The reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the University’s Bio-Agricultural Center next to the Naraghi Hall of Science. All are welcome to honor Bowers who will conclude her 37-year CSU Stanislaus teaching career in June.
In honor of Bowers and her active role as a Professor of Anthropology and Geography as well as on special projects such as the Bio Ag Center and The Bridge in Modesto, a Peace, Sustainability, and Social Justice Scholarship Fund is being launched to provide resources to students and faculty for service and research projects. Tax-deductable contributions to the scholarship fund can be made out to the CSU Stanislaus Foundation and sent to University Advancement, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382.
Bowers enthusiastically shared her love of anthropology, geography, and sustainable agriculture with thousands of students and community members during her tenure that began in 1972, holding firm to the belief that students learn best when actively engaged.
Since first initiated by Bowers, the late Biology Professor Dr. Wayne Pierce, and others in the early 1990s, the Bio-Ag Center has served as an outdoor laboratory and field site for observation, demonstration, and experimentation using sustainable land use and environmental planning.
Bowers has also dedicated herself to The Bridge, a center established as a partnership with Modesto Junior College in West Modesto in 1989 to address the pressing need for social services for Cambodian, Hmong, and Lao people who have resettled in the San Joaquin Valley. Many of the more than 35,000 people who have received services have gone on to become successful, productive citizens. CSU Stanislaus students have received valuable hands-on learning experience at the site.
For more on "Ida Fest," see the University Web site at http://www.csustan.edu/events/idafest/.