LAUNCHING CAREERS IN CREATIVE AND APPLIED ARTS

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Scott Saunders may be new to his position as Director of Career Services at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, but he’s not new to the task.

“It’s exciting to work with aspiring designers and culinary professionals,” Saunders says. “We’ve had a warm welcome from the community, and it’s evident that there is a great demand for highly skilled creative professionals in the Inland Empire and the Coachella Valley.”

Saunders’ goal is a satisfying, yet challenging, one: “I look forward to continuing the great work of other Art Institute campuses in Southern California, and succeeding in assisting our graduates in obtaining education-related employment within six months of graduation.

“The bar has been set high by my colleagues across the country, and I look toward exceeding the expectations of our students and employers.”

The institute’s curriculum has not been created in a vacuum. Saunders explains, “We frequently reach out to industry professionals to provide us with valuable feedback about our programs and the technology we employ. From this input we have tailored our courses to meet the demands of local industry.”

Saunders finds a particular satisfaction in how the school develops graduates. “I look forward,” he notes, “to presenting professional-level candidates who posses high-level design skills and an all-encompassing understanding of how their efforts may impact the bottom line. It’s this big-picture mentality that sets our graduates apart from others pursuing careers in the creative and applied arts.”

Career counseling is familiar territory to Saunders, having spent 15 years working in residential, youth outpatient and higher education settings. His M.A. is in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Prior to recently joining The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, Saunders spent six years in other academic settings, overseeing the Career Services function, aiding students toward education-related employment. He lives in Eagle Rock.

In addition to creating Part-Time Job Fairs, Saunders’ office directs upcoming graduates in resume preparation, personal presentation and even conducts mock interviews to introduce students to the pressure-cooker of first-time job interviews.

“We have incoming students who need part-time jobs and graduates looking for fulltime careers,” he says. “Plus, we have internships available in which students can learn about the real world of their field of choice.”

What impact will the growth of technology have on students emerging upon the workforce, however? “It’s interesting to note," Saunders says, “that some job functions may be, or may become, automated, such as customer service reps, bank tellers, accountants and others. However, I’m not aware of a computer that’s capable of artistic creation. In my opinion, there’s no known substitute for human creativity,” Saunders concludes.

His is a big responsibility, “and I love it,” he adds.

Dr. Byron Chung, president of the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, says, “Scott is a wonderful addition to our staff. He combines his vast experience with a personal desire to help every student here find a meaningful job in the area that interests them most.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Classes begin March 31, with offerings in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or a tour of the campus, call (909) 915-2100, or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

###
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 40 educational institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

NAME A NEW RESTAURANT - Win A Gourmet Dinner for Four

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Ciro’s, Brown Derby, Russian Tea Room, Four Seasons, Sardi’s, Musso & Frank, Spago, all great names of great restaurants.

If you had a new restaurant serving gourmet cuisine at reasonable prices, what would you name it? That’s the question The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is faced with. What to call their new 40-seat student-run restaurant that opens to the public in April.

The solution was simple: “Let’s have a contest to name the restaurant,” Chef Eyad Joseph said. The Academic Director of Culinary Arts got right to the point, and the institute’s Name The Restaurant contest was born.

The rules are easy: Just give the institute your name for the upscale bistro, as many as you’d like, by emailing jbarry@aii.edu by Saturday, March 22, 2008.

Complete your entry with your contact information and proposed name. Judging will be in the hands of The International Culinary School’s Executive Committee, and their decision will be final. The winner will be notified by telephone and e-mail on Friday, March 28. The institute’s judging will be based on originality and uniqueness.

If your restaurant name is chosen, you and three guests will be the guests of honor at the restaurant’s Grand Opening on Tuesday April 8 at 6:30 p.m. You and your guests will be welcome to any items on the elaborate menu.

The Saturday, March 22, 2008 deadline is rapidly approaching, so go online and make your restaurant name suggestions right away.

The restaurant will be open two days a week, Tuesday and Wednesday, for gourmet dinner bistro style from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. starting on April 8. The Culinary students will run the restaurant, from creating the menu to serving the patrons. “This is part of the students curriculum,” said Chef Joseph.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

The next classes start March 31. For more information or for a tour of the campus call (909) 915-2100.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (artinstitutes.edu) with 38 educational institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals.

-end-

CREATING THE NEXT TIGER WOODS

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – For the last several years, Charlie Seymour has dreamed of building a golf course for youth in an underserved area of San Bernardino. His dream now has a location and a name, the Ninth Street Golf Academy, but still needs a lot of money to become a reality.

To help him, Temple Community Outreach and Seymour’s own Adopt-A-Bike charity will hold a fundraiser 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at the San Bernardino Hilton, 285 E. Hospitality Lane. The event also celebrates Seymour’s 85th birthday, a milestone he will reach just a few days earlier.

“We want his dream to be realized,” said Raymond Turner, pastor of Temple Missionary Baptist Church, which oversees Temple Community Outreach. “He is trying to bring golf to San Bernardino’s West Side, so that the many economically disadvantaged children who live there will be exposed to the sport.”

Temple Community Outreach and Adopt-A-Bike hope to raise about $2,000 with this fundraiser, Turner said. That will help with the costs of developing architectural and engineering plans for the golf course.

Another fundraiser is planned in October to help raise money for the actual construction costs.

The April fundraiser will include a banquet with entertainment. Tickets are $50 each.

Sponsorships and advertising in an event program are also available. Gold sponsorships are $5,000, and silver sponsorships are $2,500. Full-page ads are $100, half-page ads are $50 and quarter-page ads are $25.

The Ninth Street Golf Academy is the last project of many Seymour has embarked upon to help San Bernardino. Many years ago, he helped publish the Tribune Newspaper and founded his own mail shipping business.

Later he created the nationally famous Adopt-A-Bike program, and the Adopt-A-Computer program. These efforts help local youth earn bicycles and computers, luxuries many families wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. Seymour also started the College Capable Caps program to send underserved youth to college, and the Black Fathers’ Organization, which became Westside Action Group.

For more information, contact Pastor Turner at (909) 663-0198.


-end-

EDUCATION EXPERTS SHARE PLANS FOR SUCCESS

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – Dr., Jawanza Kunjufu is a nationally-known author and educator. Dr. George McKenna is one of the leading experts in education.

These highly educated and highly successful Black men have devoted their careers to helping Black children reach their fullest potential. They bring their expertise to the Inland Empire on Saturday, March 15, where they will be the keynote speakers in the Education Is A Civil Right conference, taking place 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at San Bernardino Valley College.

“One of the goals of this summit is to provide resources for improving education, particularly for Black children,” said Joette Marie Spencer a specialist with San Bernardino City Unified School District and one of the conference organizers. “Our speakers will discuss ways we can use the resources we have in our community to benefit our children, and will help us develop strategies to improve the service we provide to them.”

Kunjufu was raised in a two-parent home with a father who gave him high expectations and a mother who loved him unconditionally. Their support allowed Kunjufu to excel in school, skip seventh grade and go on to Illinois State University on a track scholarship. In college, besides continuing his athletics, he majored in economics and business administration, and won numerous awards as a member of the debate team.

All of that prepared him to be successful in life, but it was perhaps the course of study he embarked on during his junior year of college that gave him a different focus. Having always wanted to attend a college designed for Blacks, he enrolled in an exchange program with Morgan State University.

While at Morgan State, he immersed himself in African history and culture, legally changed his name, became a vegetarian and resided in a juvenile delinquent center where he mentored Black boys. After graduating from Illinois State in 1974 he taught in a public school focusing on African history and culture and founded Unity, a Black cultural organization.

In 1980, he founded his company, African American Images Inc. He has written approximately 30 books, and has spoken at many universities, colleges and churches.

Topics he includes in his lectures are relationships in the Black community, and critical issues for Black families, especially those pertaining to raising Black male children.

“Many educators believe the causes originate with the parent,” Kunjufu said. “They blame it on single parenting, lack of parental involvement or poverty. But the causes can also be ineffective administrators, low teacher expectations, a wide variance in teacher quality, lack of multicultural curriculum and a lack of understanding male learning styles. I want to explore these views in San Bernardino.”

The conference’s other speaker, George McKenna was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His family was steeped deeply in the history and culture of the city, which has been highly influenced by its Black community.

In a time and place where Blacks were often deprived of their civil rights, McKenna excelled, and graduated at age 20 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Xavier University. He was then awarded a teaching fellowship to Loyola University, where he earned a Master’s degree in mathematics, and later earned a doctorate in education from Xavier.

In 1962, McKenna accepted a teaching position in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has also taught at the college level.

McKenna became principal of George Washington High School in 1979. At the time, this school was notoriously violent; drug deals and gang fights were regular occurrences. McKenna turned it around, and now nearly 80 percent of its graduates go on to college.

His success at George Washington became the subject of a CBS movie, Hard Lessons, featuring Denzel Washington. McKenna has received more than 400 citations and awards from civic, legislative and professional organizations, and has authored articles in national magazines, newspapers and educational journals. He also continues his education career as the Assistant Superintendent of Pasadena Unified School District.

Dr. McKenna’s presentation will focus on four areas he believes are critical for improving the educational experience for Black children. He bases this on observations he’s made in more than 45 years of working as an educator.

“There is still a gap between the achievements of Black students and those of other students,” Dr. McKenna said. “I will present practices, action plans and suggestions for bridging this gap.”

The topics Dr. McKenna believes schools and communities must consider are 1) policies and practices that hinder Black children, 2) improving high school graduation rates, 3) specialized programs for Black males and 4) ways for parents of under-achieving children to become more involved in their children’s education.

The summit is sponsored by the Rialto and San Bernardino City unified school districts, San Bernardino Valley College, the San Bernardino County Behavioral Health Unit and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
To register, contact Delores White at delores.white@sbcusd.com or by calling (909) 880-6701.

-end -