The Environmental Resource Program, established in 1998, coordinates university activities and projects in the environmental and natural resources areas and has approximately $2 million in grants and contracts. The Watershed/Riparian Restoration projects in watershed management range from salmon habitat to creek restoration. The grants provide faculty, staff, and students from Agriculture, Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Geography and Planning with valuable research experiences.

Athletics
Lindsay Meggs, coach of the Wildcats baseball team, was selected as the 1997 Division II National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and was honored as its 1998 Regional Coach of the Year. He has led the team to three conference titles in the last four years and a Division II National Championship in 1997.

Career Placement
The Chico State Career Planning and Placement Office has one of the highest placement rates in the state system. Chico’s annual Career Fair hosts 100 employers, including Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Employers report that Chico graduates are distinguished by their practical experience, communication and writing skills, and problem-solving abilities.

Every 1998 graduate with a B.S. in Construction Management obtained a job in the field. The average number of job offers each graduate had was 3.5, and the average starting salary was $42,500. Approximately 1,000 Construction Management alumni work in the construction management field, many of them in California, and most return to the department to recruit for their companies.

Chico’s Special Education credential graduates have a 100 percent employment rate.