Let’s Learn, Together

My favorite time of year has arrived! It’s the start of a new semester and new academic year, and I’m filled with anticipation for all that 2019–20 will hold. While we continue to partner in Camp Fire recovery, this year will mark a new chapter for Chico State, as we embrace a new Strategic Plan and Master Plan, and set our sights high for the future.

All around campus, we will witness the achievements of students, faculty and staff as we continue to build national recognition for our people and programs, engage with the communities we serve, and undertake high-impact, real-word research to transform tomorrow.

As we welcome more than 17,200 students onto our campus, as well as 2,300 faculty and staff, we also aspire to be a hub for the community to come together and share in our spirit of lifelong learning. Together, we will challenge our ways of thinking, stimulate and open our intellectual and creative minds, and explore issues facing our world today.

We are once again eager to dive into the pages of this year’s Book in Common. Selected by a contingent of community members, “In Search of the Canary Tree” teaches us about the resiliency of forgotten forests and a diverse community of people who persevered to create new relationships with the changing environment. Several years ago, ecologist Lauren E. Oakes set out from California for Alaska’s old-growth forests to hunt for the dying yellow cedar tree. In her resulting tale, she—and this beautiful species—give us cause for hope in a warming world, while learning that the forest itself has possibly become a metaphor for our growing fight against the results of climate change. In addition to many events throughout the year, we look forward to chatting with Oakes firsthand during her author’s visit and lecture in Laxson Auditorium April 2.

This is just one of many important dialogues we will share in 2019–20. For this year’s Constitution Day lecture, we welcome Emily Arnold Fernandez, a social entrepreneur and a human rights pioneer. In her October 1 presentation, “Opening Golden Doors: Turning Rights into Reality in Times of Migration and Conflict,” the founder and executive director of Asylum Access will share her experience creating an organization to empower hundreds of thousands of refugees to assert their legal rights in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Recognized by the Dalai Lama as one of “50 Unsung Heroes of Compassion” in 2009, Fernandez has much to teach us from her critical work.

On October 29, we will share another important conversation about social change with a speech by Tarana Burke, social justice activist and founder of the #MeToo movement. It was Burke who coined the phrase “me too” while working at Just Be Inc., a nonprofit she founded in 2003 that focused on the overall wellbeing of women of color. Through its strength, unified voice, and vulnerability, the phrase is now a statement that recognizes a shared experience while calling on the world to put an end to sexual violence.

We also have the chance to embrace important concepts through the magic of music when producer and musical director Damien Sneed shares his production “We Shall Overcome” on February 22. As it ties together a living lineage of music and culture from traditional gospel, modern gospel, classical jazz, Broadway and spirituals, we are bound to share in the same electricity that empowered civil rights activists and defenders. Weaving throughout the music are powerful spoken messages of equality from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that continue to resonate with us today.

From live performances and stimulating lectures to diverse artists and cultural exhibits, there is a wealth of offerings to captivate all ages and interests throughout the year. As an extension of our classrooms and laboratories, our museums, galleries, and music and theatre venues expand not only where we can come together for a shared experience, but also how. Come learn about Mars at the Gateway Science Museum, sit through one of the monthly Conversations on Diversity, explore cultural artifacts at the Valene L. Smith Museum, or take a moment to laugh at our theatre students’ fall production, “She Kills Monsters.” And, as always, help us fill the stands of our stadiums and cheer the student-athletes from our 13 NCAA Division II athletics teams as they showcase their skills against competitors from across the nation.

Together, let’s embrace these events as a platform for expression and exploration and celebrate the close-knit character of our community. To stay updated on our always-growing list of events, check our Campus Calendar regularly for new offerings. I look forward to celebrating the Chico Experience with you this year!