Chico State in the News

CSU, Chico Receives $7.3 Million for Teacher Training at High-Need Schools

Chico State has received a $7.3 million grant from the Department of Education to partner with high-need schools in four North State school districts to improve teaching and aid student achievement. Chico was one of 28 universities nationally to be awarded $43 million in federal Teacher Quality Partnership grants. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in a news release Sept. 29, said the grants will "improve student academic achievement by strengthening teacher preparation, training and effectiveness and help school districts attract potential educators from a wide-range of professional backgrounds into the teaching profession." The school districts partnering with CSU, Chico's School of Education are Cascade Union, Marysville Unified, Orland Joint Unified and Palermo Union.

Biologist Collaborates on Hydrocarbon Research

Gordon Wolfe, a professor of biological sciences at Chico State, is part of a team that has been funded by the Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) within the National Science Foundation to unlock the power of biocatalysts. Jacqueline V. Shanks of Iowa State University (ISU) heads the research team that includes Basil Nikolau and Tom Bobik of Iowa State and Govind Nadathur of the University of Puerto Rico, in addition to Wolfe. Wolfe's share of the grant is $300,000, which will fund research by graduate and undergraduate students, in addition to Wolfe. The project, "Bioengineering a System for the Direct Production of Biological Hydrocarbons for Biofuels," will allow researchers to explore what genes and mechanisms are behind the natural production of hydrocarbons by plants, insects and algae and how they may be successfully integrated into a host organism.

CSU, Chico Featured in Princeton Review's ‘The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition'

The College of Business is an outstanding business school, according to The Princeton Review, a New York-based company known for college and career guidebooks and test-prep courses. The education services company features the school in the new 2010 edition of its book, "The Best 301 Business Schools" (Random House/Princeton Review). This is the third consecutive year that Chico has been cited by The Princeton Review for offering students an outstanding MBA program. According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president, publishing, "We are pleased to recommend Chico State to readers of our book and users of our site as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA."

Engineering Students Design and Build Human Powered Vehicle

In an effort to bring ecologically friendly modes of transportation to the Chico community, a team of eight mechanical engineering students have designed, built and tested a vehicle powered solely by human energy. The project was designed as a collaborative effort between the Mechanical Engineering Program and the Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, Chico. Supervised by faculty advisor Greg Watkins, the engineering team (composed of Lindsay Leahy, Jeff Croshal, Aaron Brooks, Josh Pasos, Brent Locklin, Thaddeus Barry, Kyle Hartlet and Stacey Cubillo) exhibited their prototype at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Human Powered Vehicle Competition in Portland, Oregon, placing in the top three in vehicle design. At the competition the aerodynamically designed vehicle competed in speed and endurance tests and was judged in maneuverability, practicality and design efficiency.

Ranking in Sierra Club's ‘Cool Schools' List Adds to ‘Green' Honors for CSU, Chico

Chico State has added to its national standing in sustainability and environmental programs by ranking 34 on the Sierra Club's "Cool Schools" list for 2009. The college rankings, titled "A Comprehensive Guide to the Most Eco-Enlightened U.S. Universities," were published in the Sierra Club's Sierra Magazine September-October issue. The rankings rate schools in nine categories, including energy efficiency, waste management and transportation policies. The Sierra Club ranked 135 colleges and universities in the U.S. on its Cool Schools list. The University of Colorado, Boulder, was ranked number one in the survey. CSU, Chico was the only CSU campus included on the list.

Social Work Graduate Program Debuts in Redding

Collaborating with North State child welfare and mental health agencies, Chico's master's program in social work (MSW) is starting a three-year program this fall based in Redding. The program is geared for professionals already employed in a social work agency who can work towards an MSW without leaving their jobs to attend school full-time. Enrollment is full with 40 students signed up from 12 California counties as well as one student from Oregon. Jean Schuldberg, CSU, Chico MSW program director, said the program attracted twice as many applicants as there were places available for students.

National Honors for CSU, Chico: Ranked Sixth Among Western Master's Level Public Universities by U.S. News; In Forbes' Top 100 List

Your browser may not support display of this image. Chico State is ranked sixth among master's level public universities in the Western United States in the 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges" from U.S. News & World Report magazine. The master's level category U.S. News & World Report uses includes universities that offer undergraduate and master's programs, but few doctoral programs. The magazine rated 572 universities in four geographic regions in this category. U.S. News publishes a top 10 list of master's level public universities for each region. CSU, Chico has made the list of top Western universities every year since 1998.

CSU, Chico Wins Major Awards for St. Jude Fund-Raising

Your browser may not support display of this image. Chico State swept the major awards at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this month for its fund-raising on behalf of research to treat cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood. Chico won awards for having the outstanding fund-raising event, overall program, program advisors and fund-raising total. Chico has held the Up ‘Til Dawn fund-raiser on campus for St. Jude Hospital since 2001. Last year the campus raised approximately $204,000, and has raised more than $880,000 for St. Jude's over the past decade. CSU, Chico has set collegiate records for dollars raised in one year and number of letters sent out to potential donors.

CSU, Chico Receives Outstanding Marks from Accrediting Body

Chico State has been reaccredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for 10 years, an exceptionally long period of reaccreditation that represents a major affirmation of the University and its programs and initiatives. Official word of the 10-year reaccreditation came in a June 26 letter to CSU, Chico President Paul Zingg from WASC President and Executive Director Ralph Wolff. A team of higher education administrators from five U.S. universities visited CSU, Chico in March on behalf of WASC as part of the final phase of a multi-year reaccreditation process.

"Less than five percent of institutions seeking re-accreditation are reaffirmed for the maximum period of time, that is, 10 years," said Zingg. "In fact, this period of re-affirmation has become even rarer in recent years as WASC has gone to a two-stage process that makes the reviews more, not less, demanding. But the maximum re-accreditation award means that Chico State has been judged as exemplary at all levels of the review and that we stand as a model for other institutions in our region."