Author Archives: Office of the Provost

Spartan Aviation Program Ranked Fourth in the Nation

San Jose State University’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering Aviation Program was recently ranked first on the West Coast and fourth in the nation by the Best Colleges website. The website ranks schools based on a variety of factors such as tuition, retention rates and the median starting salary for graduates.

The site acknowledges the history of SJSU’s Department of Aviation Technology, which was founded in 1936 when math students expressed a desire to study flight. During World War II, SJSU was one of 13 U.S. schools to become part of the Civilian Pilot Training Program. The department currently offers two bachelor’s programs – in Aviation and Industrial Technology – that allow students to specialize in operations, maintenance management, aviation management or professional flight.
Department Chair Fred Barez said the ranking is due to the achievements of faculty, staff and students, noting that students regularly participate in conferences and competitions across the country.

“They are our best ambassadors to promote and spread the word about our program to gain such national attention and recognition,” Barez said. “The department financially supports such student activities and I am very pleased to see the results.”

SJSU Astronomer Adds To Understanding of Star Formation and Black Holes

San Jose State University’s Aaron Romanowsky, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, revealed new research findings in a Jan. 1 article published in Nature. Romanowsky and his coworkers discovered that while bright new stars are formed at a rapid rate in new galaxies how quickly that rate slows is determined by the mass of the black hole at the center of the galaxy.

The idea that the mass of black holes affects the rate at which stars are formed throughout the lifespan of a galaxy has been around for decades, but the team with which Romanowsky worked discovered the first observational evidence that this is the case. The precise nature of the feedback from the black hole that quenches star formation remains uncertain, according to coauthor Romanowsky, who is also an astronomer at UC Observatories.

“There are different ways a black hole can put energy out into the galaxy, and theorists have all kinds of ideas about how quenching happens, but there’s more work to be done to fit these new observations into the models,” Romanowsky said.

Read more about the findings.

Rajnesh (Raj) Prasad Named Permanent Exec Director of Research Foundation

Mr. Rajnesh (Raj) Prasad has accepted the permanent position as executive director of the SJSU Research Foundation (SJSURF), effective December 18, 2017.

As the interim director since June, Raj has implemented a number of strategic initiatives to transform the Research Foundation with a focus on creating effective communication and a team-oriented work environment. He has effectively provided leadership and oversight for research-related activities while also building relationships with the campus community, the Board of Directors, and government, nonprofit and industry partners.

Raj first started with the Research Foundation in February 2016 as the senior director of sponsored programs. In that position, he managed more than $50 million in sponsored grants and contracts while also developing strategic policies to support the university’s mission of increasing research opportunities for faculty and students.

In his most recent position prior to joining SJSU, he served as vice president for Research Operations at University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital and Research Center. He has nearly 20 years of experience developing and managing sponsored grants and contracts from federal, state, local, foundation and industry sponsors. He has an advanced understanding of government and nonprofit funding regulations.

Raj holds a bachelor’s in Chemistry from California State University, East Bay and an MBA from the DeVry University Keller School of Management. He is a member of the Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI) and the Society of Research Administrators (SRA).

Shannon Miller Appointed Permanent Dean of H&A

Dr. Shannon Miller has accepted the position of dean of the College of Humanities and the Arts, effective December 1.

Shannon has provided dynamic interim leadership to the college since July 1, 2017. Among her accomplishments, she has expanded Hammer Theatre programming, further fostering our collaboration with the City of San Jose. She has overseen centers of excellence, bringing engaging speakers and artists to San Jose and enhancing our contribution to the local arts scene.

Shannon joined SJSU as a professor and chair in the Department of English and Comparative Literature in 2014. She previously served as professor and chair of the Department of English at Temple University for six years.  Since joining SJSU, she has instituted an innovative curriculum redesign in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. In addition, Shannon has supported the First-Year Writing program in implementing a Stretch English curriculum and a Directed Self-Placement process for all entering freshman that allowed us to eliminate no-credit remediation courses in English.

She received a bachelor’s in English magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, along with a master’s and a doctorate in literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a scholar of Renaissance literature and the author of two books, Invested with Meaning: The Raleigh Circle in the New World and Engendering the Fall: John Milton and Seventeenth-Century Women Writers.

November 2017 Newsletter: Cilker Conference and Scholarship Promotes Arts in Education

Photo: Luisa Morco San Jose State University students and community members participate in the 2017 Marion Cilker Conference for the Arts in Education in a session where they learn to incorporate music into class lessons.

Photo: Luisa Morco
San Jose State University students and community members participate in the 2017 Marion Cilker Conference for the Arts in Education in a session where they learn to incorporate music into class lessons.

By Melissa Anderson

Marion Cilker, a 1939 alumna of the College of Humanities and the Arts, had a lifelong passion for arts in education that she wanted to share with future generations of teachers. 70 years after her own degree completion, she donated to the Connie L. Lurie College of Education to establish a scholarship and conference to foster the same ideals in prospective and current educators.

Cilker was both an artist and an educator who worked at Turlock High School in California’s central valley for many years – teaching stagecraft and art. But her love of the arts was born long before that, even before she attended what was then known as San Jose State College. She discovered art in high school, and it led her to her college major, a career and travels around the world, including a first trip to Europe after high school to see art masterpieces.

Sarah Henderson, ’18 Child and Adolescent Development MA, is one of three recipients of the Marion Cilker Scholarship for Infusing Art into Education, who shares the same passion for arts in education as Cilker.

“I applied (for the scholarship) because my research interests involve arts in education and arts as a means for higher positive outcomes for children in schools,” she said, noting that the scholarship is helping her complete her education as well as prepare for her future goal to continue research in that area. “I would like to obtain a PhD, possibly become a professor, and work in advocacy with nonprofits or policy-influencing organizations in order to shift public perception on the arts.

Katelyn Palmer, who will complete her single-subject credential in spring 2018 for teaching art, is another of the scholarship recipients. After she graduates, she hopes to get a position as an art teacher at a high school or middle school with a high special-needs population.

“I think making art collaboratively can be synonymous with making connections so I hope to give students more tools to communicate and advocate for themselves and others which they can learn inside the classroom community and bring out into the world,” she said.

Henderson and Palmer both volunteered at the 2017 Marion Cilker Conference for the Arts in Education, co-sponsored by the College of Education and the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The Nov. 3-4 conference brought together students, teachers and parents with local artists and arts organizations to share the joy of teaching through the arts. The conference included a half-day session on Nov. 3 that was free for SJSU students with about 200 in attendance and a half-day session on Nov. 4 for teachers, parents, administrators and interested community members. About 80 people participated in the Saturday sessions held at the San Jose Museum of Art, the Children’s Discovery Museum, Movimiento do Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, and Works/San Jose where artists and arts organizations gave presentations and planned activities.

“The best part of participating was attending sessions and exploring the Children’s Discovery Museum,” Henderson said.

She led a group of attendees to presentations and participated in activities on Saturday that included creating a nature journal and creating instruments out of recycled objects as well as writing lyrics to the tune of any children’s song.

Palmer met with presenters and on Saturday participated in a workshop called “String it Up Recyclable Art.”

“I loved getting to interact with teachers who are at different points in their careers,” she said. “I talked to a lot of teachers about why they were attending the conference and they talked about how much they valued art which gets me really excited to be in a school and collaborate with teachers in other subject areas.”

Henderson agreed that the artistic activities benefit students well beyond art class.

“The developmental outcomes for children who have consistent education in a variety of arts (music, fine art, sculpture, sewing, theatre, dance) are much higher than for those who do not,” Henderson said, noting that arts education requirements across the nation are inconsistent. “We are robbing our children of access to creative thinking and self-expression by cutting arts programs and undervaluing the importance of the arts.”

During welcome remarks at the Friday morning session, SJSU President Mary Papazian shared her own thoughts about arts in education.

“The arts open up a world of creativity and curiosity, of innovation and collaboration,” Papazian said. “I want this to expand. I am encouraging our campus community to see all academic disciplines as complementary—humanities and the arts; the sciences and technology; social sciences and business; health and other applied disciplines. It is at these intersections where magic happens.”

Henderson reiterated that thought.

“It is important to understand that no field can exist without the arts—engineers need to use CAD software to imagine their creations; programmers need to work with designers to create an attractive product; all companies need advertisers to sell their products using imagery,” she said.