Palm Desert Center

Chancellor's Inauguration Speaks of the Promise of UC Riverside

With a near capacity crowd and a theme of "Living the Promise," the inauguration ceremony on March 17 at UC Riverside started with the lively sound of the bagpipes ushering faculty and UC administrators into the Student Recreation Center and ended with the crowd standing in celebration as Timothy P. White officially became the campus' eighth chancellor.

The ceremony included comments from Richard Blum, chairman of the UC Regents, University of California President Mark Yudof, chancellors from other UC campuses, as well as greetings from faculty, staff and students of UCR.

The ceremony also included the poetic address of keynote speaker and professor of creative writing Juan Felipe Herrera, who like Chancellor White, is a first-generation college graduate.

"In a time of walls, UCR is such a boundless and powerful poem," Herrera said. "I see it in my students, I hear it in their voices. UCR is verse by our students, written in many alphabets of breath, cultural meters and social stanzas, lines that amble and rhyme, stories of humble homes and hard work familias, narratives jeweled with radical landscapes and multi-vocal registers."

Music included the deep, booming voice of Karen Wilson, UCR alumna and assistant director of the UCR Gluck Fellows Program, who sang "America the Beautiful" and the UCR alma mater; and Peruvian panpipe music from the UCR group Mayupatapi.

With his wife Karen and three of his four sons watching from front row seats in the audience, White told the crowd that he is ready for the challenge of leading the school as it continues its role as a major economic driver in the region and the state.

"Living the promise means realizing the potential in each of us and for all of us, and solving the issues of tomorrow through knowledge - its communication, discovery, translation, application, and preservation," White said to more than 1,100 people in the audience, including staff, faculty, students, UC chancellors, community leaders and members of the University of California Board of Regents.

"I am inspired by the opportunities before us, sobered by the importance and complexity of the issues that confront us, comforted by the brilliance, aspiration and support of the people around me, and humbled by the opportunity to serve each of you as Chancellor of this wonderful place at this important time," said White.

A reception followed the event, which included citrus tasting and entertainment from the UCR Mariachi Mexicatl and Folklorico Mexicatl.

Angel Investors and Aspiring Entrepreneurs Attend Second Angel Capital Expo

More than 150 people gathered at UCR Palm Desert Center on February 26th and 27th to hear entrepreneurs, investors and small emerging growth business owners at the second Angel Capital Expo, organized by Keiretsu Forum Southern California (K4SoCal), Coachella Valley Angel Network and UCR Palm Desert.

The Angel Capital Expo brings together investors and entrepreneurs looking for funding. The expo is organized by Keiretsu Forum Southern California and was created to foster collaboration among angel groups, as well as reach out to the larger investment community.

Day one of the expo consisted of private angel investors educational seminars that ran concurrently to a public workshop, "Reaching a Career Crossroads: Why This Might be a Good Time to be an Entrepreneur." Both sessions began with a keynote address from Cheryl Beninga, Managing Director, American River Enterprises, on "An Investor's Perspective: CleanTech Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Today's Market."

The participants came together at the end of the day for a panel of angels representing Angel groups from throughout Southern California.

The roundtable of investors included:

• Bill Waldo, Keiretsu Forum, Southern California
• George Winston, Keiretsu Forum, Southern California
• Steve Weiss, Coachella Valley Angel Network
• Mike Napoli, Inland Empire Tech Coast Angels
• Jon Gregory, Golden Capital Network
• David Hehman, North Bay Angels
• John Isaacson, Chairman, Pasadena Angels
• Tim Gerrity, OTTC, CSUSB
• John Nelson, Keiretsu Forum, Southern California

On day two, the setting was a private invite-only gathering with presentations from entrepreneurs to potential angel investors. This event was co-organized by the Coachella Valley Angel Network and the Keiretsu Forum of Southern California. The Keiretsu Forum Southern California, LLC, is a region within Keiretsu Forum LLC, the largest North American angel investor network, with more than 750 accredited investor members throughout 17 chapters. Keiretsu Forum members invest in high-quality, diverse investment opportunities - collaborating in the due diligence, but making individual investment decisions. Forum members provide early-stage capital in the range of $250,000 to $2million. Since September 2000, Keiretsu Forum members have invested over $180 million in over 200 companies.

UCR Faculty Research Highlighted in "Imagining the Future" Lecture Series

Now in its fourth year, the "Imagining the Future" lecture series brings the research of UCR faculty to the residents of the Coachella Valley. The series continues in this month with J. Wayne Miller Ph.D., Manager of the Emissions and Fuels Research Laboratory at UCR, talking about "The Impact of Ocean Vessels and Goods Movement on Air Pollution Levels in Southern California."

The lecture will be held on Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. at the UCR Palm Desert Center. It is free and open to the public.

This academic year the series participants have included faculty sharing their research in areas like water quality and food safety, fuel cell vehicles, cellulosic ethanol, and replicating materials found in shells and squid to form new types of man-made materials that can be used for very specific purposes by agencies like NASA and common products for the public.

If you want more information about the research at UCR, please visit: http://www.ucr.edu/about/promise.

For details about the series or to get on the mailing list for next year, call (760) 834-0590.

Literacy Network Takes Next Steps to Connecting Members

The Coachella Valley Literacy Network recently took its next step to solidifying its presence in the Valley and connecting its members by launching the Literacy Network Web site on the UCR Palm Desert Center Web site.

The site provides information on the origination of the network, their purpose, and status reports for their progress in literacy efforts. The site also provides a member listing, literacy programs currently in existence in the Coachella Valley, special programs and resources for those in need of literacy services as well as reports on activities the network has been involved with.

The Network came to life in June 2008, when UCR Palm Desert launched a valley-wide conversation on literacy among the different organizations which provide literacy services in the Coachella Valley. Comprised of various community literacy programs, the Coachella Valley Literacy Network's mission is to improve literacy by encouraging diverse approaches that promote the desire to read. This led to the creation of one of the group's main goals of incorporating a diverse means by which to inspire a love for reading among children and the community members.

UCR Extension Course Catalog Available

The new spring schedule for the UCR Extension courses at the Palm Desert Center is now available.

UCR Extension is the continuing education branch of the University of California, Riverside. For more than 50 years UCR Extension has provided educational opportunities to people of all ages seeking professional advancement, personal fulfillment or a new career.

Course formats include one-day workshops, weekend conferences, seminars, intensive short courses and classes that meet once a week during the 10-week academic quarter. Many of UCR Extension's academic programs are developed in conjunction with, and sometimes taught by, UCR faculty, thus ensuring that students receive the same uncompromising standard of excellence upheld by the University. UCR Extension instructors are also working professionals and experts in the fields they are teaching, allowing students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it immediately to their jobs.

There are 13 different courses offered in Palm Desert this Spring, including:

• Soil-Water-Plant Relationships
• Scheduling Landscape Irrigation Applications
• Introduction to Interior Design
• Kitchen Design and Remodeling
• Building Codes
• Beginning Fiction Techniques
• Digital Photography: The Basics
• One-Day Notary Public Workshop
• The Greater Roadrunner: Natural History
• Wildlife of the San Jacinto Mountains: The Upper Plateau
• Construction Project Planning, Scheduling and Control Systems
• Fundamentals of Construction Costs, Estimating and Budgeting
• Project Review and Planning Practices

To learn more about Extension programs and to request a copy of the course catalog, call (760) 834-0997.

Author Elizabeth Gilbert Closes Arts & Letters Lecture Series

As the final speaker in UCR Palm Desert Center's Arts & Letters Lecture Series, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the blockbuster memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" delivered an uplifting message to a crowd of more than 800 at Palm Springs High School on March 12.

In "Eat, Pray, Love," Gilbert attempts to recover from a painful divorce through a year-long pilgrimage through Italy, India, and Indonesia. The experience becomes a transformational journey of healing and self-discovery that enables Gilbert to reassess her life's priorities and discover her true destiny. The memoir, a best-seller and Oprah favorite, struck a chord with modern women, who juggle family, career, and their own identities and sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed in every aspect.

Tod Goldberg, Administrative Director of UCR Palm Desert's MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts, introduced the author. Gilbert spoke of this generation of women, which she defined as anyone from nine to ninety, and expressed the idea that while our generation is blessed with freedom and more options than ever, the enormous variety of choices can be paralyzing. She urged listeners to take heart, reasoning that it is impossible to be anyone without having some conflicting feelings about what we've become or could have been. So, although, she said the way to discover our path to our true destinies is ambiguous, her message is clear: "To thine own self, be very, very kind."

Gilbert's appearance concludes UCR Palm Desert Center's sell-out Arts & Letters Lecture Series, which also featured Pulitzer Prize-winners, Tony Kushner, Geraldine Brooks and Junot Diaz.

Save The Date

Executive MBA Information Session

Working professionals with at least seven to 10 years work experience who want to earn their MBA are invited to attend a free information meeting at UCR Palm Desert about the new Executive MBA, which is now accepting applications for fall 2009.

Wednesday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Light refreshments will be provided. To RSVP, call (760) 834-0975 or RSVP online at www.agsm.ucr.edu/emba

Imagining the Future Lecture Series

This series showcases the rich expertise of UCR faculty on a wide variety of important, contemporary scientific topics. The lectures are free, open to the public and will be held at the UCR Palm Desert in the auditorium (Room B100).

Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m.
"The Impact of Ocean Vessels and Goods Movement on Air Pollution Levels in Southern California," presented by
J. Wayne Miller Ph.D., Manager, Emissions and Fuels Research Laboratory, UCR

To print the event flyer, click here. For information and to RSVP call (760) 834-0956.

UCR Palm Desert MFA Literary & Performing Artists Studio

These events feature conversations with today's best and brightest writers, filmmakers and actors on their craft, their lives and the business of making a career out of art. All the events will be held at UCR Palm Desert.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Author Aimee Bender reading and discussing her three books, "The Girl in the Flammable Skirt," "An Invisible Sign of My Own" and "Willful Creatures." Bender's short fiction has been published in Tin House, Granta, the Paris Review, Harper's, and more.

Saturday, April 23, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Author Lynne Sharon Schwartz, author of 21 books, will be discussing her new memoir, "Not Now, Voyager." Her stories and essays have been reprinted in many anthologies, including "The Best American Short Stories," "The O. Henry Prize Stories" and "The Best American Essays." For event information click here or call (760) 834-0926.

Pedro Meyer Art Show

The Heresies Project is a retrospective of four decades of groundbreaking work by one of the world's most innovative photographers, Pedro Meyer, is on display now at UCR Palm Desert.