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Volume 62, Number 18    December 19, 2014         

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Newsmakers

Societal benefits
The December issue of Health Leaders magazine featured a profile of Associate Professor of Health Education and Director of the Welcome Back Initiative José Ramón Fernández-Peña. "We had people come in [to interview at the clinic] who were a perfect fit, but didn't have the U.S. credentials for that job," Fernández-Peña said of his starting the Welcome Back Initiative to create a 'one-stop shop' for information on being certified in the U.S. Instead of working for minimum wage, individuals "are now making $75,000 per year as healthcare professionals. They have access to better housing, their children are attending better schools, they are paying higher taxes, and have more incentives to become more engaged in civic activities. The return on investment is not only having a doctor who speaks Spanish -- the benefits extend outside the clinic setting."

Think differently
KGO-TV's Dec. 9 "Profiles of Excellence" segment featured Professor of History and Director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability Catherine Kudlick. "I ask people, 'What are these figurines [with peg legs and eye patches]?' 'Pirates' [most answer]. 'Have you ever thought of them as disability action figures?'" Kudlick said. "You can just feel the room move. ... Our main goal is to get people to think differently about disabilities, to turn it into a source of ingenuity, excitement, engagement and to walk away from all those stories about overcoming adversity or pity and to say, 'We're here, let's enjoy it and learn from everything.'"

Comprehensive efforts
Director of the Cesar E. Chavez Institute Belinda Reyes described the aims of the Institute's Dec. 12 forum on how to better serve Latino students for a Dec. 11 Vision Hispana article. "We have to make a comprehensive effort," said Reyes. "We must understand that there are multiple factors affecting Latino students, such as preparation, support, information, mentors. So we have to develop a system that provides support, environment and information that students need. We want to see more students graduate."

Criminal patterns
Criminal Justice Lecturer Jim Dudley commented for a Dec. 15 Potrero View report on auto burglaries. "If there are parked cars with 15 broken windows and theft overnight in a defined area," Dudley said, "chances are that there was only one or two auto burglars and not 15. The pattern of two suspects with one serving as a backup or lookout is pretty common."

From the top
Professor and Chair of Management Sally Baack discussed the Sony email hacking scandal for a Dec. 15 KCBS News Radio report. "There are lots of companies where you wouldn't see anything like this at all. Of course, on the other hand, there are companies where I'm sure some individuals may have emails like this. What's interesting about this case is that it is coming from top leadership," Baack said. "We've talked many, many times about how email is not private, how security in general on the Internet has been compromised over and over, so a company should expect that their email may be released. A company should expect that they may have hacks of these kinds, and so it's interesting to think going forward, 'What is Sony going to learn from this?'"

Making connections with the wild
Professor of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Nina Roberts commented for a Dec. 15 Bay Nature article about training leaders to take minority children on wilderness excursions. "Leaders trying to reach minority communities have to understand the values and the connections that make the outdoors relevant to those communities," Roberts said. "Recreation and outdoor education leaders have begun to understand that in order to be successful you have to build relationships with the people in the community you're hoping to serve. You have to connect with the kids' parents, teachers and people they trust who understand their values and culture."

 

For more media coverage of faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs, see SF State in the News.

 


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Last modified Dec. 18, 2014 by University Communications.