University Journal

March 2011

Vol. 14

No. 7

Kuwamoto Fresno State alumnus
part of Nisei film project
Satoshi Kuwamoto of Fresno, whose higher education at Fresno State College was cut short by the World War II internment orders that sent thousands of Japanese-Americans into prison camps in 1942, tells his story in a short film. His is one of a dozen films posted online as part of the California Nisei College Diploma Project that helped to locate more than 1,000 people or their surviving families. In the film, Kuwamoto talks about growing up in the Japanese section of downtown Fresno where his parents operated a grocery store and a hardware store next door. While attending classes at Fresno State, Kuwamoto remembers rushing to work with the rest of his family when he didn't have classes. See the full story here.

Pomegranate trials examine irrigation needs
A team of irrigation research specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has joined with Fresno State's Center for Irrigation Technology to launch a new study on the irrigation needs of pomegranates. The project aims to help California's agricultural industry respond to growing consumer demand for the distinctive, tough-skinned fruit, said James Ayars, research agricultural engineer for the USDA's Agricultural Research Service based in Parlier, a few miles east of Fresno. As part of the project, Ayars has overseen establishment of a three-acre surface-drip-irrigated test plot of pomegranates at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier. Researchers will use two large weighing lysimeters to determine specific crop-water requirements for the trees during crop development. See the full story here.

Johnson National recognition for Sanger Supt. Johnson
Fresno State alumnus Marcus P. Johnson, the superintendent of the Sanger Unified School District, is the 2011 AASA National Superintendent of the Year for his work turning his under-performing district into a model of accomplishment. Johnson was honored Feb. 17 at the opening ceremony of the American Association of School Administrators' National Conference on Education in Denver. The association, founded in 1865, counts more than 13,000 educational leaders worldwide as members. Johnson has been superintendent of the Sanger district since 2003. Sanger Unified, just east of Fresno, whose 19 schools serve 10,800 students, 82 percent of whom are minorities, 24 percent of whom are English learners and 76 percent of whose household economic income makes them eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. An educator for 27 years, Johnson is a graduate of Reedley College, Fresno State and Fresno Pacific University. In 2010, he received Distinguished Alumnus awards from Fresno State and Reedley College. Johnson was chosen from among four finalists for the national honor, which is based on creative leadership, communication, professionalism and community involvement. See the full story here.

Kremen School Alumni awards honors for contributions to education
Three central San Joaquin Valley educators and a Fresno couple who are university alumni were honored for their contributions to education by the Kremen School of Education and Human Development Alumni chapter. The honorees are Misty Her, the principal at Southeast Elementary School in the Fresno Unified School District; Dr. Berta Gonzalez, associate vice-president of Fresno State's Division of Continuing and Global Education; Elaine Sotiropulos, the AVID regional consultant/coordinator for the Fresno County Office of Education, and her husband Kopi Sotiropulos, co-anchor of "Great Day" on KMPH, Fox-26; and Jim Vidak, the Tulare County superintendent of schools. See the full story here.

A Century of Excellence Centennial book available for pre-publication orders
A Century of Excellence, 1911-2010, the official history of Fresno State's first 100 years, will be published this summer and the Kennel Bookstore is taking pre-publication orders for the coffee-table format, lavishly illustrated, hard-cover publication, which costs $49.95. It traces Fresno State's achievements from even before it was established as a normal school in 1911, when the focus was on training homegrown teachers for the increasing number of San Joaquin Valley classrooms. A Century of Excellence looks back at what's propelled Fresno State into the 21st century: academic and athletic triumphs; buildings on two campuses; students, faculty and staff through the decades; and events and traditions that have defined the institution. The book is written by local historian William B. Secrest Jr. and Lanny Larson (University Communications). Pre-publication orders can be placed http://www.kennelbookstore.com/MerchDetail.aspx?MerchID=623298.