University Club programs are open to the public and are held Tuesdays in the Padua Room of the Hughes Community Center, 1700 Danbury Road, Claremont, California. Meetings start at 11:30 AM. The $20 meeting fee includes a buffet lunch. Membership applications are available at each meeting. Map to Hughes Community Center
January Program Chair: Art Sutton
Jan. 7 – “Cal Poly Pomona: The Importance of Higher Education to the State and Nation”
Speaker: Dr. Soraya M. Coley, Cal Poly Pomona president
Cal Poly Pomona is one of two polytechnic universities in the California State University system, with almost 29,000 students enrolled. At least two current University Club members were professors there. We are honored to have President Coley speak to us about the college and its impact on the state and nation.
Dr. Soraya Coley, a veteran administrator with more than 20 years of experience in higher education, became the sixth president of Cal Poly Pomona in 2015. Dr. Coley earned a BA in sociology from Lincoln University, and a master’s degree in social planning and social research and a doctoral degree in social planning and policy from Bryn Mawr College. Dr. Coley serves on the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Work and is President’s Representative on the panel for selecting the new Chancellor for the California State University system. Throughout her career, Dr. Coley has strived to eliminate obstacles that prevent people from reaching their potential and fully participating in society. In addition to her academic experience, she has worked for the Child Welfare League of America and the Child Abuse Prevention Project at the National Urban League, and has been recognized as “One of Ten Women Making a Difference” by Orange County Metro Magazine.
Introduction: Win Aldrich
Fellowship: Pat Kelly
Greeter: Lori McGrath
Jan. 14 – “The City of Pomona and How Its Future Affects Our Area”
Speaker: Tim Sandoval, Pomona mayor
The large (pop. 152,000) and richly diverse city of Pomona has dynamic and progressive leadership under new mayor Tim Sandoval. Tim was elected mayor of Pomona in 2016, defeating a two-term incumbent.
Tim moved to Pomona at age nine and has lived there for 35 years. When he was Pomona High School’s senior class speaker, he defended the character of the school and the community in an impassioned speech. A graduate of University of California, Riverside, Tim has continued to be involved in the civic activity of Pomona in many capacities, including as a founder and former director of Bright Prospects, a mentoring organization that has helped more than 2,000 low-income youth who are the first generation of their family to attend college to complete their Bachelor’s degrees. Many of these youth share Tim’s passion for Pomona and return after college to give back to the community.
Introduction: Art Sutton
Fellowship: Don McDonald
Greeters: Pat Kelly, Art Parker
Jan. 21 – “The Importance of Thinking Spatially”
Speaker: Dr. Michael Phoenix, manager of Education Solutions at ESRI Redlands (1992-2008)
Dr. Michael Phoenix has visited 120 countries and given this talk all over the world. He will discuss space-based applications of Geographic Information Science (GIS) and the importance of critical thinking.
ESRI, the world’s leading provider of data collected from satellites, is headquartered in Redlands. At ESRI Dr. Phoenix helped schools gain access to spatial analysis tools and understand GIS – a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface.
Dr. Phoenix earned a Ph.D. in geography from Clark University in Massachusetts. Before joining ESRI in 1992, he taught geography and GIS at universities in the eastern U.S. He has also worked in Asia, Latin America, and Africa for a variety of organizations including the U.S. Peace Corps, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Introduction: Joe Silva
Fellowship: Anne Sonner
Greeter: Peter Boniface
Jan. 28 – “A Peace Corps Adventure in Panama”
Speaker: Dr. Thanos Trezos, civil engineer and project manager
Share an adventure in Panama with this program and slideshow!
Thanos Trezos retired after 30 years as a civil engineer and project manager at the Southern California Edison technical complex in Pomona. He then applied to join the Peace Corps, was accepted, and recently served in Panama.
He will talk about Panama – a country that is more than a canal. His talk also includes the ups and downs of being in the Peace Corps, and advice to University Club members as to whether to apply to be a Peace Corps volunteer.
Thanos graduated from the National Technical University of Athens and earned a master’s degree from Purdue, and an MBA and PhD in water resources engineering from UCLA.
Introduction: Roya Ardelan
Fellowship: Mel Boynton
Greeters: Bob Knell and Julia Arias
Birthdays: Larry Fox