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Camarillo, CA - CSU Channel Islands (CI) junior Patricia Ferrer was among the biology majors who stepped out of their comfort zone to take "Science of Art and Art of Science" this semester.

"I was really, really nervous," Ferrer said. "I had a lot of anxiety going into the class. The only art class I took before this one was a ceramics class in high school."

Taught by Professor of Art Liz King, and Assistant Professor of Biology Erich Fleming, the interdisciplinary class was designed to instruct students simultaneously in both art and science.

Biology students like Ferrer surprised themselves by finding out they had more art talent than they realized. Art students also pushed their boundaries by learning biology as they sketched and painted.

Illustrations and watercolors created by students in this year and last year's class are on display March 2 through March 26 at the Palm Gallery at 92 Palm Drive in Old Town Camarillo.

Gallery hours for "The Art of Science Exhibition" are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday with the closing reception on March 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Palm Gallery.

King and Fleming taught the first course last year to about 15 students. This year, 24 signed up—the majority of them biology students.

King and Fleming took the students to the outermost reaches of campus to collect various insects, which the students studied and drew while learning about each part of each insect.

"The students observed bugs in front of magnifiers and measured them to understand the traits and characteristics of the bugs and then they drew them," King said.

The process was designed to teach students that art and science have a lot in common.

"The great thing about art and science is they both revolve around one thing: observation," Fleming said. "You can't be a good scientist without good observational skills and you can't be a good artist without good observational skills."

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI's strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master's degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI's Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world's largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - William Rolland of Malibu has pledged up to $4 million to California Lutheran University to help build a new home for the Art Department.

Cal Lutheran will cover the remaining cost of up to $4 million for the design and construction of what will be the 25,000- to 30,000-square-foot William Rolland Art Center on the Thousand Oaks campus. It will house art studios, offices and possibly classrooms, computer labs and a student gallery.

The university’s Board of Regents voted Saturday to approve spending $300,000 for the initial planning and design. Once that work is completed, the board will approve the building project.

Art Department studios, offices and classrooms are currently spread out among two ranch buildings that pre-date the university’s 1959 founding and an old metal-roofed building. The new facility will bring the department under one roof and provide it with about twice as much space. The university provides education in studio arts, digital art, design and commercial art, and art history.

The visual arts CONTINUED »

Fillmore High School PTO will be meeting at the High School Library Wednesday March 4th at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome.

The eight high school teams that will advance to the semifinals of the Ventura County Mock Trial were announced today by the Ventura County Office of Education. The semifinalists received the eight highest scores of the 33 teams participating in this year’s Mock Trial. Listed in order of their scores, the final eight teams are:

1. Santa Susana
2. Newbury Park - Gold
3. Westlake
4. La Reina
5. Grace Brethren
6. Trinity Pacific - Kappa
7. Trinity Pacific - Omega
8. Agoura

The public is invited to watch the semifinals tonight, February 25, at 5:30 pm at the Hall of Justice at 800 South Victoria Ave. in Ventura. The final four teams will face off Thursday evening at 5:30 pm at the Hall of Justice. The winning team will be announced at an awards ceremony on Monday, March 2 at 6:00 pm at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center at 800 Hobson Way. All events are open to the public.

About Ventura County Mock Trial
Ventura County Mock Trial gives local students a firsthand look at the criminal justice system by having them portray the principals in a cast of courtroom characters. The roles played by the students include attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, court clerks and sketch artists. Student teams study the hypothetical case, conduct legal research, receive guidance from volunteer attorneys in courtroom procedure and trial preparation, and present their case before volunteer judges. Close to 500 Ventura County students in grades nine through 12 participate. More than 150 local attorneys volunteer their time to score the competition. The winning Ventura County team will advance to the state mock trial to compete against their peers from across California.

The Ventura County Office of Education and the Ventura County Superior Court host the event with support from the Constitutional Rights Foundation.

Additional information about Ventura County Mock Trial is available at: http://www.vcoe.org/Default.aspx?tabid=685

About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org

Discovery Day is our annual fund raiser for the Moorpark College Child Development Center. This fundraiser is presented to increase public awareness of developmentally appropriate programs.

Discovery Day is a day filled with many fun and educational activities for parents and their children between the ages of 2 to 10 years. Come spend the day exploring the developmental, process-oriented environment provided by the staff and students of the Child Development Center. You can “mine for gold” in the sandbox; make the “BLOB” come to life; make “ice-sculptures” experiment with a variety of “doughs”; create and race your very own ship; “buy your groceries” in our store; or many other activities.

Extra added attractions include a SILENT AUCTION, the Interactive music experiences and face painting.

WHEN: Saturday, March 14, 2015

TIME: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: The patios and grounds of the Child Development Center at Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark
(Exit 118 at Collins Road, turn right at Campus Road to signs for parking)

COST: Presale Tickets available from the Child Development Center:
$7.00 per Child -- $4.00 per Adult
At the Door:
$8.00 per Child -- $5.00 per Adult

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CALL (805) 378-1401.

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Camarillo, CA - Research on Santa Rosa Island; reliable health care information on the Internet; genetically modified food; and the importance of bees to our everyday lives are included in topics scheduled for the California State University Channel Islands free Library Lecture Series, which continues through May 14.

The lecture series offers the public a chance to hear from some of CI's most dynamic experts in the comfort of their local library. CI's scholars will discuss and field questions about timely, compelling and entertaining topics that will range from 19th Century Mexico City to California's native flora to healthcare Internet resources.
The series will be offered at libraries in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Ventura and Santa Paula.

City of Thousand Oaks Grant R. Brimhall Library, 1401 E. Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks (lectures will be held inside the Marvin E. Smith Community Room)

"Natural Habitats and Native Flora of California State University Channel Islands," Thursday, March 12, 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Springs Fire of 2013 blackened the rolling hills around the CSU Channel Islands campus, but the area is beginning to recover. Biology Lecturer Steven M. Norris, Ph.D., will discuss the regrowth of the over 120 native species of CI flora that have been identified to date, and talk about the natural history survey CI has been conducting since the University opened in 2002.

"Hidden Gems of Latin America," Thursday, April 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Professor and Chair of Spanish Stephen Clark, Ph.D., will give guests an armchair tour of some of Latin America's most intriguing cities with a taste of their culture, history and architecture.

"China: The Socialist Market Economy," Thursday, May 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m. China is a trading giant with the world's second largest economy and the longest sustained economic growth in the history of mankind. Associate Professor of Finance Priscilla Liang, Ph.D., will discuss whether China can continue as a socialist market economy without political reform.

Blanchard Community Library, 119 N. 8th St., Santa Paula

"A New Era of Research on Santa Rosa Island," Thursday, March 12, 6 to 8 p.m. CSU Channel Islands Santa Rosa Island Research Station Manager Cause Hanna, Ph.D., will talk about several studies going on about the human and natural history and ecology on the island. Hanna will also share ways in which students of all ages are learning about real world resource management.

"Bees, Food and You," Monday, May 4, 6 to 8 p.m. Most people don't realize how important bees are to their everyday lives, according to Assistant Professor of Biology, Ruben Alarcón, Ph.D. More than 130 fruit and vegetable crops in the U.S. are pollinated from bees and other insects. Recent declines in the honeybee population have underscored the need to study bees, and learn ways to help them survive better.

Simi Valley Public Library, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley

"The Great GMO Label Debate—Science, Politics, and the Court of Public Opinion," Monday, March 2, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Attorney and Lecturer in Business Panda Kroll, ESQ., will take a closer look at the national debate over the use of genetically modified organisms or GMOs in the food we eat and legislation over whether to label GMOs. Kroll will examine consumer-led lawsuits against manufacturers as well as the science and political climate surrounding this multi-faceted debate.

"Good, Bad or Otherwise: Reliable Healthcare Internet Resources," Monday, April 6, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Internet can be a jungle when it comes to finding good information about healthcare. Assistant Professor of Nursing Colleen Nevins, Ph.D., will guide us through which web sites are valid, up-to-date and reliable.

Ventura County Library, 651 East Main St., Ventura (lectures will be held in the Topping Room at E.P. Foster Library)

"Through the Looking Glass: a Chemist's Perspective on Lewis Carroll"—Wednesday, March 4, 5 to 7 p.m. Less well known than Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" was "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There." Professor of Chemistry Phil Hampton, Ph.D., will discuss what he found there, using gumdrops and hands-on demonstrations to illustrate the scientific significance of Carroll's sequel.

"Gender Differences in the Social Behaviors of Girls and Boys with Autism," Wednesday, April 22, 5 to 7 p.m. Boys and girls on the autism spectrum have different behaviors, according to Assistant Professor of Special Education Michelle Dean, Ph.D., Dean will present research on how gender relates to the social behavior and relationships of school children with high-functioning autism.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI's strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master's degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI's Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world's largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

Camarillo, CA — Students who transfer from Oxnard College (OC) to CSU Channel Islands (CI) are the focal point of a summit scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20 on the CI campus.

Representatives from CI and OC will meet at Malibu Hall from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to discuss ways to fully prepare community college students to excel in class, make it to graduation day, and perhaps transfer and one day also graduate from CI.

More than 46 percent of Ventura County high school graduates enroll in community college—one of the highest community college attendance rates in the state.

But the number of community college students who graduate and/or transfer to a four-year university is much lower.

A Transfer Velocity Study of the 2007-08 Intent to Transfer Cohort shows that only five percent of OC students transfer to four-year universities within three years.

“There is a real transfer bottleneck in terms of students transferring out within two years,” said Amanda Quintero, Ph.D., Director of the Hispanic Serving Institute Initiative and Title V Projects. “The longer it takes for students to transfer out of the community college system, the less access they have to financial resources to complete a baccalaureate degree.”

Among Hispanic high school students in Ventura County, only 22.2 percent graduate with grades and test scores making them eligible for direct entry to a four-year university compared with 45.9 percent eligibility among non-Hispanic students.

These statistics have a disproportionate impact on large numbers of Hispanic students as many start their pathway to a baccalaureate degree at a community college. Often these students are the first in their family to attend college or from lower socioeconomic groups.

To create a better pipeline from community colleges to four-year universities, the National Survey of Student Engagement and Center for Community College Engagement in partnership with Excelencia in Education selected CI and OC to be part of a nationwide study.

CI and OC are among 11 four-year institutions paired with community colleges across the nation. These partnerships are charged with looking at policies, teaching practices and other systems so that all involved can help better prepare transfer students to have an optimal college experience.

“The summit will help advance strategies to increase the number of students who transfer out of Oxnard College and who graduate from CSU Channel Islands,” Quintero said.

One strategy already in place involves students from Project ISLAS who help transfer students navigate the CI campus on a practical, social and academic level.

Project ISLAS is an effort in which CI students, staff and faculty create a pathway to college with advice, support and other resources that target transfer students once they transition to CI.

The summit on Feb. 20 will allow representatives from Oxnard College and CSU Channel Islands to discuss possible barriers that students may be encountering—particularly Hispanic students—when they pursue a degree at Oxnard College and may wish to continue their education at CSU Channel Islands.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world’s largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

Dana Cochran

Camarillo, CA - Research she conducted as an undergraduate has earned CSU Channel Islands (CI) graduate student Dana Cochran a coveted spot in the 2015 "Posters on the Hill" event in Washington D.C.

"Posters on the Hill" is sponsored each spring by the Council on Undergraduate Research in Washington, D.C.

Cochran, 24, is among 60 chosen from more than 500 applicants from colleges and universities around the nation who will present their research to members of the U.S. Congress on April 22 and 23.

"This event is intended to help members of Congress understand the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly with the students whom these programs impact," reads a passage on the Council's web site.

Cochran, of Simi Valley, used her mathematical skills to begin developing an automated diagnostic tool for physicians using brain scans to detect schizophrenia.

"Studies have shown that the shape of a part of the brain called the 'corpus callosum' will vary according to whether you have a disease," Cochran explained.

Cochran said her goal was to build a database that would allow doctors to input the scans and find out whether the mathematical coordinates on the shape of the corpus callosum indicate the possibility of schizophrenia.

Cochran's mentor, CI Associate Professor of Mathematics, Kathryn Leonard, Ph.D., said she saw potential in Cochran after watching Cochran ease through linear algebra classes during her sophomore year.

"That's when students transition from computation to abstract thought," Leonard said. "It's something most students struggle with, so I asked her to join my research group the following year."

Cochran had always been fascinated with anatomy and physiology, so she was a good fit for Leonard's research into applying mathematics to brain imagery.

Cochran is currently working toward her master's degree in mathematics at CI with hopes of someday teaching.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI's strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master's degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI's Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world's largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

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Camarillo, CA - Clad in jeans, a T-shirt and a facemask, CSU Channel Islands (CI) Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Gayle Hutchinson fired up her weed whacker.

Hutchinson then sheared off a stand of weeds next to the Prototypes rehabilitation center in Oxnard.

“I love physical labor. I love service,” Hutchinson said, pulling down her face mask. “I think it’s important to give back. We get busy in our lives, and myopic.”

Hutchinson was among about 30 volunteers—most of them CI students, faculty, staff and administration—who performed a variety of duties for Prototypes in Oxnard as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service on Friday, Jan. 30.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the volunteers cleared brush; painted walls; cleaned the playground; held an arts and crafts workshop for the kids and a workshop giving tips for women on how to enroll in college.

Prototypes is a residential treatment center that helps women get clean and sober while also accommodating their children.

“This program allows you to be with your kid while working on your own recovery,” said Crystal Beeson, 29, who held a seven-month old baby girl in a Minnie Mouse hoodie fitted with ears. “This program teaches you balance. This is a lifetime disease.”

Beeson has been clean and sober for 100 days, and plans to attend 12-step meetings when she leaves Prototypes so she can stay on the right path for herself and her daughter.

Outside the multi-storied 1898 building that houses Prototypes, CI communication major Dedreiana Elliott, 21, helped sort out working from non-working donated bicycles.

Elliott said she read about the volunteer opportunity on the CI website, and signed up.

“I think one of these service opportunities may lead me to the career I want,” she said, adding that, as an African American woman, she felt it was important to follow Martin Luther King’s example.

Plus, she wanted to follow the advice of her aunt, who raised her, she said.

“I was a substance abuse baby,” Elliott said. “Had my aunt not been there for me, I don’t know what would have happened to me. She tells me to pay it forward all the time.”

Also behind the MLK Day of Service at Prototypes was the CI Multicultural Center and Project ISLAS program. Project ISLAS is a grant-supported effort to educate potential students on how to get to college, and the importance of a college degree.

For additional information contact Kim Lamb Gregory, Communication Specialist CSU Channel Islands at 805-437-8424 or kim.gregory@csuci.edu

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world’s largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

Camarillo, CA - More than 55 percent of Ventura County students in pre-school through 12th grade are Latina/o, yet less than 15 percent of their teachers share their cultural ethnicity.

An academy formed to promote Latina/o leadership education will celebrate the accomplishments of its first cohort of protégés and mentors at a banquet Sat., Feb. 7, 2015 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon at CSU Channel Islands (CI).

The seven protégés and eight mentors are the first group to participate in the Lacayo Vista Leadership Academy (LVLA), a two-year old mentorship program created to combat what Latina/o scholars term "The Latino Education Crisis."

"Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the country and yet they are among the most significantly underrepresented in graduate education," explained CI Associate Professor of Education Kaia Tollefson, Ph.D., who created the LVLA.

In 2013, Tollefson paired rising young Latina/o protégés with Hispanic mentors with experience in education in Ventura County.

For two years, the mentors and protégés met regularly, the mentors helping the protégés with any difficulties or challenges that arose in their careers as young educators.

Briggs Middle School teacher Cynthia Dore was paired with mentor Maria Elena Plaza, a former middle school principal who is now Oxnard School District Director of Human Resources & Public Relations.

"She is so smart," Plaza said of Dore. "She has a mind of her own so I helped her think through her own decision-making. We've had professional conversations, we've had personal conversations. It's amazing to see what a close relationship we've developed through this process."

Plaza's mother was a migrant farmworker and single mother who raised all four of her children to become educators.

Dore's father spent all day in the fields and her mother worked in a factory, but they were never too tired to show up for their daughter's school functions.

"Regardless of how late they got home from work, they were always there," Dore said. "Education was always a priority in my family."

The Academy bears the name of humanitarian, public servant and labor leader Hank Lacayo, advisor to U.S. Presidents and state governors, and a passionate advocate for education for all, especially Latina/os.

"Other people will be making decisions for us, so it's important that we pay attention," Lacayo said. "Hispanics, we can be pretty quiet. We need to take a chance and get involved."

What: Lacayo Vista Leadership Academy Banquet
When: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015
Where: CSU Channel Islands Grand Salon
Address: One University Drive, Camarillo, Calif.
For more information about the LVLA or this event, contact Kaia Tollefson at kaia.tollefson@csuci.edu or 805-437-3125.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI's strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master's degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting C I's Soci al Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world's largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

Anna McRoberts, President of Air Bud Entertainment

Camarillo, Calif., Jan. 30, 2015 — An unplanned journey to a billion-dollar business; a garage invention that launched an entrepreneur and the challenges of being a female executive in the entertainment business are among the topics included in the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics Spring 2015 Speaker Series.

Titled “Contemporary Topics in Business and Technology,” the series will feature speakers linked with such brands as UGG; Teva; OtterBox; FaceFirst and Air Bud Entertainment.

First scheduled is Anna McRoberts, President of Air Bud Entertainment, who will speak on Friday, Feb. 6 about a variety of topics, including the responsibilities of a producer; the state of the film and content business today; and the challenges women face in business.

McRoberts believes changing technology is one of the biggest challenges facing the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“A great idea today can be antiquated by tomorrow,” she said. “Without prescience, one has to stay very up-to-date and knowledgeable.”

Recently retired as Chief Operating Officer of the Deckers Outdoor Corporation, businessman Zohar Ziv will speak Friday, Feb. 27 about Deckers, the parent company of the UGG and Teva brands.

Ziv will discuss how he helped turn the company from a $250 million into a $1.8 billion-dollar company, but how most of his success has been what he calls an “unplanned journey.”

“As a financial and logistics person through-and-through, I am always planning,” Zohar said. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, the journey of your career and life will have many unplanned destinations.”

Joe Rosenkrantz, President and Chief Executive Officer of a facial recognition software company called FaceFirst that is being used worldwide for surveillance and law enforcement, will speak on Friday, March 13.

An avid tinkerer, Rosenkrantz developed FaceFirst technology in his Calabasas garage as a way to pay homage to a friend who was on one of the hijacked planes in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to an interview Rosenkrantz did with the Los Angeles Times.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about ways this could have been avoided,” Rosenkrantz told the Times. “I realized that with the right technology, we could have saved lives.”

Curt Richardson, who invented the waterproof smart phone case OtterBox, will speak about his journey into entrepreneurship on Friday, April 17.

Richardson, who is from Fort Collins, Colorado, developed OtterBox in 1998. The success of the company enabled him to co-found Blue Ocean Enterprises, which creates and invests in business opportunities and commercial real estate.

“Our (OtterBox) cases are dedicated to all the klutzy, spontaneous, chaotic, graceless individuals who have broken a device or valuable due to their active lifestyle,” reads a passage on the OtterBox web site. “Like our customers, we’ve been there too!”

What: “Contemporary Topics in Business and Technology” Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics Spring 2015 Speaker Series
Dates: Feb. 6; Feb. 27; March 13; April 17
Time: 12 noon
Where: CSU Channel Islands, Malibu Hall, Room 100
Address: One University Drive, Camarillo
Cost: Free, and lunch is included

To register online and for additional information, visit: business.csuci.edu/events.htm

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more about CI by visiting CI’s Social Media.

The California State University (CSU) will reach a significant milestone of 3 million alumni during commencement in spring 2015 and has launched the world’s largest yearbook. The Class of 3 Million online yearbook is an interactive platform where alumni can create a profile and connect with the millions of other alumni from the 23 CSU campuses across the state. Alumni who sign up for the yearbook will also be entered into a special contest to win one of three $10,000 scholarships for a current or future student, sponsored by Herff Jones. For more information about the yearbook and the Class of 3 Million, visit https://classof3million.calstate.edu/

The Oxnard College Literature, Arts and Lecture Series will begin its 2015 spring Series on February 25 and will feature a poetry reading by Bruce Weigl, the 2014 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Poetry, on April 29. Other events include music and dance concerts, a testimony in commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day by a survivor and decorated French Jewish spy, and a presentation from the Nature Conservancy on Earth Day.

Sponsored by Oxnard College, the Series will be held on Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. on campus in the Performing Arts Center. The events held on March 11, March 25, and April 29 are co-sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc., through a James Irvine grant. All events are free, open to the public, and interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing. Parking is $2.00. The Performing Arts Center is located on the north end of Oxnard College at 4000 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033. For more information, contact the Series coordinator, Shelley Savren, at ssavren@vcccd.edu or (805) 986-5800 ext. 1951.

Spring 2015 Series Schedule

Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The Harlem Renaissance and its Influence
In celebration of African American History Month, essayist, critic and editor Geoffrey Jacques will discuss the 1920’s cultural movement sparked by African American artists and thinkers and how it continues to influence our modern ideas about art and culture.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Tinto Tango Concert and Dance Performance
Argentinean tango ensemble, featuring director and bandoneonist Mariano Dugatkin, violinist Alan Busteed, guitarist Dino Durnad and pianist Pablo Medina, will perform popular tango classics to accompany dancers Dennis Cante and Anna Folkerth.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Poetry from Our Back Yard
California State University professors and poets Claudia Reder and Mary Kay Rummel will read poems from their recent books and discuss how their work has been influenced by other art forms such as music, visual art and other literature, followed by a book signing.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Jazz to Classical: Music of Manson, Ellington, Gershwin, Bach and More
Acclaimed composer and jazz pianist Bevan Manson will be joined by oboist Phil Ayling, violist Jennie Hanson, bassist Danny Young and percussionist Charles Levin, performing jazz and classical pieces and discussing how these musical styles are connected.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Warrior Writers: Young Veterans Share a Re-integration Tool
Writer and organizer Lovella Calica, Iraq veteran and writer Nathan Lewis and other panelists will share their writing and discuss the importance of providing a supportive network for veterans to communicate military experiences and dialogue with their communities.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Rhythms and Songs from Around the World
Musician, Educator and Sound Medicine Woman Judy Piazza will sing and play drums, wind instruments and the unique dulsitar TM, performing songs inspired by indigenous people from various world cultures with profound vocal, melodic and rhythmic traditions.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Meet a French Jewish Spy who Infiltrated Nazi Germany
In commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day, French Jewish spy and survivor Marthe Cohn will show a brief DVD and tell how she served in the French army, infiltrating Nazi Germany, and received the Croix de Guerre, Legion d’Honneur and other medals.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Restoring Balance for People and Nature
In celebration of Earth Day, The Nature Conservancy’s ecologist Laura Riege will talk about how the environmental non-profit organization is restoring Ventura County’s coastal gems at Ormond Beach and in the Santa Clara River, followed by a Q and A.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Writing at the Juncture of Memory and Imagination
Pulitzer Prize finalist for poetry Bruce Weigl will read from some of his 13 books, including his newest, The Abundance of Nothing, which brings the reader to the emotional front lines of Viet Nam and back home to the Loraine Ohio, where life continues.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Better ‘Wait’ than Never: A Play on Words
Oxnard College English Professor Anthony Rodriguez and the students of Sigma Kappa Delta English Honors Society will examine the narrow margins between purpose and futility in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and will include an interactive audience discussion.

ASB is sponsoring the Pennies for Patients Contest January 22 – February 13, 2015 in FIRST period classes. Pennies for Patients is a program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since 1993, students and educators throughout the United States and Canada have raised more than 261 million dollars in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission to cure blood cancers and improve the lives of patients and their families. Although you can donate pennies, we do accept any form of currency.

Nick Bostrom

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - An award-winning philosopher will discuss threats to the survival of intelligent life on Earth and the possibility of machine intelligence surpassing biological intelligence in two free lectures at California Lutheran University on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Nick Bostrom of the University of Oxford will explore “Technology and the Future” during the event in Samuelson Chapel marking the 30th anniversary of the Harold Stoner Clark Lectures. He will present “Technology Strategy and Existential Risks” at 11:10 a.m. and “Superintelligence” at 4 p.m.

Bostrom will show how the concept of existential risk provides a focusing lens for long-term, global technology strategy. Existential risks are those that threaten to destroy intelligent life on Earth or its potential for desirable development. Figuring out how to reduce existential risk is very difficult, he explains.

He will also delve into superintelligence and the new era that will begin if and when machine intelligence surpasses biological intelligence. He will discuss the difficult challenges presented by the transition to an era of superintelligence, the last invention humanity will ever need to make.

Bostrom is a professor of philosophy and the director of the Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology at Oxford. He is the founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute, a multidisciplinary research center that enables a few exceptional mathematicians, philosophers and scientists to think carefully about global priorities and big questions for humanity. He has a background in physics, computational neuroscience, mathematical logic and philosophy.

He is the author of about 200 publications. These include the 2008 book “Global Catastrophic Risks” and “Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies,” which was released last year. His writings have been translated into 24 languages.

Bostrom is a recipient of the Eugene R. Gannon Award, for which one person is selected annually worldwide from the fields of philosophy, mathematics, humanities and natural sciences. He has been listed in Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers and Prospect Magazine’s World Thinkers list.

The late Harold Stoner Clark endowed the free lecture series, requesting that presentations address his dual interests of science and philosophy. Cal Lutheran’s Department of Philosophy sponsors the talks.

The chapel is located at 165 Chapel Lane in Thousand Oaks. For more information, contact Nathan Tierney at 805-493-3232 or tierney@callutheran.edu.