Cal State East Bay's Concord Campus Receives Award from City

For its contributions to the "economic vitality and betterment of the community," the Concord City Council presented its Business Recognition Award to Cal State East Bay's campus in Concord at the March 8 council meeting.

Laura Hoffmeister, Concord mayor, presented the award to Peter Wilson, campus dean, and Barbara Cella, director of community affairs.

"I'm tremendously pleased to have the campus recognized for its contributions to the local community," said Wilson. "We've worked closely with the city and the chamber of commerce to provide educational opportunities to meet local workforce needs. Frankly, however, I think our greatest potential has yet to be thought of, much less reached. I look forward to continuing and building on the relationships we already have."

Functioning as an upper division, graduate, and credential campus with a current enrollment of 1,500 students, it has produced many of the credentialed educators now serving the region's school districts. It also has trained numerous administrators in the area's public, non-profit and private sectors through its master's programs and has provided specialized training for many of the region's social services employees.

"We're also working with the city, local community colleges, and university faculty to develop a strategic plan for future programs and a master plan for the physical development of our site," Wilson noted.

Cal State East Bay's campus in Concord has enhanced educational opportunities for the area's "mature learners" with its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-SCHOLAR-OLLI-started by emeriti faculty of the university. The university also has allowed the city to use nine acres of campus land for the building and operation of Boatright Youth Sports Complex, which provides athletic programs and leagues for 2,600 young people in the area. Thousands of families also visit the campus each summer for the free "Concert in the Hills" series, while many others attend the university's free film nights and lectures there.

Media Contact: Barbara Hudler Cella, Dir. of Community Affairs, (925)602-6772