The Agricultural Studies program at California State University, Stanislaus, has received a two-year grant of $240,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students and provide them with hands-on learning experiences that will prepare them for careers in food and agricultural industries. The USDA accepts only 20 percent of grant applications for these programs.

Summer Arts at California State University, Stanislaus will open with a bang in the skies in July, starting with the Fantastic Fourth fireworks program and then moving on to the Annual Shakespeare Festival featuring a pair of theatre productions.

California State University, Stanislaus Professor Mark Bender, Chair of the Agricultural Studies Department, was o

California State University, Stanislaus student Wendy Olmstead, a graduate student from Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, who is pursuing her master's degree in Ecology and Sustainability, has been selected by the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society to attend its annual national convention from August 9-12 in Orlando, Florida.

The Department of Theatre is pleased to present As You Like It during the second annual Shakespeare Festival at California State University, Stanislaus. Outdoor performances will be held Thursday through Sunday at the University Amphitheatre beginning July 12, and concluding July 29. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for picnicking. Pre-show entertainment will begin at 7:30 p.m., followed by the 8 p.m. performance. Ticket prices are $10 general admission; $8 University students, seniors, CSU faculty and staff; and $5 ages 16 and under.

E & J Gallo Winery of Modesto has continued its generous tradition of giving, donating

California State University, Stanislaus, today received a $100,000 donation from entrepreneur and philanthropist Sebastian Paul Musco to support University programs. This is the third contribution at or near the $100,000 level that has been donated to CSU Stanislaus over the past week.

Dr. Teresa Brown, who has extensive experience in the development of online education, has been named Program Developer for University Extended Education at California State University, Stanislaus' Stockton Center. Her appointment is effective July 23.

Director of online education at the Church of the Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley for the past nine years, Brown will work with local businesses, non-profit groups, organizations, and citizens groups in the San Joaquin County region to develop degree, non-degree, and certificate programs.

The California State University, Stanislaus Department of Nursing has received a grant increase from the San Joaquin County Mental Health Service that will provide for expansion of a program that helps people transition from the welfare rolls to the workforce.