Research and Special Learning Facilities {SF State Bulletin 2013 - 2014}

Image: photos of SF State students and campus.

Research and Special Learning Facilities

 

The Adan E. Treganza Anthropology Museum

The Adan E. Treganza Anthropology Museum maintains ethnological and archaeological materials from Africa, the Americas, the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Guinea. In addition, the museum contains an audio-visual collection of diverse ethnomuseological materials, tapes, and records. The museum tries to represent the diverse cultures of the San Francisco Bay Area in its collections and exhibitions.

 

The museum collections serve as resources for classroom lectures, and exhibits developed by faculty, staff, and students. Exhibits are mounted in the Hohenthal Gallery, located in SCI 388, next to the museum storage facilities. The Department of Anthropology accepts exhibits from graduate students as Creative Work Projects for the M.A. degree.

 

The museum collaborates with programs within various colleges of the University, including the College of Ethnic Studies, the School of the Arts, the College of Liberal & Creative Arts, and the College of Education. It also collaborates with other educational institutions, including middle and high schools and regional museums, within the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

The museum publishes field research of students, faculty and graduates of the Department of Anthropology in the Treganza Anthropology Museum Papers.

 

The office is located in SCI 381, telephone (415) 338-1642, fax number is (415) 338-0530, email treganza@sfsu.edu. The Treganza Anthropology Museum web page contains information concerning the history of the museum as well as announcements of current and upcoming exhibits and a list of past exhibits: www.sfsu.edu/~treganza/.

 

American Language Institute

The American Language Institute (ALI) is a center for teaching English as a second language (ESL) and is closely allied with the Department of English and its program for training teachers of ESL. The ALI provides a full-time, academically focused curriculum in ESL that gives students both language and study skills necessary for academic success in the United States. There are four levels of instruction ranging from a low intermediate level (TOEFL scores of 325 and above) to an advanced level (TOEFL scores of 520-600). Students must enroll for a full session (twelve weeks in the fall and spring, ten weeks in the summer), which involves 22 hours per week of classroom instruction. Students are expected to regularly attend classes and maintain good academic standing to continue in the program. Part-time study is not permitted. All applicants must be graduates of a recognized high school or secondary school and must be 18 years of age or older.

 

In addition to language instruction, the ALI provides special assistance to students who want to attend San Francisco State University but do not have the required language skills. Undergraduate students can apply through the ALI to the University even when other enrollment deadlines have passed. Qualified undergraduate applicants from ALI can be admitted to SF State with a 475 TOEFL. The ALI also offers other student services which include: workshops in cultural adaptation, orientation to the academic community, immigration advice, assistance in selecting universities for further study, and social activities.

 

Furthermore, the ALI serves as a training institute for selected graduate students in the English Department's Master of Arts in English: Concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Those graduate students become instructors in the ALI under the supervision of the full-time, permanent ALI faculty.

 

For further information about ALI programs and future session dates, please contact the American Language Institute. The office is located in  HUM 101, telephone (415) 338-1438; fax (415) 338-1717; e-mail: ali@sfsu.edu. See also the ALI web site for more detailed program information at http://www.sfsu.edu/~ali.

 

The Geography Map Library

The Geography Map Library offers the University and the San Francisco community a unique and varied collection of maps. The Map Library aids faculty and students in the selection of maps that best fit their needs in the classroom and in research.

 

The collection maintained by the Map Library includes the University's Wall Map Collection, a regional flat map collection with world coverage, the AMS Series for Southeast Asia and a diverse collection of maps of California and the San Francisco Bay Region.

 

The Map Library also functions as an Official USGS Map Depository for the Western States Region. The Map Library houses a collection of nearly three thousand of the latest USGS Topographic Quadrangles for California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska. These collections are open to the public during the regular business hours of the Map Library, located in HSS 289.

 

Centers and Institutes in the College of Business

CampusIT Solutions

The purpose of the center is to prepare students to assume effective and responsible careers in information technology. Campus IT Solutions is focused on delivering professional mentoring and augmenting classroom education with “real world” hands-on experience to students who aspire to careers in information technology. The mission of Campus IT Solutions is to support industry in improving the value and quality of information technology solutions.

 

Center for Electronic Business

The mission of the Center for Electronic Business (CEB) is to promote interaction among students, faculty, and practitioners that results in the sharing of knowledge, experience, and expertise in electronically-based business activities, and to foster cooperation and collaboration among participants through joint applied research, sharing of best practices, student internships, and related programs. The CEB views electronic business as all business activities conducted electronically, and as such it supports all areas of a business including finance, marketing, accounting, production/operations, human resource management, and management. Among its activities the CEB sponsors conferences and workshops, organizes research seminars and presentations, sponsors research projects, publishes research results, and coordinates student internships in electronic business.

 

Ohrenschall Center for Entrepreneurship

The purpose of the center is to study and promote the enterprising activities of individuals. Such enterprising activities include risk taking, the formation of new businesses, innovation, entrepreneurship, championing, organizing, and creativity. The center supports efforts in the College of Business to expand courses and programs in entrepreneurship and works with faculty from other colleges to develop courses and programs involving entrepreneurial facets of specific disciplinary perspective that involve faculty from across the University.

 

The Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth and Families

The Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families at San Francisco State University brings together faculty, community members, and students to address the ever-changing needs of children, youth, and families. The institute serves as a powerful tool of outreach, advocacy, and research. The mission of the institute is:

  • To offer an interdisciplinary degree program in child and adolescent development.
  • The Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development program concentrates on children and youth within their family and social environments, with special attention to historical and multicultural perspectives. Concentrations are offered in the areas of young child and family, school-age child and family, youth and family, and research and public policy. Courses are taught by faculty from five SF State colleges: Liberal & Creative Arts, Graduate College of Education, Ethnic Studies, Health and Social Sciences, and Science and Engineering.
  • To promote collaboration among faculty, and to create public outreach, social advocacy, and other partnerships between SF State and the community.
  • The Child Study Center on campus offers a focused child development program for 2-3 and 3-4 year olds. In this setting, expert faculty provide student interns with experiences that strengthen their knowledge and skills in a variety of disciplines related to the growth and development of children. The Marian Wright Edelman Institute also provides a flexible structure that promotes systematic collaboration among campus departments, programs, and schools; and collegial collaboration and partnerships among faculty with wide ranging research agendas. The institute promotes and facilitates community outreach and partnerships with individuals, agencies, and institutions to improve the quality of life for children, youth, and families through education, social services, and health delivery projects.
  • To foster research and scholarly work.
  • The University's long, productive history of attracting grants and contracts related to the study of children, youth, and families has included funding from government agencies and private foundations. Through innovative partnerships between the community and the University, and by bringing together SF State colleges and departments, the institute enhances San Francisco State's prospects for continuing creative research and civic engagement.

For further information about the institute, contact the institute office at (415) 405-3564.

 

Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism

Founded at San Francisco State University in 1990 by former Department of Journalism Chair Betty Medsger, the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism believes that accurate and responsible journalism reflects the changing demographics of the society it serves. The center develops programs and conducts research aimed at recruiting, retaining, and revitalizing journalists and journalism education. It seeks to make journalism more inclusive from the classroom to the newsroom.

 

CIIJ does this by connecting youth, University students, and professional journalists in efforts to reach common goals. CIIJ works with local community colleges to increase transfer rates and collaborates with the Journalism Association of Community Colleges to increase interest in journalism careers. In addition to annual summer journalism workshops for Bay Area high school students, school visits, and high school fairs, CIIJ also coordinates a Coaching Program, in which a broad network of professional journalists work with the department's students on a weekly basis. CIIJ coordinates a job fair and a number of other career services for SF State's and other college and University journalism students.

 

CIIJ's major goals include:

  • Increase ethnic diversity in the nation's newsroom and in journalism education programs by developing innovative recruiting, training, and retention programs in the department.
  • Improve students' journalism skills and multicultural sensitivity so that they will excel in the multicultural newsroom.
  • Conduct research about diversity and the news to benefit journalism students, educators, professionals, and the community.
  • Create innovative programs that will reinforce existing high school journalism programs or replace those that have been lost; address declining writing skills, meet the special needs of bilingual/bicultural students and other under-served or under-represented groups.

 

CIIJ is the nation's most recognized University-level institute that addresses the complex issues confronting the news media in serving, covering, and reflecting an increasingly diverse American society. Expanded research on media coverage of ethnic communities, new efforts to track students' progress and retention, plans to strengthen the Bay Area's community and ethnic press, and new training for high school journalism advisors rounds out its sweeping approach to achieving diversity in news media.

 

CIIJ is funded entirely by SF State and private grants, primarily from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the McCormick Foundation, the Miranda Lux Foundation and the New York Times Company Foundation. CIIJ plays a critical role at this point in U.S. history. The twenty-first century compels news organizations to understand issues of immigration; demographic and lifestyle trends; and social, political, and economic pressures. These issues have combined to make diversity an overriding concern for the news media in everything from the integration of the staffs of newsrooms to the integration of the content of news pages and broadcasts. CIIJ hopes to help the news media fulfill its important responsibilities as gatekeepers for information, ideas, and voices that help shape public opinion and policy.

 

Center for Modern Greek Studies

The purpose of the Center for Modern Greek Studies is to promote the study of Modern Greek language, literature, and history in relation to the ancient Greek and Byzantine civilizations. The Center coordinates courses offered in Modern Greek Studies as well as cross-listings with the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, Comparative and World Literature, Creative Writing, English, and History, and offers an interdisciplinary minor in Modern Greek Studies.

 

Courses presently available include those in Modern Greek language (MGS 150, MGS 151, MGS 365, and MGS 470); Modern Greek literature courses (MGS 426/C W 426, Kazantzakis; MGS 497/C W 497, Modern Greek Literature; and MGS 467/CWL 465/C W 465, Modern Greek Poetry; MGS 555, Introduction to Modern Greek Literary Texts); courses in Byzantine and Modern Greek history (MGS 520/CLAS 510/HIST 326, Byzantine Empire; MGS 350/HIST 350, Greece and the Balkans); Modern Greek culture (MGS 316/ANTH 316, Contemporary Culture of Greece; and MGS 315, Folk Culture of Crete) and Greek American Studies (MGS 397/ENG 398, Greek American Literature).

 

The Center also presents an array of lectures, concerts, film festivals, and other events focusing on contemporary Greece and the Greek American experience. In connection with the Center, an endowed chair in Modern Greek studies has been established, the Nikos Kazantzakis Chair, to provide support for curricular development and cultural programming. The Kazantzakis Chair is the only endowed professorship of Modern Greek literature in the California State University system and one of only several such academic chairs in the United States.

 

For information about the Center for Modern Greek Studies, please contact Martha Klironomos, director, HUM 577 (415-338-1892); e-mail: modgreek@sfsu.edu; web page: www.sfsu.edu/~modgreek.

 

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) hosts and administers an interdisciplinary Master of Science Degree in Marine Science for seven California State University (CSU) campuses: Fresno, East Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Monterey Bay and Stanislaus. Although primarily a graduate program, MLML offers a range of courses for undergraduates as well. MLML courses are intended for students majoring in either the biological or physical sciences whose objectives include further graduate study, teaching the sciences, or conducting research in the marine sciences.

 

Juniors, seniors, and graduate students may take courses at MLML and receive credit toward their degrees at San Francisco State University. Please note that students must reserve space at MLML prior to registering at San Francisco State University; registration and course confirmation at the University alone does not assure the student of space at the laboratories. San Francisco State University students at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories must continue to follow University enrollment regulations and use San Francisco State University Marine Science course numbers.

 

MLML offers full-time course work in biological, chemical, physical, and geological oceanography, marine invertebrate zoology, marine birds and mammals, reptiles, ichtyology, phycology, and benthic ecology.

 

MLML maintains a full research library, a scientific diving program, a fleet of research vessels, and nearly 100,000 square feet of lab, office and classroom space. Internationally recognized affiliated researchers complement the interests of MLML faculty. More information can be found at http://www.mlml.calstate.edu.

 

For additional information, please contact either the chair of the Biology Department or the chair of the Department of Earth & Climate Sciences at San Francisco State University or the Graduate Program Assistant at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

 

The Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives

The Poetry Center was founded in 1954 on the basis of a small donation by W. H. Auden (he surrendered the honorarium paid him when he read his poetry to celebrate the opening of the new—and current—San Francisco State University campus). Today, The Poetry Center at SF State is one of the most long-lived and nationally renowned literary arts institutions in the United States. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004, the Poetry Center initiated its pioneering reading series under the direction of Ruth Witt-Diamant, with advice and encouragement from local poets Kenneth Rexroth, Robert Duncan, and Madeline Gleason among others. Since then, The Poetry Center has presented over one hundred continuous seasons of outstanding contemporary poets and writers, reading from their works. With its companion project, The American Poetry Archives, the center has amassed nearly 3,000 original audio and video recordings of poets and writers reading from their works, representing an irreplaceable collective record of the past half-century of American literary accomplishment. The Poetry Center presents an extensive reading series, on and off campus, during Spring and Fall semesters. It houses a reading library (HUM 512), which doubles as performance space and Creative Writing student lounge. The Poetry Center is open to visitors, Monday through Thursday, and its recordings are available for sale, and for loan to SF State students, faculty, and staff. Offices located in HUM 511, telephone (415) 338-2227. For archives recordings please leave a message at (415) 338-1056. Web site at www.sfsu.edu/~poetry.

 

Romberg Tiburon Center

The Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies (RTC) is located on San Francisco Bay a few miles outside of the town of Tiburon in Marin County, approximately 25 miles north of the main campus. The 34-acre site is also the location of the Bay Conference Center which is operated by RTC.

 

The Romberg Tiburon Center was founded in 1978 to serve as a multidisciplinary instructional and research facility for the study of the natural environment of the San Francisco Bay and the central California coast. RTC provides a unique opportunity for faculty, students, and researchers of diverse disciplines to work together on regional and global environmental issues in areas of marine and estuarine science.

 

The Bay Conference Center (BCC) opened in 1987. Overlooking San Francisco Bay and the surrounding hills, it contains four meeting rooms, including a main room with seating for 140 people. University groups, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private industry utilize the Bay Conference Center for meetings, educational programs, and conferences. The Ohrenschall Guest Center opened in 2001 and provides short-term overnight lodging in a beautiful renovated Victorian-era home. Seven bedrooms are available for use by University guests, affiliates, and Bay Conference Center conferees.

 

Several University departments offer courses at the RTC each semester, including the summer term. Courses offered at RTC encompass the areas of benthic ecology, biological oceanography, limnology, marine conservation biology, marine microbial ecology, molecular tools in marine biology, fisheries biology, food web structures, physical oceanography, remote sensing and GIS, and restoration and wetlands ecology, in addition to others. Courses are offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and opportunities exist for graduate research projects. Students should check the Class Schedule or call the center for information on course offerings.

 

San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) is a partnership among National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), San Francisco State University, California State Parks, Solano Land Trust and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Its headquarter is also located in RTC. The San Francisco Bay NERR serves as a living laboratory for on-site staff, visiting scientists and graduate students. Since the inception of the nationwide NERR system, a main goal of the program has been to ensure a stable environment for research through long-term protection of reserve system resources. The reserves serve as platforms for long-term research and monitoring, as well as reference sites for comparative studies.

 

For information on RTC or BCC, see http://rtc.sfsu.edu or contact the Administrative Assistant, Romberg Tiburon Center, 3152 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920, (415) 338-6063. For information on SF Bay NERR, see http://sfbaynerr.org/ or contact Administrative Coordinator (415) 338-3759.

 

Sierra Nevada Field Campus

The Sierra Nevada Field Campus provides a mountain forest setting for instruction and research in the environmental sciences and other creative disciplines. The field station is located adjacent to State Highway 49 on the North Fork of the Yuba River at an elevation of 1,675 meters. Facilities include two cabins and a dining hall on nine mostly forested acres within the Tahoe National Forest. Presently the facility supports a summer and weekend course and research program which utilizes a variety of vegetation types, land forms and aquatic habitats near the field station. Other unique sites occur within two hours drive, including Sierra Buttes, Sierra Valley, Gold Lakes Country, Mt. Lassen, Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake, Eagle Lake, and Mono Lake.

 

For information about courses, scheduling programs, and accommodations, please see www.sfsu.edu/~sierra or write to Director, Sierra Nevada Field Campus, College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132 or Sierra Nevada Field Campus, Star Route, Sattley, CA 96124.

 

Sutro Egyptian Collection

The Sutro Egyptian Collection, under the auspices of the Museum Studies Program, College of Liberal & Creative Arts, consists of approximately seven hundred artifacts from ancient Egypt, spanning 5,000 years, from Pre-dynastic to Greco-Roman times. A beautifully painted, triple-nesting mummy set is one of the highlights. The Museum Studies Program makes use of this unique collection to give students first-hand learning experiences in curatorial activities, museum exhibit design, restoration, conservation, and authentication. The Sutro Egyptian Collection is used in two extensive outreach programs to elementary and middle schools in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Students in the Museum Studies Program develop educational programming, teachers' workshops, and school tours of the Sutro Egyptian Collection. These programs reach over 1,000 children each semester.

 

Students at SF State can work with these ancient Egyptian artifacts—pottery, jewelry, mummies, funerary model boats, statuettes, scarabs, and many other objects of daily life. The collection serves as a basis for several courses, such as MS 710, MS 730, MS 740, MS 760, and MS 810, which are open to all students, offering opportunities to do research and to design and produce the yearly public exhibitions.

 

Visiting scholars, Bay Area students, and faculty use this unique collection for study and research. The Sutro Egyptian Collection is located in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts. For information, call (415) 405-0599.

 

 

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