S T A N I S L A U S S T AT E
FALL 2020
M A G A Z I N E
F E AT U R E S T O R Y
Creating a brand that reflects our community
A Word from the
PRESIDENT This fall, we began what is likely the most unusual and challenging semester in our University’s 60 years of existence. As we continue together through this upended world, our focus remains on providing our students a highquality education, regardless of how it’s delivered during this time of physical distance. I am grateful for the dedication and perseverance of our faculty and staff who continue to seek innovative ways to transcend this distance and create a sense of community and connection for everyone in our Warrior family. Prior to our shift to a virtual environment, Stan State embarked on a journey to re-envision our University brand. We wanted to tell the story of our campus, its people and aspirations in a meaningful way that would bring to life the qualities that embody our Warrior spirit. We recognized that what started as a marketing initiative became a broader effort to show who we are and declare what we stand for at Stan State. This issue of STAN Magazine personifies that vision. We’ve come to this point in our journey at just the right time. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown many lives into disarray with the fallout disproportionately impacting people of color, the poor and marginalized communities. Simultaneously, social unrest across the country has rightly sparked outrage and has prompted a long overdue reckoning over systemic and institutionalized racism, inequity, intolerance, injustice and inequality. We have a unique opportunity in this moment in time to create change within our respective communities. An impactful choice for that transformation to occur involves the actions we take. We will use our platforms to open the door for critical discussions, and we ask everyone in our Warrior community to find ways they can #StanUp.
Warmly,
Ellen
STA N M AGA Z I N E
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CONTENTS
STAN Magazine is published by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs in the Division of University Advancement at Stanislaus State. President
Ellen Junn Vice President for University Advancement
Michele Lahti
Director of Alumni Engagement
Karlha Davies (’00) Senior Associate Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Media Relations
Rosalee Rush
Director for Communications and Creative Services
Kristina Stamper (’06)
Content Specialists
Gina Oltman Linda Mumma Solorio Lori Gilbert
Digital Communications Specialist
Sara Balisha (’13)
Senior Graphic Designer
Steve Caballero
Senior Web and Electronic Communications Developer
Mandeep Khaira (’02) Photographers
Tracee Littlepage Justin Souza
Senior Writer and Content Specialist
Donna Birch Trahan Stay in touch!
Phone: (209) 667-3131 cpa@csustan.edu www.csustan.edu/stan-magazine
Students will get hands-on experience conducting research in GönÜl Schara’s lab thanks to a $408,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read about Stan State’s first NIH grant recipient on page 7.
04 News Briefs
16 Reflecting Our Community
07 Stan State’s First NIH Grant
24 Anti-Black Racism Training
08 Giving Back
27 Strengthening the Bond
10 I am First-Gen
30 The Heart of a Champion
If you receive more than one copy of STAN Magazine, please pass it along to a friend of Stanislaus State. If you would like to support Stanislaus State, visit www.csustan.edu/giving. Stanislaus State serves a diverse student body of more than 10,000 at two locations in the Central Valley — a beautiful 228acre campus in Turlock and the Stockton Campus. Widely recognized for dedicated faculty, high-quality academic programs and exceptional value, the University offers more than 100 majors, minors and areas of concentration, along with 15 master’s degree programs, seven credential programs and a doctorate in educational leadership. We are a proud member of the 23-campus California State University system.
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FALL 2020
NEWS BRIEFS
CUEPONCAXOCHITL MORENO SANDOVAL
innovative practices that improve student outcomes or eliminate equity gaps. Moreno Sandoval, who is beginning her third year as a tenure track faculty member, created a new class in the ethnic studies program on son jarocho, an Afro-Mexican genre of music, led an annual Indigenous Peoples Day, earned a National Science Foundation grant to support her collaborative research, published a book on that research, is active on the Stan State Council for Sustainable Futures and helped usher in the Students in Activism club, which she advises. She led club members and students in her indigenous studies class in reviving and repurposing a University community garden.
Earns Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award
Cueponcaxochitl Moreno Sandoval, assistant professor of Native American and Mexican Indigenous Studies, became the first Stan State faculty member to win a California State University Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award.
The award presents recipients with $5,000 and another $10,000 for their department to further professional activities.
In its third year, the award, presented by the Chancellor’s Office, honors faculty from CSU campuses who are nurturing student success and implementing
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BUSINESS FORECAST DETAILS
Slowing Economy and Conditions Recovery
RSCA RECIPIENTS CONTINUE DESPITE COVID-19 Stan State faculty continue to broaden their understanding of their disciplines and inspire their students as evidenced by the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Grants awarded for the 2019-20 academic year. Eight of the 31 grant recipients are on hold until travel is again safe, but even in the wake of COVID-19, the faculty research continues.
Continued slowing in economic activity in the San Joaquin Valley, with growth falling to negative territory through the second quarter of 2020, was predicted in the mid-year update of the San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast produced by Gökçe Soydemir, Foster Farms endowed professor of business economics at Stanislaus State. The report noted that the magnitude of the economic downturn could not be foreseen due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the level and speed of a recovery will be closely tied to the nation’s success in battling the virus, including the development of a vaccine. Read more at www.csustan.edu/sjvbf.
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One ongoing study on the effects of physical activity and social engagement on lifespan is aimed at understanding the role they play in the lives of seniors. The project also provides for connection between students and the broader Turlock community as proposed by Psychology and Child Development Associate Professor Kelly Cotter and colleagues Dawn Strongin and Gary Williams. Another long-term grant was awarded to History Professor Phillip Garrone for a book-length study of the Great Basin of the American West. Specifically, the study examines terminal lakes — those without a natural outlet — and studies the wetlands around them and rivers that feed them, their support of human life since the first North Americans inhabited the region and the on-going disputes between Native Americans, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over Native American land and water rights, government-sponsored irrigation and reclamation projects and wildlife preservation in the West. FALL 2020
NEWS BRIEFS
More recently, Olmstead directed the University to a silver rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).
Stan State Continues
Created by the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the STARS selfassessment report is voluntary for the 900 universities around the globe that are member institutions. It is, however, required by the CSU Chancellor’s Office, and all 23 CSU Universities are mandated to reach silver status by 2023.
MOVING TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
In less than a year as sustainability director, Wendy Olmstead has begun to put Stan State on the map. First, she applied for and received the 2020 Annual Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Award, named by the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference. In addition to earning the award, she and Shradha Tibrewal, director of the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, were asked to speak at the organization’s annual conference about Stan State’s sustainability Faculty Learning Communities (FLC), which they oversee.
Olmstead also used an IDEAS grant to purchase copies of the book, “Braiding Sweetgrass,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer about “indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants” for every faculty and staff member on campus, with book talks taking place this fall. Additionally, she served as the advisor for the Eco Warriors club, formed by students to address sustainability and ecological issues. “It makes me feel proud to be a Warrior, as cliché sounding as that is,” Olmstead said. “I already felt that way. I’m an alumna. We have great people on our campus who are willing to jump into this. I was overwhelmed by the reaction to ‘Braiding Sweetgrass.’ People read it and reached out to us with ideas. Nobody had
On Sept. 23, 2020, the California State University made history by announcing Joseph I. Castro as the system’s eighth chancellor.
NEW CSU CHANCELLOR
Rooted in the Valley STA N M AGA Z I N E
Castro is the first California native and first person of color to lead the CSU’s 23-campus system, the nation’s largest public university. He will assume leadership of the CSU Jan. 4, 2021, succeeding Timothy P. White, who is retiring after eight years of service. Castro, who has served as Fresno State’s president since 2013, grew up in the town of Hanford in Fresno County. His selection came after a rigorous sixmonth search. During his decades-long career as a professor and administrator, 6
asked them, but they said, ‘here’s what we could do.’” There was a similar response to the sustainability FLC, which began in spring 2019. Faculty from every college have participated thus far, finding ways to incorporate sustainability issues in their courses. As the University continues its sustainability efforts with projects such as installing three more electrical vehicle chargers in the parking lots and adding more solar panels, Olmstead is at work on a sustainability master plan. She and the Council for Sustainable Futures will draft the final document as a guidepost for the University moving forward.
Castro built a strong reputation as a champion of education as a means for transformational change for students, their families and communities. Castro was the first in his family to attend and graduate from college. Prior to his appointment as Fresno State’s president, Castro served 23 years in the University of California system. He was vice chancellor of Student Academic Affairs and professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) from 2006-13. Earlier in his career, he held faculty and/or administrative leadership positions at four other UC campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Barbara.
FACULTY
Biochemist
Gönül Schara
Large amounts of metabolites are needed for investigative studies, but producing the quantities needed can be problematic and expensive.
‘SCOREs’ Stan State’s First NIH Grant By Donna Birch Trahan Biochemist Gönül Schara credits her parents for igniting her love of learning at a young age. “I come from a family of teachers, and education and science were always a priority,” she said. “They gave up everything they wanted for themselves so my sisters and I could continue our education.” As an assistant professor in the College of Science’s Department of Chemistry since fall 2017, Schara has spent the past three years sharing her enthusiasm for learning and science with students. And now, thanks to a federal grant, Schara will provide undergraduate students a rare opportunity to conduct university-level scientific investigations while taking Stanislaus State’s research program to the next level. In August 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Schara a $408,000 four-year
That’s where Schara’s research comes in.
Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) grant for her proposal, “Characterizing and Engineering Toluene O-Xylene Monooxygenase (ToMO) for the Synthesis of Common Drug Metabolites.” The project will give students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience that will prepare them for future academic or industry careers. Students chosen for the project will learn a wealth of information and transferable skills: how to perform analysis, operate biochemistry equipment and write scientific documents. They will publish their results in a peer-reviewed journal and be listed as co-authors. They will also present results at regional and national conferences. Schara also plans to incorporate research results into her undergraduate courses. Schara is thrilled the project allows her to combine two things she is passionate about: teaching and enzymes. The SCORE grant will fund her lab group’s research of the oxygenase enzyme’s ability to produce high-value drug metabolites and use protein engineering to generate further improvements. Enzymes are natural substances that help speed up chemical reactions. Metabolites are the “break-down” products of pharmaceutical drugs when ingested and can impact human health and disease. Scientists study the toxicology and pharmacokinetic effects of metabolites during pre-clinical and clinical studies, a crucial part of developing safe and effective medicines.
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“Interest in the oxygenase enzyme for use in biotechnology applications is growing rapidly because it utilizes oxygen as an inexpensive, environmentally friendly substance to carry out substrate oxidations in contrast to commonly employed compounds that are more harmful,” she explained. Schara plans to seek additional external funding to broaden the potential of the oxygenase enzyme for drug development and pharmaceutical production. In the meantime, she will continue to share her knowledge and experience to help shape the next generation of scientific scholars in the Central Valley. “Educating and influencing students is my passion,” she said. “It’s very fulfilling and rewarding, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love my job.”
ALUMNI
GIVING BACK
experience and professional direction for years to come.
BUSINESSWOMAN RETURNS TO LEAD STAN STATE ALUMNI COUNCIL
For Susan Johnston (’96) the road to her recent appointment as chair of the Stan State Alumni Council has gone from tech-boom Silicon Valley to Fortune 100 corporate banking to launching her own fashion-based businesses. Now she’s excited to be back working with her alma mater. “Stan State was a fantastic starting point for me professionally, and I am excited to be able to provide support to new graduates as they prepare to enter what will likely be a unique and challenging work world,” Johnston said. “I hope that the combined wisdom of the Alumni Council will be valuable as they go forward.” “Susan is an incredible Warrior alumna whose passion for supporting our campus is extraordinary,” said Karlha Davies, alumni engagement director. “As the Stan State Alumni Council chair, her leadership steers the council’s initiatives which celebrate our alumni and provide career connections with our students. The Stan State Alumni Association is excited to have an alumna champion as exemplary as Susan.” A Central Valley native and graduate of Ceres High School, Johnston (then Susan Brocco), attended Stan State at the urging of her father Joe, the former assistant postmaster in Ceres. Shortly after beginning her business administration coursework, Johnston found an on-campus job, one that would provide her with great
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“I was working at the University as a student assistant in the accounting department,” Johnston said. “Like many students, I was working, studying and raising a young family. Looking back, it’s amazing I was able to do all of that and advance to the position of director of accounting.” In 1998, Johnston left Stan State to work for 3Com Corporation, then at the center of the Silicon Valley tech boom. She traveled internationally for the company, helping to build electronic commerce and payment programs around the world. It was at 3Com that Johnston began working with US Bank on crosscompany payment integration, ultimately accepting a role of associate vice president, relationship management at US Bank. During the next 14 years — with a sixyear intermission to start and run her own boutique — Johnston managed an account base that included Fortune 100 companies like Safeway, Nordstrom and major public entities like the State of California, using her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems to streamline and optimize corporate payment systems. Her portfolio of accounts recorded billions of dollars of transactions annually. Johnston opened Bonnie J in 2008, a women’s fashion boutique named after her late mother, in downtown Modesto. She sold Bonnie J in 2014 before relocating to Seattle, and she now owns Sun and be Seen boutique in Aptos, where she and her husband Eric live. “My passion is clothing and women’s fashion,” Johnston said. “But even more so, I enjoyed being a part of the Modesto business community, interacting with other local business owners and trying to inspire more commerce in the downtown Modesto core.”
It was during her time owning Bonnie J that Johnston first joined the Stan State Alumni Council. “I was really excited about some of the changes I was seeing occur at Stan State,” Johnston said. “It was a perfect opportunity to give back to the educational community that had given me so much.” Johnston is equally excited to work with President Ellen Junn on the “CareerReadyU” initiative, designed to integrate academic programs with a variety of professional experiences. As chair of the Alumni Council, Johnston sees her role as building on the work done by her predecessor, Adrian Harrell, and pursing new initiatives. Johnston also serves as a director on the University’s Foundation Board in a designated position, representing the Alumni Advisory Council. “My long-term goal for the Alumni Council is to develop chapters in other cities and states,” Johnston said. “My first goal is to increase council membership. Once we have more active members doing outreach and growing our engagement through chapters, we can have leaders in different geographic areas.” The University — and the world — has changed since Johnston was a student. Even her own perspective has changed, a result of watching her two daughters — Brittany, a veteran of the US Navy and mother to 16-month old Rhylee, and Morgan, a graduate of CSU Chico — grow up and become registered nurses. “Twenty years ago, professors didn’t have the kind of direct connection with students that they have through social media today,” Johnston said. “It has also been great to see how the University has integrated itself with the entire community.” The road that Johnston has followed to Silicon Valley, Seattle and back to Central California’s coast has also brought her back to Stan State. “I love being involved,” said Johnston. “I love the University.”
To contact Susan visit her business Instagram or Facebook @sunandbeseen
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FALL 2020
STUDENTS
I am first-Gen BY LORI GILBERT AND GINA OLTMAN
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Six Students are Awarded the First President’s Central Valley First-Generation Scholars. They call the Central Valley home, qualifying them for scholarships established by Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn to honor students who are the first in their families to go to college. The similarity doesn’t end there, though. Individually, the first six recipients of the scholarship that will cover registration and books during their time at Stanislaus State — $12,500 for four years for freshman and the same annual amount for two years for transfer students — share a bond of resilience and perseverance. They’ve overcome obstacles and challenges that might have led others to give up. Instead, they worked and studied and have launched their University careers. They hold different dreams, but they each look to plow their bounty back into the region and keep it thriving in whatever course of study they’ve chosen.
Guadalupe Marquez Guadalupe Marquez and her single-mom, Silvia, are best friends. As Marquez pursued her college education, she watched her mom come home from her job at the local Foster Farms processing plant exhausted.
One night, though, Guadalupe curled up next to her mom in her bed. “I woke her up, I said, ‘guess what? I got the scholarship to go to Stan State!’” Marquez said. “She immediately hugged me and told me she was super proud. That makes me work harder.” Marquez is driven, not just to be the first in her family — she has four older siblings — to graduate, but to find meaningful work as a result of her education. “My whole family has worked in manual labor. I see how hard it is for them,” Marquez said. “I realized I could better provide for my family if I got an education, rather than if I went straight into the workforce.” Her quest began at Buhach Colony High School, where she not only was aided by a circle of college-bound friends but was inspired by one of her history teachers.
did. I want to help first-generation students, too.”
Melana Cook Melana Cook always has had a thirst for learning. As a child, she preferred to read while the rest of her family watched TV. “What the content of the book or article was in those moments did not matter,” she recalled. “There was an innate need in me to absorb all I could.” As Cook progressed through school, she emerged as an over-achiever, certain she was headed for a fouryear college. But her family’s finances could not support her personal vision, and her only option after high school was the most affordable one — junior college. “It was not the journey I wanted for myself,” said Cook. “I withdrew after only one semester, losing motivation in most areas of life.” Twenty years later, after being a stayat-home parent and re-entering the workforce as a bookkeeper, Cook rediscovered her lost motivation and enrolled at Modesto Junior College.
“My world history teacher, Ms. Veronica Serano, is also a Latinx woman,” Marquez said. “She went to college after immigrating from Mexico City. It was amazing to see a woman like me, whose parents immigrated from another country, go to a university. ” Marquez enrolled at Merced College with an eye on psychology but ended up majoring in sociology, and she’ll pursue sociology at Stan State. “I envision myself going into social work or guidance counseling,” Marquez said. “I want to give back to my community like my world history teacher at Buhach Colony 11
Melana Cook FALL 2020
STUDENTS
This fall, she began the final leg of her educational journey at Stanislaus State, majoring in business administration with a concentration in accounting. As she completes her college education, the financial assistance from the President’s Central Valley FirstGeneration Scholarship will help ensure she can reach her academic and professional goals. “This scholarship means the world to me,” she said. “It means I won’t have years of student debt to carry as well.” Once she has her bachelor’s degree in hand, she wants to work in finance or accounting. She hopes to someday give back to her community by working for and raising awareness about benefit corporations, which are for-profit entities that include positive impacts on society, workers, communities and the environment as legally defined goals. “There are strides to be made in social and environmental justice, and I want to be a person who makes a lasting difference in the business ethics of my community,” she said.
Alexis Martinez Alexis Martinez was planted in the Central Valley after he graduated from high school in Santa Clara, but like so much else here, he bloomed. A high-achieving student at Merced College, Martinez will pursue a degree in psychology. “At first I couldn’t believe I’d earned the scholarship,” Martinez said. “It’s amazing. I’m starting to see working hard goes a long way.”
STA N M AGA Z I N E
That wasn’t always the case, Martinez admits. “My first couple years of high school I didn’t really like school,” he admits. “My junior year I started doing better.” The program also helped him apply for college. Although his immigrant parents always encouraged him and his three siblings to get an education, they’d never had the opportunity to attend college. His family moved to Los Banos after he graduated from Wilcox High School, but he wasn’t afraid to seek assistance so he could begin college in a new location. He settled in at Merced College, and took a psychology class. It fueled his interest and his passion. “I like to help people,” said Martinez. “I’m big on family. My parents are the ones who pushed me, had faith in me when I didn’t have faith in myself.” His first step toward helping others will be serving as a mentor to his brother, who is preparing to go to college. His siblings, though, aren’t the only ones on his radar. He has plans for putting his love of psychology to use. “I want to stay close to the Valley,” Martinez said. “I want to do something with mental illness, help younger adults, high school or college students.”
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Nathan Rohani Nathan Rohani graduated from Pitman High School in 2015 and was accepted to attend UC Berkeley where he planned to study chemistry. He’d been inspired by a high school teacher, but something didn’t feel right. “I took a break. I didn’t feel ready at the time,” Rohani said. “I had a lot going on at the time in my personal life.” His mom died when he was in junior high school and he and his older sister were raised by his grandmother. She encouraged him to get an education, and he was a bright student, but he needed time for himself. He went to work at the Target store in Turlock, met lots of people and finally decided to attend college. “A lot of my friends at Target go to Stan State,” Rohani said. “Everyone I talk to has a great opinion of the college.” He’d already applied for the University’s honors program when he received an email encouraging him to apply for the President’s First-Gen scholarship.
“I feel like the school saw potential in me and that made me feel good about Stan State,” Rohani said. His timing for embarking on a college education could not have been better. In addition, his time away from school inspired new interests. “I’m thinking about activism,” Rohani said. “I went to a protest for Black Lives Matter in Turlock, and it was a great experience. It felt nice being able to support a cause I believe in.” Enrolling at Stan State is a means to discover where this insight can lead. “Going back to school is an opportunity to learn more about what I’m passionate about and find out what I can do in the future,” Rohani said.
impact my community and ultimately give back,” he said. “It also allows me to realize my dream of financially providing for my family.” Before he learned he would have a scholarship to attend Stan State, Kooner researched multiple colleges and determined that Stan State was his top choice. It has an excellent nursing program, is located a mile from his home and is a “great value,” he said. Content with his choice and grateful for the scholarship, Kooner is looking forward to the day when he can use his Stan State education to make a difference in his community. “I plan to use my degree to provide the best healthcare services that I can as a nurse,” he said. “I will do my best to ensure that all members of the community are healthy.”
Harman Kooner Harman Kooner says his parents are not merely proud he is enrolled as a freshman at Stanislaus State. They are “super proud.” “They moved to this country in hopes of providing a better life for their family, and my becoming a first-generation college student is a dream-come-true moment for them,” said Kooner, a Turlock resident who graduated from John H. Pitman High School last spring. “Receiving the First-Generation Scholarship means a great deal to not only me, but also to my family, as it eliminates financial barriers to a college education,” he said. An undeclared major, Kooner is focusing his interests on nursing, because he sees it as a career where he can serve both his community and his family. “A career in nursing will allow me to positively
JC Aguirre JC Aguirre has become an expert at overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities. Born with multiple birth defects, he underwent numerous surgeries during his childhood and now relies solely on public transportation to get around. He said his life has been enriched by his circumstances. “Most of my early years were spent in and out of doctors’ offices, hospitals, etcetera,” he said. “These experiences exposed me to a significant amount of medical terminology, as well as basic procedures that medical professionals do routinely.” As a result of his ongoing exposure to the medical professions, Aguirre is planning a career as a research microbiologist. His goal is to contribute to humanity’s understanding of the relationship between viruses and bacteria, particularly viruses called phages that destroy bacteria and could be the key to solving antibiotic resistance.
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JC Aguirre The high school valedictorian’s first step toward achieving his goal was entering Stanislaus State as a freshman recipient of the first President’s Central Valley First-Generation Scholarship. Aguirre was excited to enroll at Stan State because of its well-regarded biological sciences department, stateof-the-art facilities and a diverse student and faculty population. The value of diversity, he says, is something he learned about while using public transportation. “I was able to talk with many different people from all walks of life and had many wonderful conversations,” he said. “This expanded my worldview and taught me that enrichment comes from diversity.” When he is a research microbiologist, he fully intends to repay the community that has shown him kindness, perhaps by bringing phage research to the Central Valley to improve health care or create jobs. “This scholarship provides me a means to not only explore my passions, but also to expand my horizons so that I can give back, in turn, to the people who have served me,” he said.
FALL 2020
STOCKTON
international relations, Vargas fits the Stan State profile. She’s a first-generation college graduate, the daughter of parents who, early in their lives, worked with their migrant parents in agriculture fields up and down the Central Valley. She and her brother are the first in the family to not only graduate college, but never work in the fields, fulfilling her grandparents’ dream. She graduated first in her class from Bakersfield’s Golden Valley High School, and Pacific offered the best financial package. Entering college was only one step of Vargas’ improbable journey to becoming a wife, mother, member of the Stockton Unified School District Board of Trustees and campaign director for Daily Kos, a job she does from her Stockton home. “My younger brother and I were taken from our family when I was 9 and he was 7,” Vargas said. “My father abused our mother so severely that she had a mental health breakdown and was institutionalized. Our father was addicted to meth and alcohol. He also had untreated severe trauma from his youth.
A SHINING EXAMPLE
“We were in foster care for about two years. Our mother worked very hard to get better and prove to the courts that she could care for us. We were reunited. Unfortunately, our father didn’t want to leave her or us alone. He found a way to continue the abuse. She, despite the trauma, continued to be our beacon of encouragement and hope.” Vargas’ mother, Diane, urged her daughter to get an education so that she could be independent. “I did well in school. It was a way for me to be free, to not be at home, to be in a space that was safe. At home, I would do everything right and nothing was ever good enough for my dad. When I did exactly as he said or better, he still abused us. When I was at school, if I did everything right or beyond, I’d be rewarded. It was another world and it made sense.”
Stockton Reaping the Benefits of Stan State Stockton Campus Master’s Recipient
At Pacific, Vargas studied Spanish literature, wanting to be better versed in one of the two languages she was raised speaking. She spent a semester abroad in Lima, Peru. She worked three jobs to help support herself and began giving back to others as a resident assistant and with Latino Outreach.
BY LORI GILBERT Technically, Candelaria Vargas completed her master’s degree in public administration in seven years, because after completing her course work at the Stanislaus State Stockton Campus, she took time off to have the first of her two daughters and didn’t take and pass her comprehensive exams until 2018.
College graduation should have been the happiest day of her young life, but it wasn’t. As she walked with the Class of 2010, her mother lay dying of pancreatic cancer. She died a few weeks later.
What’s extraordinary about Vargas’ determination to complete the program is that it’s illustrative of her life story.
“My mom couldn’t be there. I didn’t want to be there,” Vargas said.
Vargas is a fighter, a survivor, a self-starter and a woman determined to make a difference.
Three months later she married Max Vargas, and even that was bittersweet without her mom.
A graduate of University of the Pacific, where in 2010 she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a double concentration in literature and pedagogy and a minor in
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Vargas embarked on a career in nonprofits, working for, among others, El Concilio and the California Democratic Party. She then began working for Daily Kos, a two-pronged organization with an editorial component, and an organizing agent. She rallies supporters of various progressive causes, circulating petitions and appealing to policymakers. In 2018, Vargas ran for and won a seat on the Stockton Unified School District Board of Directors. She had two reasons for entering the race. “I’m a parent of two small children who will eventually attend our public schools, and secondly, public education was my way out of poverty and abuse,” she said. “I wanted to use my experiences to support our public education system to ensure that all of our children have access to quality education no matter where they live or their circumstances.” It was because of her role as a school board member, as well as her professional and volunteer work in Stockton that prompted Stan State Stockton Campus Dean Faimous Harrison to invite Vargas to speak at an event on campus in January 2020. “Candelaria was a presenter, because she’s civically engaged in the community, in an elected role and has a breadth of experiences with nonprofits,” Harrison said. “Candelaria wears a lot of hats. Her drive is to support the community. And, she’s one of our graduates.”
She raves about the professors in the MPA program, particularly April Hejka-Ekins, who taught the introductory public administration course and ethics. That program, like her other life experiences, inform her work, her volunteerism and her focus.
Something in which Vargas takes pride. She raves about the professors in the MPA program, particularly April Hejka-Ekins, who taught the introductory public administration course and ethics. That program, like her other life experiences, inform her work, her volunteerism and her focus. “That opportunities exist for all young people is really important to me, and something that helps is public education,” Vargas said. “We didn’t have any other option than to go to our public school. I went to Pacific because they offered me the best financial package. “Then, I went to our local public University. That’s important. It needs to be stressed how valuable our local education systems are. We need to support them.” “They’re what support young people, prepare them, steer them out of messed up situations in some cases. I’m thankful for the people in those systems, people who work in public education. This is the field I have chosen to support because I feel very strongly about making opportunities for young people to succeed and have positive outcomes.”
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FALL 2020
F E AT U R E S T O R Y
CREATING A BRAND THAT
reflects our community
How a Marketing Initiative Became a Broader Effort to Distill and Declare What We Stand For n early 2019, our Communications and Public Affairs team at Stanislaus State embarked on an initiative to better understand our University story. An earlier branding effort had focused on the revision of the Stan State logo, and now it was time to expand that into a relevant and authentic brand messaging platform as we moved into our 60th anniversary. One that would help us express why Stan State is special and worthy of consideration, beyond our four lakes, ponds and beautiful green spaces. One that highlights the success of our students, the vibrancy of our campus and community, our unprecedented number of first-generation college students and a narrative that would connect and reflect everyone in our community. Bottom line: We needed a clearly articulated brand message that we could all support and be proud of. After an extensive search, the team selected two agencies to take on this endeavor — one to do the research and
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create a brand message platform, and the other to take that platform and turn it into a compelling campaign. “It was important for us to partner with agencies that would listen for understanding and deeply reflect on all that they had heard,” said Rosalee Rush, senior associate vice president for marketing, communications and media relations at Stan State, who led the agency search team. “After listening to our community, we wanted them to fully understand and believe in our mission and our promise to deliver a high-quality, accessible education that meets students where they are. And an environment that encourages and inspires students to do more with their degree for themselves, their families and their communities.” Both agencies were selected based on their ability to meet this key requirement, along with their experience in the higher education field and their collaborative approach to development. As the project
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progressed, we saw how these qualities became a driving force and critical to our eventual development of a powerful brand for Stan State.
“After listening to our community, we wanted them to fully understand and believe in our mission, and in our ability to deliver on our promise of a high-quality, accessible education that meets students where they are — and encourages and inspires them to do more with their degree for themselves, their families and their communities.”
In the heart of the Central Valley lies a welcoming community of exploration, understanding and ideas. Where students support each other, and respected instructors guide and challenge students. Where all who want to do more with their work and their lives are invited to Stan Up. This is the home of the Stan State Warriors. 17
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F E AT U R E S T O R Y
A 360-DEGREE VIEW One of the hallmarks of a great brand is that it’s authentic, true and resonant. To achieve that, we knew we needed to talk to our entire community to understand their values, needs and perspectives on what Stan State does well or represents.
Over the course of three months, our branding agency, Stamats, conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research across all of our communities in the six-county region served by our Turlock and Stockton campuses, including in-person focus groups and interviews as well as online surveys of: • Faculty and staff • Current students • Prospective students • Alumni • Admissions & Outreach • ASI Board of Directors • Stan State Foundation Board • President’s Community Ambassador Council • President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion • Cabinet and Academic Senate • Provost Leadership Council • Communications and Public Affairs team • University Communications Advisory Group • High school counselors • City and county officials • Community (six primary counties) residents In the end, the agency spoke with more than 150 community members and surveyed thousands, with more than 1,600 responses from members of our internal and external communities. It was important to us for all voices to be heard and that our new brand was not created in the communications or marketing office, but authentically developed through collaboration of diverse perspectives and guided by the expertise of our colleagues at the agency. As we got deeper into the qualitative research, some key themes began to emerge. Ones that would drive our quantitative testing and, eventually, our brand.
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As we interviewed our internal audiences, students and alumni spoke again and again about how Stan State makes them feel. They spoke about feeling welcome and part of something more than a school — part of a family and community where they are supported, seen and motivated to do their best. Professors emerged as heroes in our brand story, with an emphasis on helping students and meeting them where they are.
“ My professors actually want to see me succeed and they remove obstacles instead of creating them.” —STAN STATE STUDENT
Expanding our research
“ You know when you’ve been traveling and you get home and think ‘oh, finally — my own bed. I’m so happy I’m ‘home’…? That’s how Stan State makes me feel. I’m home.”
When we moved into quantitative research (online surveys with prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, alumni and community residents) we validated what we heard in qualitative sessions. Three concepts were ranked as Stan State’s top qualities across nearly every group:
— STAN STATE STUDENT, ASI BOARD MEMBER
At Stanislaus State, you belong.
A welcoming community
• All are welcome at Stan State • Stan State professors care about students as people • Professors work with students to help them succeed, even when the student is faced with academic or life challenges
In the agency’s conversations with students, they also learned that our students are resilient, hardworking and focused on where their education will take them. They recognized the sacrifices our students have made to attend school and that for many, college wasn’t an automatic choice. When students did choose higher education, it was with a commitment to succeed and leverage that education to change the trajectory of their lives. We wanted to make sure that grit and commitment was visible both in our brand platform and campaign.
Armed with our discovery knowledge, we worked with our agency to create a meaningful brand platform that reflected what our community needed and what we delivered — the intersection of their needs and what we represent. Our overarching brand theme was one that our community led us to:
At Stanislaus State, you belong.
“ The students are here by choice — this isn’t 13th grade. They have grit. And I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed.” — FACULTY MEMBER
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F E AT U R E S T O R Y
We took that simple but powerful idea and expanded it into what we call a “key takeaway” — what we want our prospective and current students, faculty and staff to know and feel when they interact with Stan State anywhere. In marketing. In admissions. On tours. In the classroom. We declare this to be our truth:
From first-generation college students and working parents to honor roll students, newcomers, and multi-generation Californians, we welcome you at Stanislaus State. Here we embrace the rich diversity that is the Central Valley and strive to create an inclusive university experience where all can flourish. With this platform, we have a North star and a clear expression of what makes Stan State a school of choice and a community worth joining. We also want to ensure that we live this every day and expand the ways in which we welcome students, faculty, staff, alumni and our community in meaningful and consistent ways.
“ Our brand message is the ethos of our institution. It’s weaved into our daily operations; most recently evidenced by our celebration of first-generation students with the establishment of the President’s Central Valley First-Generation Scholarship, our Warrior Mentoring program, Males of Color initiatives, and Warrior Weeks of Welcome. We are committed to ensuring our campus is a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone in our community.” —ELLEN JUNN, PRESIDENT
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We’ve chosen our words carefully One key phrase in our brand message is “where all can flourish.” We want to telegraph that our welcoming environment and our commitment to academic excellence can be lifechanging for our students. “We’ve been recognized as a top public institution for upward mobility,” says Kimberly Greer, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Stan State. “We know that the powerful combination of our academic excellence and the support that comes in both formal and informal ways will help each student reach their full potential — and even change the trajectory of their lives and their families.” Once we articulated what makes Stan State special, we also realized what was once a “brand project” had rapidly become a movement that would need the embrace and activation of every faculty, staff and community member.
Taking it on the “road” Our agency partner created a roadshow presentation to share with the entire community in both Turlock and Stockton. We held multiple open meetings to present the findings of our research and how it drove our new brand narrative. These live sessions ensured that our community could ask questions and provide feedback on how they saw the brand coming to life in their departments or roles across our University community. It was important to us that the brand platform felt true to our internal 20
communities, and for each person to find ways to support it in their daily work and interactions. In Stockton, our audience was comprised of local leadership, including Lange Luntao, the board president for Stockton Unified School District and the executive director of the Reinvent Stockton Foundation. “This clear brand message is really reflective of our students here in Stockton,” Luntao said. “We have a lot of teens who may not have considered college, and having a campus that welcomes and understands these students will do a lot to inspire them to attend, see what’s really possible and become a part of our growing college and career culture.” Now that we’d made our declaration, our second agency (SimpsonScarborough) was ready to create a campaign that would bring our brand platform to life.
Creative testing, with a digital twist The agency teams and the Communications and Public Affairs team worked through a host of creative concepts and finally landed on two that we felt best represented who we are as a community and aligned with the brand message platform. After sharing with our campus leadership, we continued our collaborative approach through an on-campus test with students, alumni, faculty, staff and more. Over the course of several weeks, the agency did both on-campus “intercept” testing on iPads and then additional surveys to the broader University community to ensure all had the opportunity to weigh in on everything from specific words and images to the overall feel of the campaign.
Senate, Cabinet, deans, ASI, the University Communications Advisory Group and the brand evaluation committee weighed in as well. In the end, we gathered more than over 1,700 opinions. “It was very important to us to continue to involve our campus community,” said Rush. “We wanted to ensure we were empowering and connecting with our communities in a meaningful way and clearly articulating Stan State’s core values and our regional impact as expressed by our stakeholders. And we wanted to make sure we brought that to life in a powerful way in the visual concepts.” In the end we landed on a campaign that received broad support and enthusiasm across every cohort. Now, it was time to share it.
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F E AT U R E S T O R Y
BRAND LAUNCH TIME … ENTER THE PANDEMIC Just as we were about to launch our brand, the pandemic was upon us. Warriors were overwhelmed with the sudden shift to online classes, shelter-inplace orders, changes in employment and opportunities and day-to-day connections.
Together, we #StanUp After a series of teasers on social, President Junn kicked off the new brand on a Warrior Wednesday with a livestreamed event that included co-emcees Karlha Davies (’00), alumni engagement director, and Wonuola Olagunju, a senior, biology major. We were delighted to include a virtual musical performance by the Stan State Chamber Singers; a song by Dave Evans, dean of the College of Science; and a series of campaign images and a video that clearly highlighted the power of our community when we Stan Up together.
We were initially unsure of how to proceed … and then realized there was no better time to launch a brand that’s all about our community and true connectedness, and how through Warrior strength we would not only persevere but thrive.
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The launch was attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends in our community, with viewers logging in from bedrooms and living rooms to backyards and city streets. In that moment, we were all reminded of why each of us chose Stan State and why our community is one of strength, inclusion and celebration of the people who comprise our Warrior family. Students and alumni that are proud, determined and resilient. True Warriors.
More than a campaign The launch of our brand and what we stand for has never been more timely. As the world at large examines the inequities that have been inherent in our institutions, communities and legislation, we need to reflect on what we can do as Warriors to strive for greater equity and inclusion. We will continue to challenge ourselves to do more and review our language, behaviors, infrastructure, curriculum and more. Together, we will help to realize the change that the world is seeking. We will build on the strength of our community, our welcoming of students from every culture and background and our desire to help our students leave Stan State ready to #StanUp for their beliefs and values. And with the knowledge and skills that enable them to have a powerful impact and reach their goals. As Warriors, we know they — and you — will change the world.
FACULTY
Anti-Black Racism Training Reaches Across Campus, Country by lori gilbert
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clarion call to dismantle institutional racism in academia was sounded during the two-day “Confronting Anti-Black Racism on College Campuses,” a virtual professional development training organized by Stanislaus State’s Aletha M. Harven, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and sponsored by Stanislaus State’s Collaboration for Inclusive and Engaging Curriculum, Instruction and Achievement (CIENCIA) program in the College of Science. More than 1,000 attendees across the United States participated in sessions with a panel of scholars from across the country. The idea for the event took form after Harven wrote a statement on behalf of CIENCIA in response to George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis in May. “I felt there was more to be done,” Harven said. “I was in all these meetings and hearing faculty and staff members say they wanted to do something to help the Black community, but they didn’t know what to do. My response was to invite colleagues to come together and organize sessions that would provide educators with critical and timely information that could guide them in helping the Black community.” The result was a powerful program that covered topics such as what anti-Black racism looks like and how it’s ingrained in academia — the way courses are taught, how faculty of color are evaluated, retained and awarded tenure — and what white people can do to become allies in the fight to change systemic inequities. Stan State Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies Michelle Soto-Pena said the training gave her a sense of empowerment and highlighted topics she’s been grappling with. “It includes being intentional in the type of culture I cultivate, not only in
my class but in my department,” SotoPena said. “If we’re really talking about confronting anti-Black racism, we have to know what it is, identify it, call it out, name it and work toward dismantling it.”
how they help students outside the classroom, whether it’s bringing a child clean clothes or providing a ride home; and the breaking down of academia’s systemic racism from within, led by rank and file members.
Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Cueponcaxochitl Moreno Sandoval had a similar takeaway.
Black Lives Matter has taught us a charismatic leader isn’t needed to make change today, Toldson said. “It takes everyone doing their part. And, breaking down racism must begin with breaking it down in education.”
“At the end of the day, what is good for Black students is good for all students. As somebody who works in Indigenous studies, it’s important for me to build solidarity with Black students and faculty. Black and Indigenous voices are the most marginalized. We need to shift the tides and center these voices, to learn from our mistakes and grow.” The training left an impression on presenters as well. “People were really compassionate and seeking a deeper understanding of what was going on,” said Ivory Toldson, professor of counseling psychology at Howard University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Negro Education. Toldson, an Obama administration appointee who worked on behalf of Historical Black Colleges and Universities, took aim at systemic racism in education during his session, titled, “Promoting Racial Justice and Equity.”
“The biggest thing I got out of it was seeing the overlay of ideas I’ve been thinking about,” said DeLeon Gray, an associate professor of educational psychology and university faculty scholar at North Carolina State University. “I’m not thinking about these things in isolation. Seeing the geographic diversity of individuals affirmed my commitment to bring social justice, and to know my energy is going in the right direction.” Though he serves primarily as an advisor for graduate students and a liaison between North Carolina State and the K-12 community, Gray’s ideas were applicable to faculty. He advises students to study books and articles by diverse authors. Reading works by scholars of color, Gray said, is something faculty can do in revising their curriculum.
“It wasn’t all about content,” Toldson said. “It was also about people really understanding themselves and how they are emotionally relating to information, and how they can be on a personal journey of growth and development in advancing a more inclusive environment and advocating for advancing anti-racist thought.” He noted some anxiety in people as he proposed changes to the status quo: tenure that reflects service, not just publishing; teachers being evaluated on
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The presenters: Top Row L-R: Tyrone Howard, Aletha Harven, Ivory Toldson, Cleveland Hayes. Second row: D’Artagnan Scorza, DeLeon Gray, Rema Reynolds, Toluwalogo Odumosu Third row: Fran’Cee Brown McClure, Solunis Nicole Bay Adam, Zack Ritter, Angela Chen
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Two days of information flowed nonstop, and when it was over, presenters and attendees were united in their praise of Harven for organizing a professional development training that left no doubt that the Black college experience — for faculty, staff and students — is different from others. “This program was extremely important to me, because I am committed to promoting and advancing the Black community and making sure the Black community has a voice,” Harven said. “So often, Black people, including on college campuses, are overlooked, not listened
Daniel Soodjinda at Forefront of Stan State’s Role in Scholar Strike With President Ellen Junn’s support and encouragement, Stanislaus State joined a nationwide two-day teachin event in September called Scholar Strike, conducting nine different listening and teaching panels addressing racial violence and unjust policing. Junn called for the University to join the strike and stand in solidarity with what’s happening in the nation and reached out to Daniel Soodjinda, cochair of the President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion (PCDI) and associate professor and chair of the Liberal Studies Department. Junn, Soodjinda and PCDI co-chair Kilolo Brodie worked through Labor Day weekend to plan and organize virtual sessions at Stan State for the following Tuesday and Wednesday. The two-day strike came together quickly in response to a tweet by University of Pennsylvania Professor
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to, not heard, and I knew a program like this would say what needed to be said. “One of the speakers said as Black people, we’ve been saying the same thing forever. None of this is new. We want to be treated with respect. We want our humanity recognized. We want to be treated with dignity. We want people to respect our talents, respect our minds.”
brutality against people of color, in which Stan State faculty organized sessions, resulted in part from the broad attendance of Confronting Anti-Black Racism on College Campuses. It’s just one more thing that gives Harven hope that change will come. “Black people are always hopeful,” she said.
The program, Harven said, has had an immediate effect. She said she believes the national two-day Scholar Strike teach-in to protest injustice and police
Anthea Butler, who wrote, “I would be down as a professor to follow the NBA and strike for a few days to protest police violence in America.” University professors across the country joined the strike and paused their classes for two days. Soodjinda rallied others at Stan State, and he conducted one of the webinars, “Confronting White Supremacy in the K-12 Classroom.” Soodjinda enlisted faculty colleagues Michelle Soto-Pena and Cassandra Drake from Liberal Studies Department and Mary Roaf from the Ethnic Studies Program, all of whom began their careers in K-12 schools. Also on the panel was Mary Asgil, a Turlock Unified School District teacher with 25 years’ experience and advisor for the Equity Platform Group. Soodjinda’s session covered the need to tear down current systems built on ideas of racism, oppression and white supremacy to make room for a new system that humanizes Black students in the classroom. Soodjinda said his Scholar Strike webinar probably wouldn’t have been possible three or five years ago. The climate has changed since then with more people listening to the call for reform. More than 150 people participated in his webinar. “I think part of why this country has an anti-Black position and why white
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supremacy is the other pandemic that has always existed is because our education system — specifically our K-12 schools — aren’t having these discussions in the classroom,” Soodjinda said. “I want people to know how K-12 schools were built on white supremacist ideas, and how these ideas continue to manifest and inform policy, practice and curriculum. By having this webinar, my hope is to make it less taboo and have people talk about it. I hope more people join the fight, become more aware and do the same thing within their own circles.” Read the full article at www.csustan.edu/STAN-Magazine
LIBRARY
strengthening the bond Ferarri Gift Supports the Connection Between Turlock and Stanislaus State By lori gilbert 27
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LIBRARY
eani Ferrari fully embraced Turlock and all it offered when she moved from Modesto 54 years ago after marrying John Ferrari, a second-generation farmer. She reveled in its beautiful landscape, both natural and man-made by agriculture, generous people willing to roll up their sleeves to help or contribute to a worthy cause and the presence of a university where she could pursue her artistic talents before drawing gave way to motherhood. What she and John are now working toward is a stronger connection between the two entities they love: Turlock and Stanislaus State. The couple has donated $250,000 to the renovated J. Burton Vacshé Library Building, and while part of it will go toward a two-story agriculture-themed mural, a nod to the couple’s commitment to farmland preservation and the region’s natural resources, part of the gift is aimed at strengthening that bond. “I can just imagine the University Library with programming and beautiful murals,” Jeani Ferrari said. “I believe there will be such a connecting point, getting the community to the University and getting the University back to the community.” Jeani Ferrari, one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Carnegie Arts Center and an active member of its board of directors, envisions thematic programming of events at Stan State’s Vasché Library, the Carnegie Arts Center and the Turlock Library. Centered on the sustainability of vital agricultural land and the bounty this region offers, such programming might include an art show at the Carnegie, a children’s program at Turlock Library and a lecture at the Vasché Library. Like the Vasché Library, the Turlock Library is under renovation, and while Jeani Ferrari has served on the steering committee of the University’s Library renovation, John Ferrari has worked with Friends of the Turlock Library as it remakes itself. STA N M AGA Z I N E
“The fact we were both working on library projects touched our hearts, and we knew that this was important,” Jeani Ferrari said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have realized how very important these libraries were to our community.” The Turlock Library always held a special place in the hearts of the Ferraris. As young parents, they read to their three children from the time they were born, and then started taking them to the library. “We took the kids to Library Night one night a week and it was something the kids looked forward to. The family loved it,” she said. That the University Library can create lasting memories for students and community members is an idea that came to the Ferraris more recently. Jeani dived into worthy causes: volunteering in her eldest son Justin’s second-grade classroom and continuing to volunteer with her three childrens’ classes for 18 years; serving on the PTA; campaigning to establish a GATE program in Turlock Unified School District; organizing and leading the Downtown Farmers Market and continuing to serve on the nonprofit board; and the Farmland Working Group, in which she and fellow board members attend city and county government meetings to advocate for the preservation of farmland. Most recently, she and John co-chaired the campaign to complete Turlock Gospel Mission’s Rescue Shelter. When former Stan State President Joe Sheley and his wife, Bernadette Halbrook, moved into a house on the street where the Ferraris live, she and the neighbors welcomed them, introducing themselves with a gift basket. That friendship led to them being introduced to two of Stan State’s most devoted supporters and work on the behalf of students. “We were inspired by Dorothy and Bill Bizzini. Dorothy’s commitment to the University was amazing. It just poured from her,” Jeani said. “It was apparent to John and me that this was a pretty good place, and these were pretty good people.”
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“I think about the importance of connecting; I think people need to be connected to the community organizations and institutions where they live. When they are, they’ll be excited about the possibilities.” —JEANI FERRARI
That connection brought her back to the University where she’d started when she first arrived in Turlock. Their commitment continued to grow, and when Ellen Junn arrived as president, the Ferraris already were engaged with Stan State. Junn held a series of forums to get to know and hear from the campus and Turlock communities, and Jeani attended. “There was something about driving to campus and going to this event and hearing other people talk about the school and expressing some of the same ideas I did,” she said. “That was another connecting point, just like being neighbors was a connecting point.” Discussion about the University included the fact there were opportunities to be more strongly connected with the community — opportunities that were being missed.
“I was asked to be on the Library Renovation Committee, and I was very much interested in that,” Jeani said. “Everything makes connections, and everything has an impact no matter how subtle it is. Being on the Library committee made a difference for me.” In the conversations held by the Library Renovation Committee, the celebration of regional agriculture came about organically, Jeani said. It was a theme that spoke to her heart.
region in an artistic display in a library. Jeani Ferrari hopes those elements draw in all segments of the community. “There’s always a starting point and there are always possibilities,” she said. “I think about the importance of connecting; I think people need to be connected to the community organizations and institutions where they live. When they are, they’ll be excited about the possibilities.”
“I think it was just something that was valued,” she said. “There was also a sense of respecting and honoring the natural landscape. So, as the design moved along, I think people realized those walls and the spaces would reflect the bigger environment around us, and that would be agriculture.” They will reflect all that is dear to the Ferraris: the natural and agricultural landscapes of this fertile, unique 29
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ATHLETICS When Stanislaus State hired Wayne Pierce to teach botany in 1971, the University had no idea it was getting a package deal. Although his wife, Donna Pierce, was never an employee, she has been just as involved as anyone on campus and is something of an unofficial historian. The two were enthusiastic boosters of Warrior sports. Wayne served as Faculty Representative to Athletics for 25 years. A tremendous sports fan, Donna served as a clock keeper and later an official scorekeeper at Warrior basketball games for more than 30 years. She was inducted into the Warrior Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007, four years after Wayne. Her greatest legacy may be providing the funding to complete the Trans-California Pathway in honor of her late husband, who dreamed of such a space for decades. But her roots with the University run deeper.
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“Donna is not just a supporter of Warrior Athletics, she’s part of the family,” said Hung Tsai, assistant athletics director, communications and marketing. “Her long-time commitment to the well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff has been invaluable to the entire Stanislaus State community.” She attended every kind of Stan State sporting event, except maybe softball. “I was the first softball coach,” Pierce said. “They were desperate, and I was available. We were horrible.” That 1976 team was formed in the early days after Title IX provided equal opportunities for women. The field was carved out of a dirt parking lot by the gym. The team won only one game, against Sonoma State University
OF A CHAMPION
“The only thing I can say about it is we showed up at all our games with whoever we could manage to get,” Pierce said. “We had credibility by showing up, and we paved the way so whoever followed us could have a team.”
She Never Put on a Uniform, but Donna Pierce has Been a Part of Warrior Athletics as Much as Any Accomplished Athlete
“When that season was over, I asked Wayne to take me away for a while and we went to Houston,” Pierce said. During that six-month sabbatical, Wayne worked at the University of Houston, which was one of only two times in nearly 50 years that Donna Pierce left Turlock.
BY LORI GILBERT
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The other happened when she attended Ronald Regan’s 1981 inauguration with a group from Stan State and fell in love with Washington D.C. Wayne Pierce took a sabbatical and worked in the laboratory at the University of Maryland.
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“It was a fantastic time in our lives,” she said. But their hearts were in Turlock. The two were fixtures at athletics events. “I was an obnoxious fan, always yelling,” Donna admits.
“That meant everything,” Pierce said. “Then at my last game, the young man who was the lead official asked, ‘Would you like to go to the captain’s meeting?’ How awesome was that?
When the timekeeper failed to show up for the annual men’s and women’s basketball tournament held over Thanksgiving weekend in the early 1980s, tennis coach and Assistant Athletics Director Jack Lackey recruited Pierce from the stands.
“I have loved every moment of it.”
She’d never had a lesson on how to do it, but she settled into the scorer’s table and never left, first as the game clock keeper, then the official scorer.
Former student-athlete, Ann Kucera, played basketball for the Warriors from 1981-85 and teaches elementary school in Modesto.
Health issues prompted her to retire early in the 2019-20 season but not before every referee posed for a photo with her at the suggestion of the head of officiating.
“Donna wanted people to feel comfortable when they came to school at Stan State, that they made a good decision,” Kucera said. “She wanted to be part of that transition and be a part of their lives if they wanted her to be.
The bond she formed with student athletes continues. Every year, she gathers former women athletes at a holiday luncheon, and she sees others regularly.
Her love for Stan State was exceeded only by her love for her husband and daughter Amy, whom the couple adopted in 1967. The couple met in their hometown of Atascadero, bonding over their love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose World Series games with the New York Yankees were broadcast during lunchtime in the school cafeteria. The two remained a couple when Wayne went to Humboldt State to earn his degree in botany and they married in 1964 before he headed to Washington State University to earn his doctorate. They lived there six years, adopted Amy, and when he completed his studies, Wayne received offers to teach in Connecticut, Nashville, Reno and Turlock.
Donna Pierce and Reggie Jones celebrate his induction into the Stan State Athletics Hall of Fame on February 8, 2020.
“We came in ’71,” she said. “There were four buildings. Look at it today.” Wayne Pierce’s goal was to be the best teacher he could be, Donna said, and Stan State allowed him to pursue that dream. His other dream was to create a space on campus for biology and botany students to see the fauna and flora of California without having to take a field trip. The University set aside four acres at the corner of Geer Road and Monte Vista Avenue “but there wasn’t any money,” Pierce said.
“ Donna is not just a supporter of Warrior Athletics, she’s part of the family.” —HUNG TSAI, ASSISTANT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Wayne and colleagues Dave Gotelli and Ida Bowers procured 300 acorns and saplings and with family, friends, colleagues and students, planted them on a cold November day in 1989. For three years, Donna and Wayne weeded what looked like an empty patch of dirt and connected a series of hoses from the Science 1 Building to water those acorns. Forty-seven took root. After Wayne died in 2008, Donna used her own resources and procured donations from friends and colleagues to finally bring to life the Trans-California Pathway her husband had always envisioned. The project broke ground in October 2009, and three years later, the pathway opened.
Donna, walking home from a late shift of work, hit a tree branch that dumped snow down her back, and she woke up her husband and said, “Call Connecticut, Nashville and Reno and tell them, ‘No.’ I’m done with snow.”
“Wayne never got to see it,” Donna said. “He always talked about a place, not just for his students to study ecology but for the community. ‘There are children who have never been to Yosemite,’ he said. He wanted to bring it to them.
Turlock was ideal. It was close to Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Foothills that Wayne loved, and to the ocean, which Donna loved.
“I try to promote the Pathway any chance I get. It’s a great legacy. He had the vision, and we made it happen.”
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Division of University Advancement STANISLAUS STATE One University Circle Turlock, Ca 95382
Happy 60th Birthday, Stan State! This year, Stanislaus State commemorates 60 years of fostering an inclusive learning environment which promotes academic excellence and encourages all members of the campus community to expand their intellectual, creative and social horizons.
