Jimmy Robertson and Dean Joel Zimbelman, Humanities and Fine Arts

The First Annual Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence

Last spring, 78 seniors from the 2008 graduating class of CSU, Chico participated in the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a voluntary national accountability system of institutions of higher education. The test measures writing, analytical, and critical thinking abilities and is administered to groups of freshmen and seniors.
The high scorers from each college were honored in an event on Friday, Oct. 10. Dean Joel Zimbelman, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, also received an award for the college with the highest overall score. The students and Zimbelman accepted their awards from President Zingg and Bill Loker, dean of Undewrgraduate Education.
The Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence, represented by a sculpture cast in bronze by art student Dan Molashi, was presented to Zimbelman. The sculpture will be passed on next year to the next college that receives the highest overall score on the CLA.
Kevin Martins from the College of Business, overall highest scorer, was awarded $500. Four other students—Christy Baviere from the College of Agriculture; Steven Verrier from the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management; Jimmy Robertson from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts; and Claudia Avalos from the College of Natural Sciences—accepted $200 awards.
Melinda James, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Jacob Ginsburg, College of Communications and Education were not present, but will also receive $200 awards.
The test uses SAT scores of incoming freshmen to establish a baseline. The test’s purpose is to measure an institution’s contribution to student performance.
Although CSU, Chico freshmen performed slightly less well on the test than would have been predicted by their SAT scores, seniors performed much better. Their scores put CSU, Chico in the 99th percentile of all of the 180 universities, nationwide, taking the CLA in 2007–2008.
The implication is that CSU, Chico provides an impressive value-added experience as students progress toward their degrees.

—Kathleen McPartland, Public Affairs and Publications