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Lance Lew holds out a baking sheet filled with freshly made potstickers

‘Cats Get Cookin’ with Retired NBC Marketing Director Lance Lew

After more than 30 years working in broadcast journalism, Lance Lew is embracing a longtime passion in retirement—cooking, with the release of his first cookbook this month.

Delta Sigma Theta members Arianna Punter (left) and La’Netta Bowden pose in front of a poster on display.

Exhibit Honors Historically Black Sorority’s Return to Chico State

The Pi Xi chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. has returned to Chico State and was recently honored in a pop-up exhibit at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology.

A crape myrtle flowers in front of an academic building.

Class Notes: Fall 2022

Whether it's starting a new business, writing a book, or achieving a lifelong dream, the Wildcat family continues to reach milestones. Alumni share professional and personal updates for fall 2022.

Hands adjust the positioning of a roof on a small wooden model of a home, with the view cast toward the front entrance with a covered porch flanked by large windows.

Interior Architecture Students Design Free Floor Plans for Wildfire Survivors

Under the guidance of interior architecture professor Rouben Mohiuddin, 30 design students have worked on floor plans that have now been used to build more than a dozen homes in the Camp Fire footprint.

A college student drives a tractor beneath a sign that says Chico State University Farm

Chico State University Farm Celebrates 60th Anniversary on November 5

As Chico State's University Farm marks its 60th anniversary, it will host a free event to the public to celebrate its impact of serving the North State on Saturday, November 5.

Kids look on as a pumpkin drops to the ground in physics display

Messy Science: Pumpkin Drop Set for Halloween Day

Put on by the Society of Physics Students the 33rd Chico State Pumpkin Drop demonstrates physics to elementary students in a creative and explosive way.

Yellow and red roses bloom in the foreground with academic buildings in the background.

Fond Farewell: Retired Director of Human Resources Dennis Frazier

Remembered for his keen sense of humor, warm personality, and commitment to his work, Dennis Frazier directed human resources at Chico State for more than two decades.

The front of an academic building is lit up, with the cloudless summer sky behind it.

Three-Year, $13.4 Million Grant for School of Education Will Help Ease Future Teachers’ Financial Burdens

The School of Education has received a three-year, $13.4 million grant to help ease the financial burden of North State students working toward their goal of becoming a teacher.

Farhan Rehman and Esteban Teran adjust the lasers that work to cool the atoms.

Ultracold Atom Lab Attempting to Cross ‘Unreachable’ Threshold

With the ultra-high vacuum chamber up and running, the University's ultracold atom chamber is ready to cool atoms to near absolute zero so they display their true quantum nature.

College students walk through a crowded college campus on a bright sunny day

Worth Sharing: Liebenberg’s Poetry Published

A listing of professional achievements by Chico State faculty, staff, and students.

Luke Barker throws a pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers

Baseball Voyage Marked by Strong Arm, Strong Voice

Luke Barker’s focus has been on making it to the big leagues, but when he spotted some serious inequities, he decided to say something.

Nicholas Esparza looks through the high vacuum chamber in the ultracold lab.

Student Researchers Share Insight into Summer Projects

CSC² has supported nearly 300 students in undergraduate research projects across the three colleges.

A grid of diamond-shaped images shows students engaging in various kinds of research, from looking through a vaccum chamber to attaching wildlife cams to trees to working with mushrooms, to looking through a container filled with zebrafish.

Multimillion-Dollar Grants Provide Undergraduate Research Opportunities to Underserved Students in STEM

Since 2016, the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative has provided academic and other support services to historically underserved students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture.

An eclipsed moon in a starry sky between two academic buildings

Civil Engineering Faculty Awarded $1 Million Grant to Study Lagoon Wastewater Treatment

Civil Engineering faculty Pablo Cornejo was one of two recipients nationally to receive a $1 million grant to study wastewater treatment systems.

Fond Farewell: Retired Religious Studies Professor Emeritus John Bash

Professor Emeritus John Bash, a distinguished teacher, mountain hiker, and world traveler, will be remembered as a friend and mentor to both students and colleagues.

Manny Lopez stands in a field of sheep with a feed bucket.

Animal Science Major Embraces Role of Lead Shepherd in Sheep Unit

Since arriving at Chico State in fall 2019, Manny Lopez has been an integral part of the University Farm’s Sheep Unit and today serves as its lead shepherd.

An academic building with an external staircase

Worth Sharing: Wildcat Athletes Earn CCAA Honors

A listing of professional achievements by Chico State faculty, staff, and students.

The sun sets behind an academic building

Chico State Once Again Recognized as Fulbright HSI Institutional Leader

Chico State has been recognized as a 2022 Fulbright HSI Leader for its noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Susanna Garcia stands in a circle of soccer players who are standing arm in arm, getting pumped up at the start of a game.

Soccer Player Susanna Garcia Leads on the Pitch and in the Classroom

And as she returns to lead the Wildcats in her fifth and final season, Sanna Garcia earned one of only nine All-America honors in the program's storied history.

Smoke fills the air as a prescribed burn takes place

Nationally Recognized Prescribed Fire Training to be Hosted in Butte County

The Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve will be one of several agencies collaborating on future prescribed fire trainings this fall and winter in Butte County.

Don Miller examines a tree during the watershed tour.

How To: Be a Backyard Biologist

Biological sciences professor Don Miller shares a few of his favorite tips for novice naturalists.

Curt Richard and Bob Phillips in college

College Friends Make A Perfect Match for Organ Donation

Wildcat bonds truly do last a lifetime— when alum Bob Phillips needed a kidney, his former college roommate came to the rescue.

An academic building called Kendall Hall

President Gayle E. Hutchinson Announces Retirement Planned for End of 2022–23 Academic Year

After 33 years of invaluable service to higher education and nearly three decades at Chico State, President Gayle E. Hutchinson announced her decision Tuesday to retire at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

Blake Ellis poses next to a tree

Alumna Chooses Nature to Nurture Others

Blake Ellis is at the leading edge of harnessing the natural world’s healing powers—even when that environment itself may trigger anxiety.

Fall colors of red and gold in the downtown street trees brighten Broadway Street in downtown Chico.

Alumni-Owners of Downtown Chico Businesses Share Their Stories

Whether they opened their store shortly after graduation, took over a longstanding business, or brought something new to the area mid-career, the owners of four downtown businesses share what makes the Chico State connections special to them.

A Chico State Rugby player carries the ball while opposing players attempt to tackle her.

Alumni Establish Endowment for Men’s and Women’s Rugby Programs

Chico State alumni have established an endowment to support the men's and women's rugby programs.

College students walk past a building illuminated from the inside at night.

Worth Sharing: Reyes Shines Light on Farm Workers’ Walk

A listing of professional achievements by Chico State faculty, staff, and students.

Trinity Roses

Fond Farewell: Former Director of Alumni Allen Sherwood

Remembered as friendly, funny, and wise, Allen Sherwood directed alumni relations at Chico State for two decades.

Clouds laden in sunlight float behind an academic building with the words "Joy of Learning, California State University Chico" in the foreground

Joy of Learning Showcases Faculty Expertise

With topics ranging from neuroscience to animal nutrition to sustainable electronics, eight faculty members who reflect the top of their disciplines will present on their area of expertise.

Allison Messner leans against a porch railing with a landscaped yard behind her.

Five Questions with Yardzen CEO Allison Messner

After a devastating megafire destroyed her yard, Allison Messner cofounded an online landscaping design platform that is gaining national attention.

Stunning fall colors in trees on a lawn in front of an academic building

Chico State Pulls Out All the Stops for Wildcat Weekend

From Oct. 6-8, Chico State will host and partner with the City of Chico for Wildcat Weekend, which feature Homecoming, Alumni and Family Weekend and Chico Preview Day.

Chico State Provost Debra Larson and Mechoopda Chairman Dennis Ramirez sign documents at a table at the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

Ancestral Land in Butte Creek Canyon Returned to the Mechoopda Tribe

In the first agreement of its kind in the state, ownership and management of the 93-acre Butte Creek Ecological Preserve has been transferred from Chico State Enterprises to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe.

A screenprint of a logo that says "Earth Month"

Chico State Earns Coveted Top Spot in Prestigious AASHE Sustainability Rankings

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recognized Chico State for its environmental practices, honoring it as the top performer in its Master’s Institutions category.

A crape myrtle flowers in front of an academic building.

Chico State Among Nation’s Elite in Recent Washington Monthly Rankings

In its “2022 College Guide and Rankings,” Washington Monthly listed Chico State in the top 15 in the “Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West” and “Master’s University Rankings.”

Portrait of Karen Wilkins-Mickey

Alumna Makes History as Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Seattle Seahawks

In January 2021, alumna Karen Wilkins-Mickey joined the Seattle Seahawks as their director of diversity, equity, and inclusion—the first such hire at the team level in NFL history.

Students with headphones on play video games in the new gaming lobby.

Wildcat Gaming Lobby Opens to All Students

Open to all students, the new Gaming Lobby features PC gaming, console gaming, arcade games, board games, and more.

A photo from the ground looking up at intersecting bars beneath a library.

Worth Sharing: Brown Earns National Honors

A listing of professional achievements by Chico State faculty, staff, and students.

Kathleen Belzer at work as a midwife.

Five Questions with Certified Nurse Midwife and Alumna Kathleen Belzer

Nursing alumna and midwifery advocate Kathleen Belzer is driving diversity and equality in pregnancy and childbirth healthcare.

Isaiah Henderson poses in front of a brick wall

Kinesiology Grad Student and Former Marine Honored with CSU Trustees’ Award

Isaiah Henderson, a kinesiology grad student and veteran, will receive the 2022-23 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.

An architectural breezeway filters light through as college students walk on a campus

Chico State Moves Up in Multiple National and Regional Best Colleges Rankings

Chico State moved up on several national and regional Best Colleges Rankings from US News & World Report for the 2022-23 academic year.