Dominican University of California Announces Dr. Mojgan Behmand Named VP For Academic Affairs, Dean Of The Faculty

Dominican University of California President-Elect Nicola Pitchford has appointed Dr. Mojgan Behmand as Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Dean of the Faculty, beginning July 1, 2021. Dr. Pitchford, who currently serves as VPAA and Dean of the Faculty, begins her tenure as Dominican’s 10th president on that day.

Dr. Behmand has served as Dominican’s Associate VPAA & Dean of The Dominican Experience since 2019. She joined Dominican as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of English in 2007, earning tenure in 2011 and early promotion to the rank of Professor in 2015. Her administrative roles include Director of Faculty Development; Director of General Education and First-Year Experience; and Associate VPAA and Dean of General Studies. She served as Acting VPAA during the fall 2018 semester.

“The initiatives Mojgan has led have been numerous and enormously significant for shaping Dominican students’ experience,” Pitchford said. “She has been an exceptional faculty leader at Dominican over the past 13 years.”

The initial one-year appointment will ensure continuity in academic leadership as Dominican negotiates the impact of the pandemic, while also providing an opportunity to confer and consult in the context of shared governance about the longer-term vision for this vital leadership role.

Dr. Behmand has steered several key curricular initiatives, including the redesign of the Honors Program and the 2017-2018 overhaul of the former General Education curriculum, leading to the adoption of the University’s current Core Curriculum with a vote of approval from more than 84% of the Faculty Forum.

“Mojgan played key roles in all three components of Dominican’s remarkable collective achievement of rethinking our GE, then rapidly revising the entire undergraduate curriculum, in both content and structure, over the course of only two years — while also bringing to scale the signature wraparound learning model of the Dominican Experience,” Pitchford said.

“Just how remarkable is this transformational accomplishment has been highlighted by the eager national interest — and envy — that have greeted Mojgan’s conference presentations on the design and execution of the process.”

Dr. Behmand successfully sought (or partnered in securing) more than $850,000 in gift and grant funding in support of curricular initiatives, including developing the statewide Civic Action Fellowship.

This past year Dr. Behmand also has worked with both the CARE and HOPE teams to help retain and support struggling students during the pandemic, marshaling the University’s resources to provide coordinated care across the challenges students and families are facing.

Dr. Behmand was the founding director of Dominican’s First Year Experience “Big History” program and creator and co-editor of the book Teaching Big History published by UC Press in 2014 and written in collaboration with Dominican faculty. She has published and presented widely on topics such as comprehensive curricular revision, faculty development, and institutional culture change, Big History pedagogy, and medieval Persian epics and passion plays. She has an affinity for specialty courses on individual and communal identity, 19th-century women’s literature, Gothic novels, and world literature.

Dr. Behmand holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in English from the University of Düsseldorf.

https://www.dominican.edu/news/news-listing/dr-mojgan-behmand-named-vp-academic-affairs-dean-faculty

Northern California Public Media Adding 104.9 FM

Northern California Public Media has agreed to buy a powerful local FM station to boost public broadcasting in Sonoma County. It has filed with the Federal Communications Commission to purchase KDHT-FM 104.9. Its signal reaches virtually all of Sonoma County plus northern Novato and western portions of Napa County.

Northern California Public Media has operated KRCB-FM on 91.1 FM since 1993. Its signal is difficult to hear in much of the county and could not be improved. “We’re pleased to be able to serve all of Sonoma County,” said Darren LaShelle, the nonprofit organization’s president and CEO. He continued, “This has been a goal of ours for a very long time. The stronger signal on 104.9 FM will feature more local news, NPR news, and locally hosted music shows.”

To prepare for this expansion, Northern California Public Media has expanded its staff, hiring former San Francisco news director and longtime Sonoma County resident Chris Lee as the station’s executive producer. Greta Mart, from KCBX in San Luis Obispo, will join as news director. Coming aboard as reporters are Marc Albert (North State Public Radio) and Tessa Paoli (Capitol Public Radio, KALW). The station is seeking community input on how to improve the station. An online questionnaire is posted at www.norcalpublicmedia.org/survey.

Amaturo Sonoma Media Group is the seller. “While we’re saddened to part with such a fine station, placing it in hands of our public broadcasting peers at such a crucial time softens the blow,” said Michael O’Shea, ASMG President. The company also owns four other local radio stations: KSRO, Froggy 92.9, 97.7 The River, and Hot 101.7, as well as NorthBay Biz magazine.

Northern California Public Media also owns KRCB-TV and KPJK-TV, both noncommercial channels. The organization has a national reputation for producing programs that focus on environmental issues through the Center for Environmental Reporting, including the regional Bay Area Bountiful initiative, the national TV series Natural Heroes and the New Environmentalists, as well as the award- winning NPR/NorCal podcast Living Downstream.

Both parties have filed the transaction with the FCC; approval is expected in 10-12 weeks. Terms were not announced.

Bank of America Donates The Mission Paintings of Mattie Fountain to the Sonoma Valley Historical Society

A one-of-a-kind collection of oil paintings representing almost the entire system of California Missions was handed over to the Sonoma Valley Historical Society last week by the Bank of America, which may have held the paintings for close to a century. All of the 19 paintings, from the Mexican border to the Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, are by little-known 19th century artist Mattie E. Fountain.

Despite the rich repository of work that has been held at the Bank of America, little else is known about Fountain, other than that she lived in the Bay Area for much of her adult life, and was even listed in contemporary business directories as an artist – though it was as a portrait painter. Her paintings, including a still life offered for sale several years ago on an auction site, show a preference for muted natural colors, shadows and detail. She was evidently born in Vermont in 1853, as by the time she shows up in the 1880 U.S. Census, she was living in Oakland, and a widow at the age of 27.

“The Sonoma Valley Historical Society’s goal is to loan the restored paintings to other missions to visually illustrate the extent of the importance of the string of missions that were so critical in the contemporary development of California,” said Depot Museum director and the Historical Society President Patricia Cullinan.

Stephen Hearst, of the Hearst family’s Western Properties, contributed to help restore the paintings, Cullinan said, adding to his family tradition of supporting not only the arts, but the missions system’s history.

It was William Randolph Hearst, Stephen’s great-grandfather, who began the drive to purchase the Mission San Francisco Solano in 1903 with a donation of $500. That community effort was taken up by the Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club and the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West, who provided much of the $13,000 funding. The deed was passed to California State Parks on March 23, 1906, three weeks before the San Francisco earthquake.

The Hearst family’s connection to Sonoma was earlier evident when, in 1891, Phoebe Hearst came to a property on Madrone Road to stay for six months to mourn her husband George Hearst’s death. Phoebe Hearst also donated to the Woman’s Club for their restoration of the Sonoma Plaza, and one of her life-long focuses was the independence of women. Certainly Mattie E. Fountain, as a contemporary of Phoebe Hearst, reflects the success of a woman who was self-supporting and self-determining.

For the most part, it is thought Fountain’s Mission series may have been in the custody of the Bank of America, which first came to Sonoma Valley in 1927. Fifty years later, the bank opened its Napa Street branch which still stands, opposite the Plaza, “a new and more commodious bank designed in the style of early-California Spanish adobes,” according to their faux-historic handbill announcing an opening celebration, on Aug. 8, 1957.

Among the attractions of that opening — which included refreshments, souvenirs and entertainment (including the Valley of the Moon Swingers) — was the “premier showing of the Sonoma branch’s permanent exhibit of historical paintings of California missions.”

“This particular collection was housed in our Sonoma financial center, some on the walls and some in the attic. As we began renovating the center, we thought that the Sonoma Valley Historical Society would appreciate this piece of California Mission history,” said Jason Foster, the bank’s North Bay market president. “Bank of America has been in Sonoma since 1927 and in its current location since 1956, so we have a tremendous appreciation for the community in general and how California history and the arts fit into the community.”

The collection represents the series of missions established by Franciscans throughout the length of Alta California, between 1769 in San Diego to 1823, the date of the founding of the Sonoma Mission.

Cullinan thought the original collection might have included all 21 of the missions, as one of the paintings the historical society received last week was identified as “number 20” in the collection, and a couple of the paintings suffered irretrievable water damage.

The public record for Mattie Fountain disappears after 1905, when she would have been in her early 50s, but the year of her death is uncertain. Phoebe Hearst, however, died at her home in Pleasanton at the age of 76, in April, 1919, during the worldwide influenza epidemic.

When she died her only son, William Randolph Hearst, inherited her wealth.

The Mission Paintings of Mattie Fountain

Bank of America Triples Affordable Homeownership Commitment to $15 Billion

Bank of America today announced it will triple its affordable homeownership initiative to $15 billion through 2025, aiming to help more than 60,000 individuals and families to purchase homes.

First launched in 2019 as a $5 billion initiative, the Bank of America Community Homeownership Commitment® helps low- and moderate-income homebuyers across the country begin to build their personal wealth and family legacy through the power of homeownership. The company has surpassed this commitment, and in doing so has already helped nearly 21,000 individuals and families purchase a home through affordable loans and over $180 million in down payment and closing cost grants.

“Homeownership is an incredibly powerful force, helping families to build wealth over time and strengthening our communities. It can be challenging to save enough to buy a home, so it’s no surprise that we’ve seen an overwhelmingly positive response to our programs. We are excited about our goal of helping an even greater number of homebuyers to prepare for homeownership now and in the future,” said D. Steve Boland, president of retail at Bank of America.

Today, half of Bank of America’s home loans are to low- and moderate-income or multicultural families and communities. The Community Homeownership Commitment focuses on helping put people on the path to affordable homeownership through a combination of specially-designed products, resources and expertise. The program includes two proprietary homebuyer grant programs to help prospective buyers with the upfront costs of homeownership:

  • Down Payment Grant program – this program helps customers overcome the biggest barrier to homeownership – down payment. In more than 260 cities and counties across the country, eligible buyers can receive 3% of the home’s purchase price up to $10,000, whichever is less, to be used toward their down payment. No repayment is required.
  • America’s Home Grant® program – this program offers a lender credit of up to $7,500 that can be used towards non-recurring closing costs, like title insurance and recording fees, or to permanently buy down the interest rate. The funds do not require repayment and can be combined with Down Payment Grant funds to lower the cost of homeownership.

When the grant programs are used together, homebuyers receive on average of about $14,000 to help with their home purchases. The grant programs are often used in combination with low down payment mortgages to significantly reduce the upfront funds required to purchase a home. Low down payment loans are competitive, fixed-rate mortgages with down payments as low as 3%, requiring lower-cost – or even no – mortgage insurance. Today, nearly 85% of these loans go to first-time homebuyers.

This commitment complements Bank of America’s $1 billion, four-year commitment to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity. The work focuses on closing the racial wealth gap in Black and Hispanic-Latino communities with a focus on affordable housing, health and healthcare, jobs/reskilling and small business. Through the Community Homeownership Commitment, Bank of America is addressing two of the biggest barriers to homeownership —  down payments and closing costs — which will increase access to homeownership for thousands who have historically not been able to own a home.

Bank of America offers additional resources in preparing for homeownership. The Bank of America Real Estate Center® makes it even easier for prospective homebuyers to identify grant-eligible properties. The newest feature labels properties for sale that qualify for down payment and closing cost grants offered by the company. Future buyers can also prepare for homeownership using the company’s First-Time Homebuyer Online Edu-Series™, available in English and Spanish, which provides an easy-to-understand roadmap to buying and financing a home.

Bank of America serves low- and moderate-income clients’ and communities’ homeownership needs through multiple channels, including through financial centers across the country and our Digital Mortgage Experience.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 2,700 lending centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial Solutions Advisor and approximately 2,400 business centers; approximately 17,000 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with approximately 39 million active users, including approximately 31 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/content/newsroom/press-releases/2021/02/bank-of-america-triples-affordable-homeownership-commitment-to–.html

Bank of America Announces Investments in 40 Private Funds Focused on Minority Entrepreneurs for Approximately $150 Million

On June 2, 2020, Bank of America made a $1 billion, four-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, of which $200 million was allocated to support Black, Hispanic-Latino, other under-represented minority and women entrepreneurs. Today, Bank of America announced it will invest approximately $150 million in 40 funds, based in 21 markets across the U.S. These investments will underscore Bank of America’s ongoing efforts to address the persistent gap in access to growth capital for minority-led businesses.

“By accelerating the flow of capital into funds focused on investing in Black, Hispanic-Latino, other under-represented minority and women-led businesses, we can help level the playing field,” said Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America. “These funds support diverse entrepreneurs across the U.S. and will drive innovation and economic opportunities, creating more jobs and wealth in communities.”

In addition to their focus on investing in minority-led businesses, these funds are predominately led by diverse fund managers. Representative funds include but are not limited to:

  • Fearless Fund – Atlanta, Ga.
  • Harlem Capital – New York, N.Y.
  • The Marathon Fund – Washington, D.C.
  • New Community Transformation Fund – Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Reign Ventures – New York, N.Y.
  • Serena Ventures – San Francisco, Calif.
  • TMV – New York, N.Y.
  • VamosVentures – Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Zeal Capital Partners – Washington, D.C.

The completion of these investments is subject to execution of documentation.

These investments are one component of Bank of America’s $1 billion commitment to racial equality and economic opportunity. This commitment is focused on addressing and advancing social issues in minority populations, such as health, jobs, education, housing and capital inequality, and will facilitate benefits across multiple states and communities.

Investing in Minority Depository Institutions

As part of its $1 billion commitment, Bank of America dedicated $50 million to support minority depository institutions (MDIs) and community development financial institution (CDFI) banks. As part of these equity investments Bank of America will acquire up to 4.9% of common equity in MDIs and CDFI Banks facilitating benefits in the communities that these institutions serve through lending, housing, neighborhood revitalization, and other banking services.

Today the company also announced investments in two additional MDIs, bringing the total to 12:

  • Broadway Financial Corporation*
  • Carver Bancorp, Inc.
  • Carver Financial Corporation
  • CNB Bancorp, Inc. (parent of Commonwealth National Bank)
  • CSB&T Bancorp, Inc. (parent company of Citizens Savings Bank and Trust)
  • First Independence Corporation
  • Liberty Financial Services, Inc.
  • M&F Bancorp, Inc.
  • MNB Ventures, Inc.*
  • SCCB Financial Corp. (parent company of Optus Bank)
  • Southern Bancorp, Inc.
  • Unity National Bank of Houston, N.A.

*Denotes newly announced investment

These equity investments are in addition to approximately $100 million in deposits from Bank of America in MDIs. The company also operates a $1.6 billion CDFI portfolio with 255 partner CDFIs across all 50 states, providing access to capital to thousands of individuals and small businesses who do not qualify through traditional lenders.

Recent Bank of America announcements focused on racial equality, diversity and inclusion and economic opportunity include:

Bank of America

At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).

https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/content/newsroom/press-releases/2021/01/bank-of-america-announces-investments-in-40-private-funds-focuse.html

Bank of America a Founding Member in the Coalition to Tackle Racism in the Workplace Created by the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has today launched the Partnering for Racial Justice in Business initiative, which will see a coalition of organizations commit to building equitable and just workplaces for professionals with under-represented racial and ethnic identities.

The Partnering for Racial Justice in Business initiative has been designed to operationalize and coordinate commitments to eradicate racism in the workplace and set new global standards for racial equity in business. It also provides a platform for businesses to collectively advocate for inclusive policy change.

What action looks like

Three steps are required to join the initiative:

  • Racial and ethnic equity must be placed on the board’s agenda
  • Companies must make at least one commitment towards racial and ethnic justice in their organizations
  • Companies must put a long-term strategy in place towards becoming an anti-racist organization

Examples of business commitments towards racial and ethnic justice range from allocating financial and human resources to racial justice work, setting representation goals for all seniority levels, and establishing mentorship programmes for racially and ethnically diverse employees.

One of the initiative’s starting points will be Black inclusion and addressing anti-Blackness. A broad-brush approach to racism fails to grasp its effects on different under-represented groups. Anti-Black racism is historically one of the most pervasive forms of racism. As such, a targeted and specific approach to tackle it in the workplace is required. As the initiative evolves, it will seek to increase the visibility of racially and ethnically diverse leaders throughout industries, and expand its focus to include additional racial and ethnic groups.

“With just 1% of Fortune 500 companies led by Black chief executives, the need to tackle racial under-representation in business is urgent and obvious. To design racially and ethnically just workplaces, companies must confront racism at a systemic level, addressing not just the structural and social mechanics of their own organizations, but also the role they play in their communities and the economy at large. The Partnering for Racial Justice in Business initiative provides an effective platform for businesses to take individual and collective action towards racially and ethnically just workplaces,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum.

The initiative originates from the World Economic Forum’s New Economy and Society Platform, which is focused on building prosperous, inclusive and just economies and societies. In addition to its work on economic growth, revival and transformation, work, wages and job creation, and education, skills and learning, the Platform takes an integrated and holistic approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, and aims to tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity. It produces data, standards and insights, such as the Global Gender Gap Report and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0 Toolkit, and drives or supports action initiatives, such as the Community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers, The Valuable 500 – Closing the Disability Inclusion Gap, Hardwiring Gender Parity in the Future of Work, Closing the Gender Gap Country Accelerators, Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality and the Global Future Council on Equity and Social Justice.

Founding members

The founding members of the initiative are: A.P. Møller-Maersk, AlixPartners, AstraZeneca, Bank of America, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Boston Consulting Group, Bridgewater Associates, Centene, Cisco Systems, Cognizant, Dentsu International, Deutsche Bank, EY, Facebook, Google, H&M Group, Henry Schein, HP, Infosys, Ingka Group (IKEA), Jacobs Engineering Group, Jefferson Health, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Kearney, LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, Mastercard, Mayo Clinic, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Nestlé, PayPal, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Salesforce, SAP, Standard Chartered Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, The Coca-Cola Company, Depository Trust & Clearing (DTCC), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Uber Technologies, Unilever, UPS and Willis Towers Watson.

“This initiative is an important step in helping accountable business leaders do more to change the foundational systems that interfere with achieving equity. Kaiser Permanente is taking bold actions within our organization to evolve and advance our equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, and we look forward to being part of this coalition, both to help its work and learn from others.” — Greg A. Adams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Permanente

“At IKEA, we side with the many, and we believe that a better every day is also an equal every day. We are committed to create a fair and equal workplace for everyone, no matter their ethnicity, race or nationality. We see three main reasons: It is about fairness, it’s about reflecting the diversity of our customer base to meet the dreams and needs of our customers in better ways. And finally, it opens up more and new opportunities to attract and recruit the best talents. By working together with the Forum and other businesses we hope to accelerate the pace and scale of change to create more fair and just workplaces and society.” — Jesper Brodin, Chief Executive Officer, Ingka Group (IKEA)

“The new global standards established by Partnering for Racial Justice in Business come at a time of heightened global focus on racial injustice, underscored by a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Black and Latino communities in the United States, along with other marginalized communities worldwide. We believe companies – critical enablers of wealth creation and professional mobility – must play a leading role in building a more equitable future for all. And as an organization that exists to create economic opportunity for the entire global workforce, we are honoured to join this initiative.” — Rosanna Durruthy, Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, LinkedIn

“At P&G, we aspire to create a company and a world where equality and inclusion are achievable for all people. For us, this starts with ensuring equitable and inclusive workplaces, and drives the actions we take with our brands and business partners and throughout communities around the world. The Forum’s Partnering for Racial Justice in Business initiative will help foster cross-sector collaboration towards this aspiration and enable P&G and many companies to accelerate progress faster than any of us could do alone, and we’re proud to lend our support.” — Shelly McNamara, Chief Equality and Inclusion Officer, Procter & Gamble

“In order to have an economy that works for everyone, we all have an obligation to address the inequalities that have existed for too long; that includes systemic racism. At Mastercard, we believe that our success comes by ensuring decency, well-being and inclusion are part of everything we do. Bringing together groups like this creates the potential for greater impact, accelerating our ability to learn from one another and deliver action at scale.” — Michael Miebach, Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard

“As a global organization that runs with purpose, we will only have done our jobs if we create opportunities for every employee to flourish and for social justice to prevail. We must understand the role we play, the things we can do better, and the actions we can take to ensure equality for all. Let our work together be a shining example of the change we are advocating.” — Judith Williams, Head of People Sustainability and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SAP

The Davos Agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to widen inequalities, with disproportionate repercussions for disadvantaged groups and minorities. What policies, practices and partnerships are needed to embed equity and inclusion into our economic systems? The Davos Agenda is a pioneering mobilization of global leaders aimed at rebuilding trust to shape the principles, policies and partnerships needed in 2021. It features a full week (25-29 January) of global programming dedicated to helping leaders choose innovative and bold solutions to stem the effects of the pandemic and drive a robust recovery over the next year. Heads of state, chief executives, civil society leaders and the global media will actively participate in almost 100 sessions covering five themes. Media can register here.

https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/content/newsroom/press-releases/2021/01/world-economic-forum-launches-coalition-to-tackle-racism-in-the-0.html

Dominican University Makes the List of 2021 Best Colleges in the U.S. by Salary Score

When making decisions about higher education, one of the top considerations for students is how their degree will impact their career and salary. Higher education is a significant financial investment, and we believe salary is a critical metric of student success. This list highlights schools whose alumni earn high salaries in the year after graduation, regardless of their field of study. The schools on this list are ranked by our proprietary Salary Score, which reflects how much alumni make compared to alumni of the same programs at other colleges. To be considered for our rankings, schools must offer and provide data for at least 10 bachelor’s programs. Read our methodology to learn more about how schools were ranked.

Our research found that 86 of the top 100 schools for earning potential were private colleges, and the top 19 schools were private nonprofit institutions. We also found that only six out of the eight Ivy League schools were listed in the top 25 schools for earning potential. This finding highlights the fact that, while prestigious universities do often produce highly paid graduates, there are many non-elite institutions whose graduates earn comparable salaries across a range of industries.

KEY INSIGHTS:

  • Colleges with the highest Salary Score for bachelor’s degrees are overwhelmingly private universities, accounting for 86 of the top 100 schools
  • Minnesota graduates fared especially well at the bachelor’s level when the cost of living was factored in – Minnesota had the fifth-highest median Salary Score at the state level but falls just above the national average for living expenses
  • Thomas Edison State University, an online institution that primarily serves adult learners, held the #1 spot for public schools based on alumni salaries, ahead of University of California-Berkeley

https://www.gradreports.com/best-colleges

Sonoma State Receives Near $5 Million From NASA to Engage Autistic Learners in STEM

Sonoma State University has been awarded $4.96 million from NASA to design and implement a program that will engage students on the autism spectrum in informal STEM learning.

NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3) aims to broaden participation in NASA programs to include autistic and other learners with neurological differences. As part of NASA’s Science Activation Program, which is composed of teams across the nation to help learners of all ages and abilities do science, N3 will use specific learning modules to support autistic learners with the social and technical skills needed for successful STEM careers.

“I really got inspired to pursue this opportunity because everywhere I turn there seems to be autism,” said professor Lynn Cominsky, who authored the cooperative agreement application and is also the director of EdEon STEM Learning at SSU – a center meant to inspire students to pursue STEM careers. “NASA has done so much for every other demographic group, but this award is very important because research has shown how autistic learners can be so talented in STEM fields.”

Over a five-year period, hundreds of high school autistic learners in both California and New York City will engage in informal NASA activities, including building and launching rocket payloads and using SSU’s NASA funded telescope. One of the California high schools that will participate in the program is the Anova Center for Education in Santa Rosa.

“Anova is proud to be a founding partner in the NASA Neurodiversity Network along with Sonoma State University and several other excellent Bay Area schools,” said Andrew Bailey, the founding director of Anova. “Autism can be a valuable type of ‘neurological diversity’ when the autistic individual is able to participate in the pursuit of happiness unhindered by the disabling roadblocks of a divergent mind. The N3 project is an exciting opportunity for our Anova students and the entire autism community.”

As part of the program, NASA will provide subject matter experts to work as mentors for sets of students that are highly motivated in working with the curriculum. “By introducing students to NASA science, autistic learners will not only gain knowledge for future accomplishments in STEM, but it will also promote growth in their social skills and self-efficacy,” Cominsky said.

Among the program’s special consultants is Dan Swearingen, one of Cominsky’s former students from more than 25 years ago. Swearingen, who himself is autistic as well as his son, founded a program to help young adults with autism or other neurological differences to ease their transition to an independent adulthood.

“The staff and students at Autistry are excited about the NASA Neurodiversity Network,” said Dan Swearingen, who co-founded Autistry Studios with his wife Janet Lawson in Marin County. “This is a fabulous opportunity, and a rare one, for autistic students to explore STEM learning. Dr. Cominsky’s energy and ability to inspire scientific curiosity put me on the path to pursue astrophysics, and I am confident she will give this gift to our students as well.”

Other partners in the N3 team are Wendy Martin and Ariana Riccio from the nonprofit Education Development Center; Sylvia Perez and Georgette Williams from the New York Hall of Science; and Laura Peticolas, EdEon’s Associate Director. Along with Anova, other Bay Area high schools will also be participating as partners, including Oak Hill School in San Anselmo, Stanbridge Academy in San Mateo, and the Orion Academy in Moraga. The internship program that N3 will be implementing was inspired by the successful program at Orion that partners their students with scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in STEM-related projects.

The program began this month with the NASA Kickoff meeting for the SciAct program. Cominsky said they are currently co-developing NASA resources with autistic learners to ensure they create learning opportunities that meet their needs. For more information about NASA’s Science Activation Program, visit https://science.nasa.gov/learners.

ABOUT US: Sonoma State is a public university committed to educational access and excellence, with a long-standing tradition of promoting intellectual and personal growth, leadership opportunities, and technological proficiency. We are driven by a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences and guided by core values of sustainability, inclusivity, and integrity. Situated among the rolling hills of Sonoma County, SSU is a living example of Northern California’s diverse natural beauty. We provide high-quality education through innovative programs that leverage the area’s economic, cultural, and natural resources. Connect with and learn more about SSU in the SSU NewsCenter.

http://news.sonoma.edu/article/sonoma-state-receives-near-5-million-nasa-engage-autistic-learners-stem

Star Staffing’s Nicole Serres on How to Dodge the COVID Curveball in Company Staffing During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Take a moment to pat yourselves on the back, you survived 2020! It was quite a bumpy ride, wasn’t it?

Although it’s a fresh new year, many of us are still fully grappling with the consequences of the pandemic and a shaky economy. Countless companies were forced to shutter storefronts and offices and pivot to a fully online business.

“Covid-safe” protocols are still present in work and life and will likely continue to through 2021. So while it’s a new year, we’re not out of the weeds yet.

What we do know is that the world of work is radically changed – in many ways, permanently.

Embrace the 2021 workplace

As we know, 2020 was one giant curveball: a worldwide pandemic, a recession, political turmoil, social movements, natural disasters, the list goes on.

We are fully immersed in a “new normal” and it has changed how we work and how we can be most productive.

“Traditional” workplaces are no longer traditional. Stanford reports that the new work-from-home economy has 42% of all workers nationwide working from home. This often brings the challenge of separating “work” and “personal” when both are done from home-sweet-home.The two have become entirely enmeshed.

From all-hours team messages, Zoom fatigue, child care time conflicts (or downright teaching from home), how teams work, both virtually and on-site, has changed. For in-office workers, between requiring PPE, mandating temperature checks, navigating new sick leave protocol – the challenges remain.

It’s likely that at least some of your business processes have become digital permanently and you’re maintaining remote work even after the pandemic is over. It’s possible that employee feedback has encouraged you to start looking at hybrid work models: where half the week your team meets in the office and the other half the week, your team works from home.

How to thrive in this new world of work

Get right to it: Does your workplace serve your team members?

Some team members may not step foot into your office for a long period of time, so we can no longer promote the same irrelevant in-office benefits we used to.

Gone are the days of companies that tout their office ping pong table, endless plethora of free fresh fruits and snacks, or the infamous “kombucha on tap” perk.

Forget the “open space floor plan” mantra. These practices are not compelling into today’s work world – in fact, they now come off as tone deaf.

Instead, be real: how can you support your team with what they actually care about?

Do you offer flexible work hours?

Do you offer mental health allowances?

How can you support parents who may have children at home?

How are you building company culture during these challenges?

Do you offer a work environment that encourages opportunities for career advancement?

Taking care of your teammates first will lead to loyalty and engagement.

Set clear goals and get team buy-in

The more teams can be aligned and engaged with common goals, especially in our virtual work world, the more effective teams will work. Set clear goals then repeat them constantly.

Get real with the impact the team will have. Employees, now more than ever, need security in how they’ll get their next paycheck, what they’ll be working on, how they will be able to progress along their career path, and most importantly, how their efforts contribute to the larger mission.

Zone in on the impact of your teammates’ roles by creating quantifiable goals with timelines for completion. Always tie these goals back to the company mission so that it becomes the point from which all efforts are generated.

Allow team members to work from where they are most efficient

With today’s new work landscape and the challenges of in-office operations, consider being more flexible than usual. SHRM reports that productivity is the same, if not higher, than it was before the pandemic for remote workers.

It behooves your team to be open to as many qualified applicants as possible — with varying work backgrounds, years experience, and now, remote possibilities.

Don’t miss out on your next rockstar because they don’t live in your city. Your team may be used to remote work now, consider keeping and hiring hardworking remote workers into 2021 and beyond.

New Year, new workplace best practices

It’s still a moving target on exactly how to thrive in 2021. But one thing is for sure, we must embrace the “New Workplace” the right way. Here’s what we can work on:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Schedule regular team meetings. Encourage open, free-flowing communication and building cross-department relationships. Have your cameras on in virtual meetings to encourage human connection and respect everyone’s time by sticking to the timeframe of the meeting and wrapping up with action items.

2. Become Project Management Masters

With employees managing multiple projects at once and inevitably being pulled in various directions by both work and distractions at home, getting organized and focused is the way to win. Basecamp, Asana, ClickUp, and Trello are just a few of the many project management tools available. Find one that fits your needs and make sure everyone is properly trained.

3. Trust Your Team

As the old saying goes: Hire great people and get out of their way. Provide the training and tools needed for teams to succeed, check in regularly, and set expectations from the start. Having an awesome onboarding experience is the primary factor in employee retention, so be sure to set them up for success.

Setting clear goals allows teams to know where to focus their energy and how they’re performing. Tracking outcomes over hours will help you measure success a lot more efficiently.

You can do this!

Challenges will come in 2021, but we’re smarter and more efficient now than we were at this time last year. The workplace has changed, but our resilience, motivation, and spirit hasn’t. Choose to fully embrace 2021 and the new opportunities it brings for growth and team alignment.

How to dodge the COVID curveball in company staffing during the coronavirus

PG&E Unveils $3 Billion California Wildfire Plan, Warns of ‘Very Extreme’ Season Ahead

PG&E Corp. rolled out its 2021 wildfire safety plan Friday, promising to focus its efforts on the most vulnerable parts of California but warning that the state is likely to face another difficult season.

Under constant scrutiny for its painful record on wildfires, the state’s largest utility said its safety plan will prioritize the highest-risk areas of its service territory for trimming trees and making its power equipment more fire-resilient.

Yet PG&E, which has been faulted for sparking some of the largest and deadliest fires in California’s history, said wildfire risk will remain an ever-increasing issue for the state. Last year saw 4 million acres burn across California, the most in the state’s modern history.

“Wildfire risk is continue to grow,” said Matthew Pender, the utility’s director of community wildfire safety. “We are planning around and operating under that assumption.

“We anticipate fire seasons to continue to be very extreme.”

The horrific fires of 2017 and 2018 drove PG&E into bankruptcy. Its efforts to reduce risk in 2019 by imposing massive “public safety power shutoffs” infuriated Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials after millions lost power and PG&E’s equipment caused a big fire anyway, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. Recently a federal judge said shortcomings in the utility’s tree-trimming program may have contributed to a deadly fire last September in Shasta County.

Pender said PG&E expects to spend around $3 billion this year on wildfire safety, up from $2.6 billion last year. Among other things, he said PG&E is hiring 200 additional inspectors “to confirm that we’re doing vegetation management the right way.”

The utility also plans to accelerate its efforts to install more fire-resilient power poles and, where possible, replace overhead lines with underground wires, Pender said.

An updated risk model will enable PG&E to focus more of its efforts on the most fire-prone areas. Equipment that “sectionalizes” the grid has enabled PG&E to significantly reduce the footprint of its safety shutoffs. As it is, none of the deliberate blackouts imposed last year were as widespread as the 2019 power shutoffs.

Yet even as it fine-tunes its safety program, the utility continues to struggle to eliminate wildfire risk completely across its 70,000-square-mile territory.

After pleading guilty to manslaughter charges last year in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire — the deadliest in California history — PG&E is facing a new criminal investigation into whether its equipment triggered the Zogg Fire. Cal Fire investigators seized PG&E’s power equipment after the fire killed four people in Shasta County last September.

Other legal problems loom. The judge overseeing PG&E’s probation status — the legacy of its conviction in connection with the 2010 pipeline disaster in San Bruno — is considering imposing new punishments on the utility because of the Zogg Fire.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, a persistent critic of PG&E, has said the utility “failed to perform work on trees that had been designated for removal or trimming” near the spot where the Zogg Fire started.

Damages from the Zogg Fire could exceed $275 million, PG&E has disclosed. Those costs would come on top of the $625 million in potential claims from the Kincade Fire, which investigators say was caused by a faulty PG&E transmission line. Separately, PG&E agreed to pay $13.5 billion to cover uninsured losses from the Camp Fire and the 2017 wine-country fires, which plunged the utility into bankruptcy.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article249015860.html