PAUL PERSONS
Outstanding Academic Adviser
Thumb through the notebook containing support documents by colleagues and former students of political science professor Paul Persons and it’s easy to see why the Faculty Recognition and Support Committee has selected him as the Outstanding Academic Adviser for 1998.

Less easy to understand is how Persons stays on top of a schedule that includes teaching a minimum of two classes per semester, supervising three internship

programs (Workers Rights at CLIC, Environmental Advocates, and the County Jail Law Program) as well as all the non-CLIC legal studies internships, advising students in the Pre-Law program, attending conferences, and maintaining active membership in a number of professional organizations, while also practicing law, coaching soccer, and spending time at home with his family.

“We’re in a crisis right now, more so than at any time in my lifetime, in terms of the number of people who just don’t have access to justice,” he said in a recent interview, and then praised the work of CSU, Chico interns who assist the public in various administrative contexts. “We have a jewel of a resource combining the best of two worldsacademics and practical experience with community service. Each of these students puts in a minimum of 120 hours a semester for three units, and some put in a lot more.”

“There’s an incredible need for good attorneys willing to do public service work,” he said. “And they can still make a decent living. I try to teach people how they can be community service attorneys and still survive. A law firm is not the only option out there. There are a whole lot of people who have chosen a rural lifestyle with less income and more free timeand they’re a whole lot happier.” He is one of them.

JAMES PUSHNIK
Outstanding Professor
Finding ways to help mitigate the buildup of carbon-dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the research task 1997-98 Outstanding Professor James Pushnik has identified for himself and his students. A molecular biologist who conducts research in the areas of plant biodiversity and the effects of environmental stresses on forest production, Pushnik joined the faculty of the Biological Sciences Department at Chico State in 1988. Since that time, he has developed equally outstanding records as both a researcher and a teacher.

Pushnik’s research publications in refereed journals, his grants as a principal investigator and co-investigator that total over $1 million, and his numerous papers for national and international meetings attest to his professional achievement. In May 1997, he delivered the plenary address, “Biochem-ical and genetic adaptation of forest species to the changing global climate,” at the 27th International Air Pollution Working Group Conference. At the International Conference of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in August 1997, his graduate student David Garcia and he presented “Differential gene displays of Ponderosa pine experience elevated atmospheric CO2 stress.” He also is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the International Society for Fluoride Research and a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Global Environmental Change.

No less impressive is his innovative and dedicated work with students, not only in the classroom, but in the research lab as well. Pushnik perceives his primary role as a teacher as engaging undergraduate and graduate students in real-world work and issues. “Science is an area of human endeavor,” said Pushnik, “where one becomes pro-ficient through participating in the process. The stimulation of inquiry and wonder of discovery that students receive from real experiments is invaluable. My goal is to challenge students to extend knowledge.”

SHARON ROSS
Outstanding Faculty Service
A passion for her work and a creative nature have propelled Sharon Ross, Mathematics, into exceptional service to the University and communitya service recognized by her selection for the 1997–98 Outstanding Faculty Service Award.

Ross has been instrumental in creating two interdisciplinary master’s programs in mathematics education (one for elementary and one for secondary teachers) and is given credit for recruiting twenty master’s candidates to the program. Her connection to Northern California K-12 mathematics educators and administrators through her work with the state curriculum mathematics project, the Mount Lassen Mathematics Council, Mathematics Field Day, and as a field tester/consultant to the Investigations Mathematics Curriculum and Seeing and Thinking Mathematically projects has put her into a close teaching, consulting, and mentoring relationship with mathematics teachers and student teachers.

Sharon Ross’s numerous publications, such as her recent “Place value: problem-solving and written assessment using digit-correspondence tasks” under review for FOCUS on Learning Problems in Mathematics; service on panels and boards; presentations at professional conferences; and refereeing for prestigious mathematics education journals establish her strong standing in the professional community. It is, however, her overall commitment to mathematics education, said Jim Jones, chair of the Mathematics Department, that will enable CSU, Chico to become the source for excellent teachers/leaders. The University, wrote Jones, “…can already take pride in mathematics teachers who are changing the face of mathematics education throughout the state’s elementary and secondary schools. Thanks to Ross’s efforts, our impact in the future will be even greater.”

Beth A. Spencer and Kathleen McPartland, University Publications

Top: Outstanding Professor James Pushnik, Biological Sciences

Bottom: Outstanding Faculty Service Sharon Ross, Mathematics