UCR Palm Desert Newsletter- September 2009
Dear Reader,
For many months now, leaders in the Coachella Valley have been meeting to formulate a regional economic plan, or “blueprint” for the valley’s future. As the consultant warned us in the very beginning, the journey through this process would be difficult. “Economic development is hard work!” Mac Holladay would exclaim regularly. The journey was indeed hard, complicated and hard.
Now we are at the end of the planning process and about to begin a transition and implementation of what will transform our regional economy into a more diverse one that can better sustain itself. We started this during the economic downturn so that when the economy does turn around we are on the curve and not behind it. What we have done will ultimately provide jobs for our families, jobs for our graduates, and create a healthier economy for our region. The CVEP Blueprint will be revealed October 23 at the CVEP Economic Forecast luncheon, and I look forward to seeing all of you there.
Reflecting on this particular journey, I found that leadership itself is not easy but is also hard work. Making sure every opinion is heard and considered. Making the path forward clear and composed of all ideas. Leadership is not necessarily the person who is at the front of the room or at the head of the table. Leadership is not the person who speaks most loudly, but is very often the person who is listening most closely. Leadership also changes depending on the situation and the people involved. Leadership is flexible and dynamic. And most importantly I also learned that true leaders will give more than take, and usually lead quietly from behind. Leadership is demonstrated in the launch of a new program (see the story below on the Executive MBA), the publishing of a new book (see the story on Tod Goldberg), creating an outreach program (see the story on Cathedral City High School) and being recognized for outstanding contribution to the arts and letters (see the story on Juan Felipe Herrera.) Leadership is in our every day.
Carolyn Stark
Executive Director, UCR Palm Desert Center
MFA Director Releases New Book
UCR Palm Desert welcomes the public to a book release party on Friday, October 23rd at 7 p.m. to celebrate the release of MFA Administrative Director Tod Goldberg's latest book, "Other Resort Cities."
In 10 seductive new stories, Goldberg, the author of seven award-winning books, including "Simplify," "Living Dead Girl" and the popular "Burn Notice" series, takes us beyond swimming pools, nightclubs, and casinos, into the lives of the ruthless and vulnerable people who inhabit resort cities long after tourists leave.
With the kind of endearing, sharp-edged characters for which Goldberg is known-a gangster posing as a rabbi, a father kidnapping his own children, a sheriff haunted by his memories of the Salton Sea, a Palm Springs cocktail waitress searching for her runaway daughter, a distraught husband whose only chance for a single moment of sanity requires building a Starbucks in his living room-"Other Resort Cities" will intrigue and delight readers.
The perfect blend of humor and pathos, this is Goldberg at his best. "Tod Goldberg's stories are not like faceted jewels," says UCR MFA faculty member and accomplished author, Susan Straight. "They are like glinting barbed wire, actually, roped across the field where you are reading, racing, wondering what's next, and then pierced with longing, regret, or revelation. His new collection kept me reading like that - racing to find out what would happen next to these people only Tod Goldberg could create."
Co-sponsored by the MFA program and OV Books, the party features a reading by Goldberg, followed by a conversation, a Q & A session and a book signing. Books will be available for purchase from Barnes & Noble at the event. Refreshments will be served and parking is free.
For more information call 760-834-0950.
Executive MBA Program Launched
The inaugural cohort for the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program, created by the UCR A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management, officially kicked off their first week-long residency period on Saturday, September 12 at the UCR Palm Desert Center.
"I am impressed with the first cohort of students, their backgrounds and resumes speak for themselves," said Jack Gregg, AGSM's Assistant Dean of Corporate Relations. "Each student brings a new element to the group as their experience covers a broad spectrum of industries and jobs, including entrepreneurs, CPAs, a Yahoo Executive, and a former naval pilot. On average, each cohort member contributes more than 15 years of experience."
Of the 12 students, 10 are male and two are female and they range in age from the high 20s to mid 40s. "This has been a long time coming for the Valley and I am delighted to be a member of the inaugural cohort," said student Brian Rojas. "Although we've only been together for a week, our group is already like a family. The courses and discussions are engaging, the faculty are enlightening and the staff who organized the program have been amazing to work with. Overall my experience with the program, and university, has exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to the next stage of the program."
To learn more about UC Riverside's EMBA program for working professionals, visit http://agsm.ucr.edu/emba/ or contact Jack Gregg at (951) 827-4749. Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2010 program.
UCR Poet Wins Prestigious Award
Juan Felipe Herrera, professor of creative writing at the UCR, has won a 2009 PEN Beyond Margins Award from the PEN American Center, the national association of literary writers. The Beyond Margins awards celebrate outstanding books by writers of color published in the United States during the previous year, according to the center.
Herrera, who teaches in Riverside and Palm Desert and holds the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair in the UCR Department of Creative Writing, is one of three winners announced Sept. 3. He was recognized for his poetry collection, "Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems" (University of Arizona Press).
Each winner will receive $1,000 and will be honored Dec. 2 in New York City. The event at Housing Works Bookstore Café will include readings and a panel discussion moderated by Jane Ciabattari, president of the National Book Critics Circle.
"We are delighted by Professor Herrera's award," said D. Charles Whitney, professor and chair of the UCR Department of Creative Writing. "It is further recognition of his stature as a poet and as one of the foremost Hispanic voices of our time."
The son of migrant farm workers, Herrera has written 24 books ranging from children's literature to poetry, produced plays and promoted the literature of other Chicano writers. He has more than 100 articles, poems, reviews and essays in print. Among his award-winning books are "187 Reasons Mexicanos Can't Cross the Border," "Downtown Boy," "Calling the Doves," "Crashboomlove" and Featherless/Desplumado."
"Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems" has won several prestigious awards, including a New York Times Best Books of 2008, the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry, and the 2009 Latino International Award in Poetry.
The Beyond Margins Award is one of the ways in which the PEN American Center's Open Book Program encourages racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities. The Open Book Committee works to increase the literature by, for, and about African, Arab, Asian, Caribbean, Latin, and Native Americans, and to establish access for these groups to the publishing industry. Its goal is to ensure that those who are the custodians of language and literature are representative of the American people, according to the PEN American Center.
Cathedral City High School Students Visit UCR During Two-day Workshop
Students from Cathedral City High School's Digital Arts Technology Academy (DATA) participated in a two-day hands-on workshop in July that took the students to the main campus of the University of California, Riverside one day and to a film and television production studio in Desert Hot Springs on the second day. The workshops were a pilot program design ed to expose the students to educational and career opportunities within their specialized field.
The workshop, Education-Meets-Industry 2009 "Rockin' Summer Tour," was a collaborative effort created by Toni Lawrence at UCR Palm Desert, Matt Hamilton at Cathedral City High School, Leanna Bonamici of Casablanca Studios and Maryann Ridini Spencer from Ridini Entertainment.
"We try to make academics relevant to the outside world," said Hamilton, coordinator of the DATA program, "and this program did just that."
On the first day, Hamilton, the DATA students and CCHS counselor Debra Applebaum traveled to UCR with Lawrence, where they toured the campus and heard from an admissions representative in the morning. The group had lunch with two UCR faculty members, Stu Krieger and Rickerby Hinds, and several UCR students. After lunch, the students visited UCR's Hyperstruction Studio, where they got to see cutting-edge classroom technology used by UCR faculty members.
"None of the students had been to UCR before," said Lawrence, Director of Programs, Outreach and Marketing at the UCR Palm Desert Center. "We felt it was important to give these students a chance to see the campus and connect them with UCR students and faculty so they could ask questions and get a feel for what it would be like to be a student at UCR."
On the second day, the group visited Casablanca Studios in Desert Hot Springs where Bonamici and Ridini Spencer brought together a team of film and television professionals so they could provide the students with an on-the-job experience of creating a television program. The DATA students learned first-hand how to perform all the crew positions, including learning how to operate audio and video switchers, cameras, and experience the exciting and sometimes frightening life in front of the camera. The students took turns with all the positions and shot mini television shows that they viewed at the end of the day.
"When people like Toni Lawrence at UCR and Leanna Bonamici at Casablanca Studios make the extra effort for high school students, it's easy for the students to see how academics relate to the media industry," said Hamilton.
The group hopes to replicate and expand the pilot program next year to include other high schools and ultimately into other career academies at the high schools, including health and technology fields.
Learning in Retirement Program Resumes Oct. 19th
The Learning in Retirement (LIR) program at UCR Palm Desert invites the public to attend a free information and walk-in registration event on Monday, October 12, from 9 a.m. to noon at the UCR Palm Desert Center.
Since 1987 the non-profit, LIR program has been providing self-directed study and discussion for intellectually curious adults over the age of 50. Peer learning, collaborative leadership, and active member participation are fundamental to this program. LIR offers three annual sessions of non-credit classes designed for the pure enjoyment of learning.
LIR fall classes begin on October 19 and generally meet for two hours on one day a week for eight weeks. To become a member of LIR or see the class schedule, please download, print and submit a registration form located www.palmdesert.ucr.edu and enter LIR in the search box.
To speak with an LIR representative, please call 760-200-8881 or 760-323-5392.
Giving Blood Saves Lives
Join UCR Palm Desert and the Community Blood Bank, on Tuesday, October 20th for a blood donation drive. The blood mobile will collect donations from parking Lot B at the UCR Palm Desert Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Not only will donors receive the joy of knowing they contributed to a worthy cause, donors will also receive a Community Blood Bank t-shirt and coupons from local merchants.
To sign up for the drive, please call Jessica Enders at 760-834-0590 or e-mail jessica.enders@ucr.edu. For more information about the Community Blood Bank please call 760-773-4190.
Videoconferencing: The Efficient and Economical Way to Commute
Videoconferencing offers a new avenue to meet over distances. Save time, money and gas and try videoconferencing your meeting at UCR Palm Desert. It's the affordable and efficient way to do business.
In addition to planning events and conferences, the Palm Desert Center Conference and Events Services department offers some of the lowest rates in the valley for videoconferencing and includes dedicated technical support. Whether your meeting is large or small and with 12 room options to select from we can accommodate groups from one to 300.
UCR Palm Desert provides quality and professional service at an affordable price and convenient location. To learn more, call Ron Willison, Conference and Events Manager, or visit http://palmdesert.ucr.edu.
Become a "Fan" of UCR PD on Facebook 
Stay connected with UCR Palm Desert and our more than 100 Facebook fans on UCR Palm Desert's Facebook page. Find us on Facebook.com by searching "UCR Palm Desert" or visit palmdesert.ucr.edu and click "UCR Palm Desert on Facebook," on the bottom right side of the page.
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.
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.