In the Beginning…
Co-President, Bill Prather assembled the mass of Rotarians and Guests to some semblance of order, excited to be President in this our 75th year.
Honoring Sid Cohn - Rotary Club of Ojai co-President, Bill Prather, opened the meeting with a moment to honor long-time Rotarian Sid Cohn who passed away last week at the age of 94 ½. Sid was a great fan of our club, having transferred his membership to Rotary Club of Ojai from Rotary West in 2012. He will be greatly missed.
Inspirational Moment – Kelley Rasmussen gave us the following inspirational moment:
Let us revel in summer.
Let us soak up the long days and warm sun.
May our feet walk on sandy beaches and our heads rest on thick grass under blue skies.
May we listen to and marvel at the singing of the birds and stop to watch blissful children at play
This summer, may our breathing be slow and may our hearts be open.
This week’s meeting was brought to you by… Co-President Bill Prather thanked Dr. Jerry Maryniuk Andy Gilman, and Clinton Haugan, who helped with set-up. Our greeter this week was Leslie Bouche. Bill also thanked Treasurer Dave Brubaker, confessioneer Fern Berishman, and Kevin Davis for penning this newsletter. Bill led the club in the pledge of allegiance.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
We had several visitors this week, including Gerry who is a Rotarian in Woodland Hills and now lives in Ojai. Barry Vega was welcomed. Carl Gross introduced his special guest, his daughter, Taundra Roddick. Jack Jacobs introduced today’s guest speaker Dr. Susan Andrzejewski is the Dean of the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics of CSU Channel Islands and guests and Aura Bryan CSU Channel Islands’ Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
Setting up an educational fund in honor of Marty Babayco
– Bill Prather gave the club an update on Marty’s condition saying that he was receiving home care. If you haven't already, write him and Kay a little note.
Bill stated that the Educational Foundation is in the process of getting approval to establish a restricted fund to accept gifts in remembrance of Marty which will support academic and extracurricular programs for students in the Ojai Community. [1]
About Youth Services
- Don Reed, the vocational service director discussed various ongoing and future service activities for the Rotary club., discussed the need for a new tutoring program for 7th and 8th graders transitioning to high school at Nordoff due to the impact of COVID on their language arts and math skills. A decent transcript of Don’s excellent and very detailed presentation can be found here: PLAY @41:05.
Paul Harris Awards given
– Carl Gross was honored to recognize two of our finest – Tony Thacher and Cindy Frings – with their Paul Harris Awards P, for their work on our Taste of Ojai and the 75th Anniversary Program.WATCH (3 min.
Remember, new members are awarded a credit of $500 each in the Rotary Foundation upon becoming full-fledged members. - WATCH (50 secs)
Upcoming programs:
The Rotary meeting on July 28th, 2023 will be at Kent Hall at 111 W Santa Ana St, Ojai, CA 93023. Come hear Debbie Parisi talk about California Condors and the Friends of California Condors Wild and Free, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is promoting the recovery of the California Condor and the preservation of associated ecosystems through education, outreach, research and the support of cooperative stewardship.
Jack Jacobs also discussed additional upcoming programs, including a talk by Colonel Jack Jacobs. - WATCH (3 mins)
The Program
Introducing our guest speaker, Dr. Susan Andrzejewski, Dean of the Martin B. Smith School of Business & Economics at CSU Channel Islands – Please note that the full video of Dean Andrzejewski’s presentation can be found on the Rotary Club of Ojai’s Facebook page thanks to the hard work and technical expertise of Andy Gilman. The time stamped links (e.g. WATCH (3 mins) and WATCH (2 mins)) are provided in addition via a recording of the Zoom (not as good audio quality as Facebook) and are provided via the AI service, Fathom.video.
CSU Channel Islands recent highlights
- Dean Andrzejewski shared her experiences, highlighting the impact of challenging college students to think differently and prepare for their entire career trajectory. - PLAY @1:03:38
About the Martin V Smith School of Business & Economics
– The college offers high-earning economics graduates, online programs, and a competitive vision expanding their focus on global business, high-quality academic programs, and real-world experience for students. - WATCH (2 mins)
Large focus on interdisciplinary work - The Dean discussed integrating diverse experiences and interdisciplinary approaches in business problem-solving. - WATCH (50 secs) The goal was to ensure that 100% of their graduates would have job opportunities within five years. - PLAY @1:17:16
Getting students thinking about career success after graduation - CSU Channel Islands is implementing a career success initiative to support graduates in finding jobs. - WATCH (35 secs) The Dean discusses the importance of career preparation and the creation of a virtual internship consulting program. - WATCH (2 mins)
World-class Team - The Dean shared that in the past four years, the business school has added three Fullbright Scholars who have previously studied in Myanmar, Malaysia, and Vietnam, Dr. Andrew Morris, Dr. Priscilla Lane, and Dr. Barton. PLAY @1:22:17
Accreditation & Awards - The Dean mentioned how important accreditation and awards are for the business school. Dr. Andrew Morris and Dr. Cindy Sherman, creators of the C.I. Solutions programs were both recently recognized for their achievements at the school. - WATCH (1 min)
Remember: Next week's meeting is at Kent Hall-Next to City Hall.
- Bill Prather thanked Dean Andrzejewski for coming and for her excellent talk and reminded everyone that we’ll be in Kent Hall by the Ojai City Hall next weekend. Box lunches at the usual price will be provided. The meeting was adjourned at 1:35pm, ’ish. WATCH (30 secs)
Editor's Note: The copy for this issue was recorded utilizing an A.I. Program, introduced by Kevin Davis. We hope to provide more features and follow-up with streaming parts of the meeting/program and publishing in social media.
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