California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, Calif., July 16, 2009 – California State University Channel Islands’ Biology Program and Extended University have been awarded a $71,203 grant from the CSU Commission on Extended University. The grant award is built on a partnership with CSU San Marcos and San Jose State University and will benefit students in the MS Biotechnology programs among the three CSU universities.

The Commission seeks projects that will support priorities outlined in the CSU’s Access to Excellence strategic plan to meet California’s economic and workforce development needs, increase access to education opportunities by serving broader constituencies, develop alternative instructional delivery systems, and encourage cooperation among CSU campuses.

“We are very pleased to receive this special grant, one that recognizes our leadership role in biotechnology education, and is innovative in coordinating shared online curricula across three CSU campuses,” said Dr. Gary Berg, Dean of Extended University at CSU Channel Islands.

“This is the third CSU Commission grant awarded to our program,” said Dr. Ching Hua Wang, Director of the MS Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Program at CSUCI.

This latest grant will support innovative ways of offering some key courses among the MS Biotechnology programs at multiple campuses and expand access to our excellent curriculum. These professional science master’s programs are completely self-supported and do not receive any state funding. Instead, these programs are generating revenue for the University.”

As project lead, the MS Biotechnology Program at CSU Channel Islands will develop and offer a distance learning format industry lecture series and a group of online biotechnology graduate courses that can be shared by all CSU campuses. Built upon the existing degree programs, the lecture series and the online courses aim to augment and enhance the professional science master’s degree curricula to ensure that the CSU provides managers, scientists, and technologists, education aligned with industry and future societal demands.

The lecture series is intended for graduate students, as well as, for interested professionals on a non-credit basis. Speakers will be drawn from industry throughout the state, as well as nationally and internationally. For further information about the biotechnology programs email biology@csuci.edu or the CSUCI Extended University office at 805-437-2748 or email exed@csuci.edu.