Updating university websites, helping the citrus industry and working families, and honoring engineering alumni are the highlights of President Ortiz’s video update.
Ninety-five university websites will get upgrades this week as part of Phase 2a of the web redesign project. They include the College of Business Administration, the College of Education & Integrative Studies, The Collins College of Hospitality Management, the University Library, PolyCentric, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and University Advancement. The next phase will include other college and department websites.
Professor Valerie Mellano, chair of the plant sciences department, is leading 24 students in researching how to stop the spread of a disease-carrying insect that is threatening California’s $2 billion citrus industry. The group is exploring using tiny wasps to kill these insects, which are known as Asian citrus psyllids.
Accounting students are helping local working families file their taxes through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which is overseen by lecturer Bill Foley. The number of volunteers has tripled over the past four years to 120 students.
In other news:
- The College of Engineering has inducted 22 alumni into its Hall of Fame last week.
- The Career Center and The Collins College of Hospitality Management hosted their largest-ever Hospitality Career Expo with 65 companies in attendance.
- The women’s basketball team clinched first place in the conference this weekend.
- Student-athletes had a higher average grade-point average last fall than the average of all undergraduate students. Among them was basketball player Ariel Marsh, who earned Division II Academic All American honors.
- Scholar Antonia Darder and activist Ashley Tsosie-Mahieu will screen the award-winning short film “Breaking Silence: The Pervasiveness of Oppression” on Thursday followed by a discussion.