A Letter From the President

Campus Collage

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In Focus

Expanded Bookshelf

Opportunities For Giving

Helping To Make CSU, Chico Better

With this issue's cover story on our baseball team's national championship and the Sportsline column on the success of our cross-country team, it seems fitting to report to you on our athletics program, how we have fared since joining the CCAA, and the importance of our scholarship campaign in attracting the best and the brightest scholar athletes

As most of you know, CSU, Chico joined the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) two years ago. The CCAA, the premier Division II intercollegiate athletic league in the country, has twelve members, nine of which are CSU schools. The purpose of the move to a new conference was to ensure top-level Division II athletic competition with state universities and UC institutions with similar needs and consistent philosophies of collegiate athletics. To be successful in the CCAA environment (a scholarship-granting league) and to give our athletic teams the opportunity to be competitive, we must raise funds to attract top students who also happen to be good athletes. This endeavor is part of our larger $10-million scholarship campaign which I have written about in this space previously.

One aspect of the scholarship campaign for athletics is the seatback project. As part of the first major renovation in Acker Gymnasium since its construction in 1961, new comfortable, individual theatre-style seats have replaced the north bleachers. Individuals are able to reserve a seat for the basketball season complete with nameplate on the seatback. A significant portion of the cost of the seat goes to scholarships for our student athletes.

One sign of our success this past year is our standing in the Sears Directors' Cup award. Chico State's Wildcats finished eleventh nationally in the competition for this prestigious award, presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the best overall Division II collegiate athletic program in the country. (Last year we finished 22nd.)

Our national baseball championship last May was the 132nd NCAA championship won by CCAA members in its 60-year history. In addition to our baseball team and cross-country successes, there are other bright spots for our athletic teams:

• As I write this, both our men's and women's basketball teams are off to a good start. Juniors Marissa Bradley and Deon Robinson, who each received 1998-99 postseason basketball honors by being named to Daktronics Division II All West Second Team, are critical to our teams' successes so far.

• Our track and field team competed in the NCAA Division II Track and Field Nationals last spring, and five team members received All-American honors.

• Last spring, after a seven-year layoff, the men's golf team re-formed and finished third at the inaugural CCAA golf championship. Junior Robert Rath was selected All-CCAA for his second place finish in the tournament.

As you can see, Wildcat Athletics is alive and well at CSU, Chico. Whether our teams finish at the top of their standings or not, I can guarantee that each contest is exciting and hard-fought. Whether you live in Chico or Los Angeles or Phoenix, I urge you to attend as many of them as possible and cheer on our scholar athletes. I hope you'll support our sports programs financially as well, to ensure a long tradition of athletics here at Chico State.