With our dedicated students and faculty having finished another productive academic year, I’m reminded that life at Fresno State never takes a vacation.
The big news this summer is the Bulldog baseball team’s run to the College World Series national title. Congratulations to coach Mike Batesole and his fine bunch of players for capturing the NCAA Baseball Championship and creating memories to last a lifetime. In Omaha, the Bulldogs beat many formidable teams to advance to the championship series against those other Bulldogs from the University of Georgia. It truly was a remarkable – and inspirational – feat. Visit GoBulldogs.com for highlights and photos.
The team’s accomplishments have drawn national headlines, including Mike’s selection as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association’s inaugural National Coach of the Year Award. These are great times for our baseball program, and we look forward to future success.
Baseball isn’t the only source of excitement. After last year’s Humanitarian Bowl victory, I look forward to the start of a new football season. The season opener will be an away game at Rutgers on Sept. 1, but it will be televised on ESPN so we can support our Bulldogs. The schedule includes a visit from the University of Wisconsin on Sept. 13. The Bulldogs will play UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 27. Please make plans to join the Fresno State Alumni Association for a pre-game tailgate at the nearby Brookside Golf Course. The tailgate will be the first in Southern California since the Bulldogs just missed upsetting national champion USC in 2005.
Reservations are now being accepted. Call the Fresno State Alumni Association at (559) 278-2586 or click here for details.
Elsewhere in athletics, we hired two head coaches for the newly added women’s lacrosse and women’s swimming and diving teams. Sue Behme will lead the lacrosse team in its inaugural season. She comes to us from Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y., where she spent the last nine seasons. Jeanne Fleck, who for the last nine seasons served as the head women's swimming and diving coach at Ohio State University, will lead the Fresno State program back into competition.
Summer Arts Program is Near
A very worthwhile summer activity is the CSU Summer Arts program. This acclaimed effort is taught by guest artists and offers workshops in theatre, dance, music, visual arts, creative writing, new media and arts education. Participants receive university credit and the public can attend related performances.
The first event is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 29, with a dance performance by Urban Bush Women in the John Wright Theatre. Ticketed events conclude July 24 with a memoir reading by William Vollman in the Wahlberg Recital Hall.
The Summer Arts program is a great way to sample the wide-ranging talent of the artistic community. Click here for more information and a complete schedule of events.
Pair Named Next Generation Leaders
Two Fresno State students are among just 66 students nationwide to be selected for the American Humanics Next Generation Leaders Program.
The honor allows Yvonne Brooks of Fresno and Xi Chang of Porterville to complete their requirements for certification in nonprofit management and leadership. Both were identified for the competitive internship scholarship program because of their demonstrated leadership potential.
Yvonne graduated this year with a triple major in liberal studies, women’s studies and sociology. She will intern with Central California Legal Services. Xi, a graduate student in public health, will intern with Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center in Wisconsin.
This program allows our students to put into action the skills and knowledge they’ve gained at Fresno State. We wish them well on lives of service.
