Campus News

Installation of most of the equipment took place in March and April. (top) Completed smart classroom with ceiling LCD projector, technology cart and web access (bottom).

The Concord Campus received a Congressionally-Directed Grant to update technology on the campus in the spring of 2005. The updates are now nearing completion.

Congressman George Miller, who is on the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, enabled the grant to move forward to reality. A total of $421,600 was shared with Los Medanos College in Pittsburg.

The Concord Campus used the grant to make 21 classrooms into “smart classrooms" with computers, computer hookups, internet access, and LCD projectors for professors and students to utilize for classroom projects and presentations. The grant also supported streaming video in a conference room and enhancing the technology usability in the campus’ lecture hall.

Desktop conferencing will connect program coordinators,
transfer counselors, faculty and students at the Concord Campus and Los Medanos College. These desktop videoconferencing units will enable students, counselors, faculty, and staff to consult and communicate on a face-to-face basis for advising and planning purposes utilizing the internet.

“A campus such as ours is tremendously dependent upon the quality of its instructional technology”, explains Peter Wilson, Dean of the Concord Campus. “This grant enables us to stay at the cutting edge. We are indebted to Congressman Miller.”

With their portion of the grant, Los Medanos College (LMC) has created three new smart classrooms. They also are equipping a Community High Technology Center to be used by members of the community including state-of-the-art presentation and video-conferencing facilities as well as
laptop computer access by the community. Ten laptop computers will be made available for community members’ use when they are on campus for a meeting, presentation or simply for personal use, and will be stored on a cart that charges them. The mobile lab will also allow the College library to check out these wireless laptops for general patron use.

All improvements at the Concord Campus and Los Medanos College will also provide training and professional development opportunities for faculty and community residents using these technology enhancements.

Updates continue and the project is expected to be completed sometime this summer. For a look at more of the Concord Campus' smart classrooms, click here.

Concord Campus Repairs Some Infrastructure, More on the Way!

Crews have been busy repairing and updating areas of the Concord Campus for months. Years of summer sun and heat, along with original errors in design, have precipitated a lengthy list of capital projects, some of which have just been completed.

Faculty, students and staff had several dark evenings as they went out their cars to go home this past winter. There was a malfunction with the campus’ external lighting and none of it came on. The issue was examined and all external lighting now has been repaired and is running smoothly. In addition, all emergency lighting including emergency exit signs and emergency backup batteries have been replaced.

Pacific Gas and Electric came to the campus in April and retrofitted all fluorescent lighting with new ballasts and bulbs at no cost to the campus. The new retrofit is expected to save the campus approximately 40% on its lighting bill.

Two of the campus buildings, the Academic Services Building and the Library, were built a bit too close to meet fire safety standards. There are two huge roll-down doors in the Academic Services lobby which are supposed to drop down in the event of a fire to slow down a fire moving between the two buildings. During routine maintenance of the doors a couple years ago, one of the doors was lowered and broke before it could be raised out of view. The repair of this door is scheduled to be completed in June.

In order to prepare for the start of nursing lab classes at the Campus in Fall 2006, two rooms are being renovated to accommodate the unique curriculum of these programs. They will include a clinical lab and a storeroom and office space for nursing faculty.

The Campus’ Library Building is going to be retrofitted with automatic doors on both floors to increase accessibility. This project will be completed, hopefully, during the summer.

Campus security is always a concern and to keep up with the times as they are, plans are to swap out traditional key locks for electronic key pads within the next year.

Most of us who have been at the Concord Campus for much time, know how room temperatures are not always optimal. The campus facilities staff has been working on this issue for more than a year with software and hardware upgrades. The work continues on and we hope to complete this project soon.

Signage on the campus is now being updated, with new street light banners installed in late April. The electronic sign along Ygnacio Valley Road and other directional signage should be updated with “CSUEB, Concord Campus” by the end of May. Speed signage and other smaller campus signs are currently in design. Current speed signs on Campus Drive, a common “speeding area”, don’t meet road sign requirements and are not enforceable. Plans are to install new road signs this summer.

In addition to all these maintenance and repair projects, a major renovation is being planned for the Campus Union and Bookstore. Plans are to combine the food service and book sales area where the food service area has been, and create a student lounge in the old bookstore location. Administrators are currently waiting for the authorization to proceed on this project so that working drawings can be developed which will allow for a realistic cost estimate to be established.

Rosalyn Earl, Day of the Teacher Coordinator expressed her thoughts about the day. "I think that the 4th Annual Day of the Teacher Conference went extremely well.  I appreciate the positive feedback from students who thought that it was a well planned event with a vast array of topics to choose from."  Earl explained, "For example, a student could take "What Do School Districts Look For", in the morning session, and "Marketing Your Career" in the afternoon session.  There was also an outpouring of support from the Concord Campus Community, Teacher Education Department at the Hayward Hills campus, and many local community sponsors!"

One conference participant, Jocelyn Yonkers, summed up her experience, "Thanks for all of your hard work that you put into making the Day of the Teacher such a success!  I appreciate all of the "extras" that went into the day - the beautiful presentation of displays, the goodie bags, all the treats...  For that alone, it was worth the ten dollars!  As a recent graduate of CSUEB's multiple subject credential program, I also appreciated the wide range of topics covered at the conference sessions which reached across to many people at all stages in their teaching career. All in all, I found the conference to be inspiring and informative.  (I have already recommended attending to colleagues!)  I learned practical applications and strategies to take into the classroom and pointers to help get me into a classroom.  Thanks again for coordinating such a practical event.  I look forward to attending the 5th Annual Day of the Teacher as a first year teacher."

Concord Campus Alumni Association Chapter Seeking New Members

Exciting times and exponential growth are on the horizon for the Concord Campus Chapter of the CSUEB Alumni Association! Inspired by the positive experience of our first Chapter event held in March 2006, we are gearing up for even more events to connect Alums in Contra Costa County.

The suggestions and feedback we received while speaking with Alums who attended that event has been priceless. As always, we are on the lookout for any members who would like to get involved with our chapter by participating on a committee or helping with a volunteer opportunity.

Please visit our website at www.concord.csueastbay.edu/alumni.html and feel free to contact any of our board members with ideas, suggestions, and inquiries to help the chapter grow into the chapter that best serves your needs! Take care and we look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!

Krista Kohlberg, President, Concord Campus Chapter.

Announcing Early Childhood Development/Education Programs & Scholarships - Information Sessions Happening Now

Two new academic programs in Early Childhood have been developed.

A new Human Development-Early Childhood Development option will be included in course offerings at the Concord Campus starting in Fall Quarter 2006. This program will also be offered at Contra Costa College in San Pablo. The Teacher Education Department has also developed the Early Childhood Education Minor, which, if approved, will hold its first classes in Summer Quarter 2007 at the Concord Campus.

First 5 Contra Costa of the Children and Families Commission has graciously offered substantial scholarship support for students who commit to BOTH the Early Childhood Development option AND the Early Childhood Education minor, and who meet specific criteria.

Information sessions have been set up for prospective students to learn more about the two programs and the scholarship opportunity. The sessions will take place at local community colleges and at CSUEB's Concord Campus.

CSUEB Concord Campus
Wednesday, May 3rd
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Room Location: Oak Room, Library Building

Diablo Valley College
Thursday, May 4th
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Room Location: BFL Community Room

For more information, visit:
http://concord.csueastbay.edu/documents/Human_Devearlychildfinal.pdf

Download Scholarship Application

For inquiries about the scholarship opportunity and other information, contact: marcie.mcdaniels@csueastbay.edu.