UCR Palm Desert Newsletter - October 2010
Dear Reader,
The shock of the economic collapse that began in 2008 has worn off and many are numb to the continuing headlines of continuing unemployment. Here in the Coachella Valley, a status report and forecast will be made by the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership on October 22 and well over 650 people will be on hand to hear the incredible progress CVEP has made with the regional economic Blueprint, an initiative designed to bring economic resilience to the region.
Here at UCR, the Desert Lyceum, a group of community leaders, continues to examine issues related to preserving quality of life in the Coachella Valley, a critical element to economic prosperity. The topics of focus include public safety, education, health care, housing needs, the arts and the environment. The UCR Palm Desert Business Leaders Roundtable begins the season off this month for a year of discussion that will include perspectives on business, health care, renewable energy, and the role of the arts in our well-being and growth.
The people of this valley continue to impress me with their desire to solve problems and work together to overcome challenges. A deep and abiding commitment to this region on the part of full-time and seasonal residents is evident in so many ways, and perhaps that is the characteristic that will in the end ensure the preservation of our quality of life and economic prosperity.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Stark, Executive Director
UCR Palm Desert Center
A Year in Review: The Coachella Review
One word can be used to sum up the first year of The Coachella Review: success.
The online literary journal produced and administered by MFA students and faculty at UCR Palm Desert recently completed its first year in production and is pleased to announce its continuation for the 2010-2011 academic year. Funded through a generous grant by the Commander Allen Fund, the journal published works from both established artists and those just now finding their voice, including Erika Brumett of Seattle, WA, winner of the inaugural Coachella Review Fiction Prize.
“I’m proud of our students for taking the reins of this project and turning it into one of the top online markets for writing and film in such a short period,” said Tod Goldberg, Administrative Director for the MFA Program at UCR Palm Desert. “They received over a thousand submissions in just nine months, so it was a real trial by fire.” Goldberg also announced that recent graduate Kimbel Westerson, the journal’s first editor, has been hired in a continuing capacity as the journal’s Managing Editor, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Review.
To read the journal or submit your work for an upcoming issue, visit http://www.thecoachellareview.com/.
Getting to Know Our Executive MBA Students: Brent Lee
Open doors and a series of opportunities is what Brent Lee is hoping awaits him at the conclusion of his 21-month Executive MBA (EMBA) program at UCR Palm Desert. Lee is in the second and final year of the program.
Lee received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego in Economics and International Rel
ations and is currently an Associate Broker. After more than 10 years in business he decided it was time to get his MBA degree.
“For several years I considered getting my MBA but I hadn’t taken the leap,” he said. "When I heard UCR was starting an EMBA program I started to research for details, UCR is an amazing university. After talking to Professor Amnon Rapoport and hearing of the world class professors, coupled with the convenience of attending school locally, I was sold.”
Lee’s favorite part of the program is his classmates. “I have met some amazing people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The cohort system has allowed us to truly bond with one another,” he said.
For more information about the Executive MBA program, click here or call 760-834-0975.
Book Release Celebration on October 14th
Please join UCR Palm Desert on Thursday, October 14th to celebrate the release of MFA faculty member Rob Roberge’s latest collection of stories, “Working Backwards from the Worst Moment of My Life.”
This collection of stories takes place in a world of desperate people who cling to hope, but have few expectations. Roberge introduces readers to a motley crew of drug addicts, former child actors, chimpanzee boxers, exterminators, and assorted criminals.
Tod Goldberg, author and UCR Palm Desert Administrative director calls Roberge a true desert writer. “His stories travel into the dark parts of the desert southwest, his narrators always looking for that last big score, that last good time, that one person who can make them feel alive. Working Backwards is Rob's finest book yet," said Goldberg.
Roberge is the author of “More Than They Could Chew” and “Drive.” He teaches writing at UCR Palm Desert, the Antioch University Los Angeles, and for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, where he received the Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing in 2003. His stories have been featured in Chelsea, Other Voices, Alaska Quarterly Review, and the Ten Writers Worth Knowing issue of The Literary Review. His work has also been anthologized in Another City, It’s All Good and SANTI: Lives of the Modern Saints.
Sponsored by the MFA program, the celebration features a reading by Roberge, followed by a conversation between Roberge and Goldberg. Books will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served and both the event and parking are free.
The event begins at 6 p.m. at UCR Palm Desert, 75-080 Frank Sinatra Drive, in Palm Desert. Reservations are requested. Click here to register. For information, call 760-834-0590.
UCR and The Living Desert Partner for New Lecture Series
UCR Palm Desert is pleased to announce a new series, the UCR Boyd Deep Canyon lecture series, beginning in November. The series is sponsored by UCR and The Living Desert. The line-up of lecturers includes faculty members from UCR, UC Berkeley and the Desert Research Institute (DRI).
The series begins on November 18th with "California’s Fading Wildflowers: Lost Legacy and Biological Invasions," presented by Richard A. Minnich, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Earth Science at UCR. The series continues on the second Thursday of every month, in December. The remaining lectures are:
Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 6 p.m.
"It's About Time: Chelonian (Turtle and Tortoise) Biology and Conservation"
Presented by Dr. Brian Henen, Ph.D., Research Associate, Center for Conservation Biology, Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension, UCR
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 6 p.m.
“Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Coachella Valley: If You Can’t Take The Heat (or Droughts) Where Do You Go?"
Presented by Cameron Barrows, Ph.D., Assistant Research Ecologist, Center for Conservation Biology, UCR
Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 6 p.m.
"From Silent Spring to Silent Night: A Tale of Toads and Me"
Presented by Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 6 p.m.
"Not Just a Pile of Sand: How New Technologies and New Concepts are Changing our Understanding of Desert
Sand Dunes"
Presented by Nicholas Lancaster, Ph.D., Research Professor, Desert Research Institute
This series is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. For more information and to register online, click each of the underlined event dates above. To view the event flyer, click here.
Learning in Retirement Registration and Information Session
The Learning in Retirement (LIR) program at UCR Palm Desert invites the public to attend a free
information and walk-in registration event on Wednesday, October 13 from 9 a.m. to noon at UCR Palm 
Desert.
The non-profit LIR program has been providing self-directed study and discussion for intellectually curious adults over the age of 50 since 1987. LIR fall classes begin on
October 18th.
To become a member of LIR, or see the class schedule, visit www.palmdesert.ucr.edu/lir or call 760-200-8881 or 760-323-5392. Registration forms are also available at the UCR Palm Desert Center, 75-080 Frank Sinatra Drive in Palm Desert.
What's Happening at UC Riverside
It's not just the world-class faculty and facilities that make UC Riverside the place to be - it's also the thriving arts community, the one-of-a-kind special collections and lecture series that attract experts from around the world. It's the concerts, film festivals, dazzling dance performances, and thought-provoking theater. To learn more about these events and more visit UCR Happenings.
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The University of California has been active in the Coachella Valley for nearly 100 years, initially supporting the agriculture industry and more recently impacting modern growth issues through research in areas such as transportation, air quality, and energy and water conservation. The UCR Palm Desert Center, established in 2005, provides graduate education to the Coachella Valley through its innovative Executive MBA and MFA degrees.