The Central Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has honored Stanislaus State as its Partner of the Year for 2017.

The award recognizes a non-profit or educational organization that has developed a close partnership with the Chamber and the business community as a means to achieve its mission.

In accepting the award on behalf of the University on January 5, Suzanne Espinoza, Stan State’s Vice President for Student Affairs, pointed out the parallel missions of the University and the Hispanic Chamber.

Nearly a year has passed since Ellen Junn’s inauguration, and the 11th president of Stanislaus State has her sights firmly fixed on the present and future of the University, particularly in the area of fostering student success.

That was Junn’s message on Tuesday as she delivered her Spring Welcome Address to a crowd of faculty, staff, students and community supporters at Snider Recital Hall.

A lifetime dedication to saving by a Hilmar couple has resulted in the single largest gift from an individual ever made to California State University, Stanislaus — a $2.37 million bequest from the estate of Helen Yecny earmarked for undergraduate scholarships within the University Honors Program.

Yecny passed away in March 2017. She lived with her husband in the same modest orchard home in which she was raised, and it was said about the Yecnys that they always were saving their money for a rainy day.

Stanislaus State Chief of Police Andy Roy, who has served the University for 29 years, has announced his retirement, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The University extends its heartfelt gratitude to Chief Roy for his fair and consistent leadership, and also commends him for the example he set for his department.

Jason Geiken, most recently the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri, has been named associate vice president for development at Stanislaus State beginning December 11, 2017.

The Office of Communications and Public Affairs has announced the appointment of Kristina Stamper as the director for communications and creative services at Stanislaus State, effective October 1. Ms. Stamper had served as the interim director since August 2016.

In line with predictions made in previous San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast Reports, total employment growth in the San Joaquin Valley continues to slow. Since the decline in growth is coming at a more significant rate than in previous years, the Valley economy is displaying signs of plateauing. That’s the outlook of Gökçe Soydemir, the Foster Farms Endowed Professor of Business Economics at California State University, Stanislaus, in his biannual Business Forecast Report.