related challenges,” Antos said. “This drought is one example, and the potential for a rainy winter is another. There are others, less well known, like pollution and trash carried by rain runoff, legacy pollution in groundwater basins, and the risks of floods big and small. All of these challenges exist today, and likely will be made more difficult by climate change.

“In Los Angeles, the urban water challenges are distinct compared to other environments,” he said, noting that local groundwater provides only minimal amounts of drinking water, today up to 87 percent of Los Angeles’ water has been imported. Historically, local water was the lifeblood of the region.

“In the short term, we face continued water shortages throughout the state brought on by the drought. Longer-term, California communities will together face climate change-related water challenges that will have far-reaching impacts,” Antos said. “Our efforts at the center will create social connectivity to solve urban water problems, and develop a better understanding of the hydro-social implications of living in an urban environment.”

The center already has reached out to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office and developed a way for CSUN faculty and students to assist with Los Angeles River Revitalization efforts, including figuring out how to open more stream bank miles to public access. The center is working with local conservancy groups, as well as other governmental and community agencies that are doing water-related work.

“We are here to help facilitate interdisciplinary research, conversations and learning about social water with CSUN students, staff and faculty, community members, involved government agencies, community foundations, really, anyone and everyone who wants to join us,” Antos said. “The key is bringing people together so they can talk and work together to come up with solutions. Working together to solve problems also builds community resilience.”

Regardless of whether forecasts for a fierce El Niño come true this winter or not, he said the drought will have repercussions in the state for years. But, Antos said, how Californians are stepping up during the drought is a large ray of hope.

“There is no question that California is deeply challenged by this drought,” he said, “but there remain many opportunities to eliminate inefficiency in our system. We do have challenges to overcome, but we’re learning that together, we are up to some pretty big challenges.”

Jeph Loeb

Emmy Award-nominated writer and producer Jeph Loeb, head of the television division for Marvel Entertainment, will launch the 2015-16 Commerce of Creativity Distinguished Speaker Series at California State University, Northridge with an exploration of the ever-merging worlds of comic books and television entertainment.

Loeb — a four-time Eisner Award winner and a five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner as a writer of comic books for such characters as Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, Supergirl, the Avengers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer — will talk with CSUN English professor Charles Hatfield, himself an Eisner winner, and CSUN cinema and television arts professor Jon Stahl at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Plaza del Sol Performance Hall. The hall is located in the University Student Union, on the east side of the campus off Zelzah Street.

“Comic books and fandom are going through huge changes right now, and the Marvel television and film phenomenon is a crucial part of that,” said Hatfield. “Jeph Loeb’s career is in television, film and comic books epitomizes the expanding crossover of comics and other media.

“I know from teaching ‘Comics and Graphic Novels’ for the past 10 years that many of our students have a strong interest in the world of Marvel,” Hatfield added, “so Jeph Loeb’s talk is a great event for CSUN.”

Stahl agreed.

“Jeph Loeb’s career reflects the merging of three of the most significant forms of entertainment in our society — comic books, film and television,” Stahl said. “It suggests to our students that the flexibility to embrace multiple forms, media and business models is the appropriate mindset that will enable them to succeed as the entertainment industry continues to evolve, and as previously separate models of expression converge.”

Loeb began his entertainment career collaborating on the script for the 1985 film, “Teen Wolf,” starring Michael J. Fox. He also co-wrote the film “Commando,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He spent a number of years as screenwriter before catching the eye of DC Comics publisher Jenette Kahn.

His first comic work for DC was “Challengers of the Unknown” vol. 2 #1, the first of many collaborations with artist Tim Sale. Their later DC works include “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials,” “Batman: Long Halloween” (which is said to be among the inspirations for the film “Batman Begins”), “Batman: Dark Victory,” “Superman for All Seasons” and “Catwoman: When in Rome.” Loeb also wrote for “Superman. His work on “Superman/Batman” inspired the new “Supergirl” television series.

At Marvel Comics, Loeb worked on the “Age of Apocalypse” crossover storyline and co-created the X-Man character with artist Steve Skroce. Loeb wrote the “Heroes Reborn” version of Captain America. He and Sale crafted several limited series for Marvel, including “Daredevil: Yellow,” “Spider-Man: Blue” and “Hulk: Grey.” He also wrote the miniseries “Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America.” He signed an exclusive contract with Marvel in 2005.

In 2002, Loeb wrote the script for an episode of “Smallville,” and he eventually rose to become supervising producer of the series. He later became a writer and producer for the television series “Lost.” He left that show to co-executive produce and write the NBC drama “Heroes,” which went on to earn a 2007 Emmy Award nomination for outstanding drama series.

In 2010, Loeb was named head of television for Marvel and is currently executive producer for “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Marvel’s Agent Carter” for ABC, as well as “Marvel’s Daredevil” and “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” for Netflix.

Loeb’s talk at CSUN coincides the university’s much-heralded “Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby” exhibition at the CSUN Art Galleries. The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 10, features the works of comic book artist Jack Kirby, co-creator, designer and original artist of famous characters such as Captain America, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Black Panther. About 100 pieces of Kirby’s work are displayed and a roughly 200-page, full-color catalog accompanies the exhibition. Loeb’s first comic book work, “Challengers of the Unknown” in 1991 was a revival of a Jack Kirby comic from 1957. Many of Loeb’s comics are based partly on Kirby creations.

The Commerce of Creativity Distinguished Speaker Series is organized by the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication to connect members of the campus, alumni and community with compelling and creative storytellers who have made a significant contribution to the art of creative communication and the art of business.

The speaker series is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. To reserve a seat or for more information, email valerie.jimenez@csun.edu.

CSUN’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication is inspired by the shared belief that arts are community, community is art, and art and communication are essential pillars for building and maintaining community. Its programs, including those in art, music, theater, cinema and television arts, communication studies and journalism, have an international reputation for graduating skilled professionals who succeed in their respective fields.

Graduates celebrating at of California State University, Northridge’s 2014 commencement ceremonies. Photo by Lee Choo.

Graduates from California State University, Northridge earn more than $64,000 annually — nearly $16,000 a year more than their classmates who dropped out — 10 years after leaving the university.

Research by a pair of CSUN faculty members in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics led to the development of what they believe is a more accurate way of measuring the success of college graduates using state employment and tax data to track how much alumni earn two years, five years and 10 years after they graduate from an institution. Their method takes into account students who drop out or transfer to other institutions, and it tracks the success of students who go on to graduate school.

In 2013, management professor Richard Moore and economics professor Kenneth Chapman issued their first report on the status of CSUN graduates five years after graduation, about the time President Barack Obama first started pushing for a new rating system for colleges. The president advocated for a system that, among other things, judged schools on the success of their graduates.

The White House abandoned the ratings system earlier this month for a new “College Scorecard” that includes measurements of students’ earnings six and 10 years after they started at a college, a concept very similar to the research done by Moore, Chapman and study contributor Bettina Huber, CSUN’s director of institutional research.

“We salute the federal government for making the extraordinary effort to provide comparable information on the cost of college and the earning of students, after they leave,” Moore said. “But this first effort comes up short by our standards. The federal earning measures are based on the 36 percent of CSUN students who took out federal loans, and then mix together the earning of graduates who earned bachelor’s degrees with dropouts and students who went on to earn graduate degrees.

“We look at these groups separately,” Moore continued. “In our search, we found data for almost 60 percent of all students and a higher percentage of graduates. The Department of Education reports average earning of $44,000 10 years after graduation. Our results with a larger population of students find earnings of $48,000 for dropouts and $64,000 for graduates with only bachelor’s degrees 10 years after leaving CSUN. In terms of earnings, this is a huge difference. The federal estimate, while showing CSUN to be above average, significantly underestimates the value of a CSUN degree.”

Moore, Chapman and Huber established five guiding principles they argue would create a realistic, unbiased way of measuring success of an institution’s students: follow all matriculated students over time; use standard data available in every state, such as employment records and tax rolls; create standard, easy-to-understand labor market measures; break down the data to the campus and program level; and make the results public.

The trio of researchers used this method to measure the economic success of CSUN students. They collected records for all entering students, including first-time freshmen and transfer and post-baccalaureate students, for the years 1995-2000. They issued their first report in 2013, offering a snapshot of CSUN students’ success.

Five years after leaving CSUN, the average annual salary for the university’s graduates was about $51,000. For those who completed graduate degrees, the average annual salary five years out of CSUN was more then $68,000, while the salary for those who dropped out of the university was about $38,000.

The follow-up study takes a look at the annual salary for CSUN students 10 years after they leave the university. CSUN graduates earn, on average, $64,000 annually a decade after leaving the university. Those who completed graduate degrees have an average annual salary of more than $73,000. Those who dropped out of the university earned, on average, about $44,000 a year 10 years after leaving CSUN.

“Any group that you look at has different job market characteristics,” Chapman said. “They all start out pretty close to each other when they exit school, but the really impressive differences are over time because the earnings profile gets steeper for the higher level of education received. The gap between the ones who got their degrees and the [dropouts] is always there, but the more years you are out of school, the bigger the gap is.”

The follow-up study also includes a look into the industries CSUN graduates choose for careers. Five years after leaving the university, the top five industries for CSUN graduates are: educational services; health care and social assistance; professional, scientific and technical services; finance and insurance; and information.

“If you look at the industries that our graduates are going into, we are aligned with the modern service economy,” Moore said, noting that some skeptics wonder why such a report is even necessary. “This tells the story about how aligned we are with the economy, as well as how our students are doing, and communicates the value of graduating and providing information to students and their families for making choices.”

A copy of the complete report, including a breakdown by college and program, can be found on the university’s Office of Institutional Research website in the “CSUN by the Numbers” link under Alumni Earnings.

CSUN political science professor Jason Morin

Immigrants are regular targets for Republican candidates as they battle for the chance to represent their party in the race for the White House next year.

But California State University, Northridge political science professor Jason Morin, whose research focuses on Latino voters, warns that Republicans should not forget the lessons from California’s 1994 elections, when the party led a successful effort to pass Proposition 187. The proposition would have prevented undocumented immigrants in the country illegally from receiving public services, including education. The measure was invalidated by federal courts and helped drive Latinos from the Republican Party. California is now considered a solid “blue” state whose voters support Democratic candidates in national elections.

“For Latino voters, immigration is an important gateway issue, meaning that presidential candidates will have to support comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship if they wish to have any realistic shot at courting Latino voters,” Morin said. “It is becoming apparent, though, that some Republicans are taking a hardline stance against comprehensive immigration reform and relying on nativist rhetoric to court conservative voters — which, by the way, is strikingly similar to the rhetoric used by Governor Pete Wilson in the 1990s.

“In this particular primary, Republican candidates are using undocumented immigrants — especially undocumented immigrants from Latin America — as scapegoats for myriad of American problems: economic downturn, unemployment rates, changing demographics,” Morin said. “They are calling for walls along the U.S.-Mexican border, mass deportations and changes to birthright citizenship. They are calling for complete cultural assimilation and for immigrants to give up the language of their home country. These positions on immigration have not helped Republicans with courting Latino voters, especially since many Latino citizens know someone who is undocumented. In fact, these positions have been viewed as an attack on Latinos, regardless of their nativity.”

Still, Morin said, both political parties have an opportunity to court Latino voters.

“It is still early in the primary season, and recent polls show that some Latino voters are still undecided in the presidential race. But Republican candidates need to change their stance on immigration first if they wish to improve their polling numbers,” he said.

Immigration is not the only issue important to Latino voters.

“Both political parties have an opportunity to talk about other policy issues,” Morin noted, “but the parties have preconceived notions about what Latino voters want. One misconception is that immigration is the only issue that Latinos consider to be important.

“This is not true,” he said. “Although it is certainly salient, the most pressing issues for Latino voters are the economy, unemployment and education. More recent evidence also indicates that Latinos care about access to affordable health care and climate change. Both parties need to do a better job at communicating to Latinos how they intend to improve in these policy areas.”

Another misconception is that Latinos can be courted on the basis of their religious heritage, he said.

“The Republican Party especially has hedged their bets on this belief,” Morin said. “However, moral issues such as abortion and same sex-marriage are not the most important issues for Latinos. In fact, Latino evangelicals were divided when they went to the polls in the last presidential election. This is because other issues, such as immigration, simply mattered more to them. In 2012, Latino voters were concerned about Governor Romney’s stance toward immigration and his policy of self-deportation, which was a position that alienated Latinos.”

The road to the White House for this presidential election will not be easy for Republicans, Morin noted.

“If the Republicans are serious about taking the White House next year, they need to capture more than 40 percent of the Latino vote, which is more than what President Bush was able to do in 2004,” he said.

Though Democrats hold an edge over Republicans, Morin pointed out that both parties should avoid taking Latinos for granted.

“In the 2012 presidential election, many Latino voters were not contacted by either political party,” he said. “It is important for both parties to convey the message that they care about Latinos and that their vote matters. Both parties need to strengthen their mobilization efforts by expanding their level of outreach. They need to knock on doors, encourage Latinos to register to vote, and inform Latinos about their positions on key policy issues. They need to embrace diversity within their respective parties by moving beyond their traditional base.”

The Latino vote will matter in the 2016 presidential election. Latinos are now the largest minority population in the U.S. and their numbers continue to grow. Some groups, Morin noted, are estimating that the number of eligible Latino voters has increased to 28 million, up from the previous general election.

He pointed out that each year, approximately 800,000 Latinos turn 18 nationwide. A majority of Latinos turning 18 were born in the U.S., which means they are citizens and eligible to vote.

Morin warned that both major political parties must understand the potential ramifications of an anti-immigrant campaign.

“The actions both parties take today will have repercussions for future elections. Latinos residing in California have not forgotten the political landscape of the 1990s. The anti-immigrant context in which we live can have a profound impact on what Latinos believe later in life and, in turn, how they vote.”

California State University, Northridge has partnered with the Clinton Global Initiative to challenge students to draw upon what they’ve learned in the classroom to create innovative plans for addressing some of the world’s more pressing issues.

CSUN students have until Dec. 1 to come up with ideas to address issues in one of five areas: education, environment and climate change, poverty alleviation, peace and human rights, and public health. At least one student will be invited to join other college students from around the globe for a meeting next spring with former President Bill Clinton, to network and talk about how they can make a positive difference in the world.

“It will be amazing to see what these students can do when their imaginations are unleashed,” said Elizabeth Say, dean of CSUN’s College of Humanities, who is heading CSUN’s participation in the initiative. “The students have an opportunity to take what they are learning in the classroom and make a difference in the world.”

This is CSUN’s first year as part of the Clinton Global Initiative’s university effort. The initiative, established in 2005 by President Clinton, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. The Clinton Global Initiative University was launched in 2007 as a way of engaging the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.

College students are invited to create their own “commitments to action” that address issues on campus, in their local communities or around the world. They must come up with detailed plans on how they will take concrete steps toward problem-solving in one of the five identified areas. The projects can be done individually, or by a small team of students from colleges around the world or at the same university.

“The areas [encompassed by the initiative] are pretty broad. They truly open the doors to all kinds of possible projects,” said Spanish and linguistics professor Kenneth Luna, who is CSUN’s campus mentor for the initiative.

Past “commitments” from students at other universities included a soccer ball that generated energy, a mobile app that identified counterfeit drugs, a post-conflict sports league and a mentoring program for first-generation college students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

“The students don’t have to come up with solutions for problems half a world away,” Luna said. “If they want, they can come up with solutions for problems right in their own backyard. The key is coming up with an idea and following through.

“What’s unique about this effort is that it is entirely student driven,” Luna continued. “The students are the ones who come up with the idea, do what networking is required, gather their resources and follow through on seeing their ideas come to fruition. The faculty are there to serve as mentors and provide guidance. It empowers the students to make a difference.”

Luna said he has been amazed by some of the projects past students have created.

“They are proof that when students are passionate about something and want to make it happen, they can do it,” he said. “When I look around our campus and see our students, I know that they have the capability of doing amazing work. The potential is there. They can change the world. They just need to put their minds to it.”

For more information about CSUN’s participation in the initiative, contact Luna at kenneth.luna@csun.edu.

Boophane disticha Port Elizabeth. Photo by Tom Glavich.

Like wayfaring friends who appear on your doorstep with a bounty of treasure and then are gone, bulbs share their colorful displays and then slumber for several months before new growth above the soil heralds their return.

From Albuca, Boophone, Calibanus and Eucrosia to Lachenalia, Ornithogalum, Tricyrtis and Zephyranthes, the list of exotic bulbs that can grow in Southern California goes on and on. The next CSUN-al Gardening session — scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at California State University, Northridge — will explore what gardeners should know about bulbs and how to keep them flourishing.

“We who garden in Southern California benefit from the area’s Mediterranean climate,” said Brenda Kanno, manager of CSUN’s Botanic Garden, which hosts the CSUN-al Gardening Series. “The list of bulbs that can grow here, whether in pots or in the ground, is almost endless.”

Tom Glavich, proprietor of Skyview Succulents, will lead the session on bulbs. Glavich is an accomplished grower of bulbs, succulents and bromeliads. He is the author of the book, “The Beginner’s Guide to Haworthia, Agave and Other Succulent Monocots.” In addition to monthly newsletter contributions, he also is co-chair of the annual Inter-City Cactus and Succulent Show in Arcadia, and he is the co-chair of the research committee of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.

Registration for the free class begins today, Sept. 30, and is required. Email botanicgarden@csun.edu to request a space in the class or for more information. Driving and parking instructions, as well as the class meeting location, will be sent upon registration.

CSUN’s Botanic Garden is operated by the university’s Department of Biology and serves as a field site for botany, entomology, photography, painting and other classes. In addition to outdoor landscapes and natural botanic environments, the garden also features greenhouses where noteworthy botanical specimens are grown. The garden was recently ranked by Best Colleges Online as one of the 50 “most amazing” university botanic gardens in the United States.

Visit the website www.csun.edu/botanicgarden/ for more information about CSUN’s Botanic Garden.

Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise and a leading voice for transforming American education through technology.

How can schools close the digital learning gap? That question and others regarding education and technology will be explored at California State University, Northridge’s first Education on the Edge lecture of the new school year on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise and a leading voice for transforming American education through technology, innovation and research, will discuss the realities faced by teachers and students in the classroom as they deal with the impact of emerging technologies on education. Her lecture is scheduled to take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Northridge Center of the University Student Union on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

Wendy Murawski, executive director and Eisner Endowed Chair at CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning, which presents the lecture series, said she was excited to have Cator visit the campus.

“I asked around to find out who was really knowledgeable about what was cutting edge related to technology and its current and future use in educational settings. Karen Cator’s name kept coming up,” Murawski said. “She is clearly on top of what to expect in pre-K-12 and university classrooms, so we know her talk will be relevant to a wide audience of students, teachers, professors, parents, administrators and community members.”

Cator served as director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education from 2009-13. In that role, she led the development of the 2010 National Education Technology Plan and focused her office’s efforts on teacher and leader support. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education, Cator directed Apple’s leadership and advocacy efforts in education. At Apple, her work centered on the intersection of education policy and research, emerging technologies and the realities faced by teachers, students and administrators.

She began her educational career in Alaska, where she was a teacher, and helped lead technology planning and implementation efforts; she served as a special assistant for telecommunications for the governor of Alaska. She received her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Springfield College in Massachusetts and her master’s degree in school administration from the University of Oregon. She is the past chair of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.

The Education on the Edge lecture series is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required. To reserve a seat, register at http://CTLcator.eventbrite.com.

CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning is the research, collaboration and professional development arm of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Faculty from departments across the college are conducting cutting-edge research and professional development to address the needs of schools in collaboration with K-12 teachers, administrators and community members.

The center was established in 2002, thanks to a generous gift from the Eisner Foundation, the family foundation of Michael and Jane Eisner. The center initially focused on neurodevelopment and how knowledge of those constructs can be taught to teachers and ultimately impact the way they teach and the way students learn. During the past few years, the center has broadened its scope. Faculty and affiliates are researching and analyzing multiple innovative approaches to learning, counseling, educational therapy, administration and professional development.

The Family Justice Center

Congressman Tony Cardenas, and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer will join officials from California State University, Northridge’s Strength United, the Los Angeles Police Department and Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Center for Assault Treatment Services on Thursday, Oct. 15, as they celebrate the grand opening of the Family Justice Center, the first of its kind in Los Angeles County.

The Family Justice Center is a unique public/private partnership that houses multiple agencies under one roof to serve individuals of all ages who have experienced child maltreatment, domestic violence and/or sexual violence. In addition to Strength United (formerly the Valley Trauma Center), the center’s partners include the Center for Assault Treatment Services, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program and Jewish Family Services’ Family Violence Project.

The grand-opening celebration is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. at the center, located at 14651 Oxnard St. in Van Nuys.

“With all of these agencies working together under one roof, we hope to increase offender accountability and break the cycle of violence by reducing barriers to services for those who need them,” said Kim Goldberg-Roth, LMFT, executive director of Strength United.

Operating through CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education, Strength United is a comprehensive social service organization, providing 24/7 support and crisis intervention, along with long-term counseling, victim advocacy and prevention-education programs to individuals and families affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, child maltreatment and other crimes. Committed to ending abuse, empowering families and developing leaders, Strength United trains and supervises hundreds of CSUN students each year in volunteer and internship roles, where they interact with mental health, social service, and medical and law enforcement professionals.

Strength United is serving as the lead agency for the new Family Justice Center co-located and partnered with Center for Assault Treatment Services. The partnership boasts offices for Los Angeles Police Department major assault crimes detectives, medical exam rooms, forensic interview rooms with digital recording capability, a children’s play area, therapy offices and training rooms.

For more information about the Family Justice Center or to learn more about helping someone affected by child maltreatment, domestic violence or sexual violence, call (818) 886-0453 or (661) 253-0258.

California State University, Northridge

For nearly 60 years, California State University, Northridge, its students, faculty and alumni have played a critical role in the economic development of the greater Los Angeles region.

The university’s leadership and contributions to the community are being recognized next month by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), which is presenting CSUN with a 2015 Eddy Award. The award honors those who have played leading roles in the development of the county’s economy and in the creation of well-paying jobs for its residents.

The other recipients of a 2015 Eddy Award are Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel and Los Angeles-based CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. The awards will be formally presented at a gala celebration on Nov. 12 at the Beverly Hilton.

“As the third-largest university in California, CSUN is a catalytic hub of education, research and innovation — playing a critical role in the economic development of the region,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. “Working collaboratively with LAEDC and public- and private-sector partners, CSUN positively impacts nearly every aspect of life in our community. We, at the university, are honored to be recognized for doing something that is such an integral part of who we are — elevating the social, cultural and economic well-being of Los Angeles.”

Only three other Los Angeles-area institutions of higher education have received an Eddy Award. The others are the California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.

In announcing the honor, LAEDC officials noted that CSUN is the largest of the five California State University campuses in Los Angeles County and is “fundamental to the economic prosperity of the region.”

CSUN serves a diverse student body of more than 40,000 students. It has been ranked in the top five nationally by EdSmart.org for advancing U.S. economic progress and by the National Science Foundation for graduates who go on to earn doctorates in the sciences. CSUN-related expenditures generated an estimated $1.9 billion in output throughout California. Of this $1.9 billion in output, approximately $1.6 billion occurred within Los Angeles County, helping to sustain nearly 12,000 jobs. CSUN has more than 300,000 alumni, 80 percent of whom live and work in Southern California.

The university’s partnerships in the community include one with L.A. Cleantech Incubator to foster entrepreneurship, business formation and job creation in a growing and socially valuable sector. CSUN also has joined forces with its five regional sister institutions as the “CSU5,” to advance regional education, research and workforce development.

The Eddy Awards® were introduced by LAEDC in 1996 to celebrate individuals and organizations that demonstrate exceptional contributions to positive economic development in the region, consistent with LAEDC’s focus on increasing shared prosperity for residents and communities of our region. As the Southern California region’s premier economic development organization, the LAEDC provides economic development leadership to promote a globally competitive, prosperous and growing L.A. County economy to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and communities, and enables those residents to meet their basic human need for a job.