Campus Dedicates Building, Hosts Health Forum

Cal State Fullerton will celebrate the completion of the Kinesiology and Health Science Building Friday, April 30, with a dedication ceremony and campuswide Community Wellness Forum.

“We have a daylong series of events designed to focus not only on the building dedication but on good health practices,” said Roberta Rikli, dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service.

Kicking off the festivities at 8 a.m. will be a panel discussion on “Addressing the Obesity Epidemic in Children: Schools and Communities Working Together” in Room 199 of the Kinesiology and Health Science Building. Panelists include Mark Horton, deputy director of Orange County Health Care Agency; William Habermehl, superintendent of schools for Orange County; Susan Clark, director of endocrinology at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC); America Bracho, president of Latino Health Access; and Michael Ruane, executive director of Children and Families Commission. Kathy Koser, chair of the Division of Kinesiology and Health Science, will moderate the panel.

“The timing for this event is especially critical considering the dramatic increase in childhood obesity over the past few years, making it one of the country’s most urgent public health concerns,” said Rikli.

“This forum will help raise awareness about what various programs in the county, including Cal State Fullerton, are currently doing to combat the current epidemic of children’s obesity and assist with the future health of our children,” said Koser.

President Milton A. Gordon will welcome campus and community guests to the building dedication and reception at 10:30 a.m. on the building’s patio. Jack O’Connell, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will give keynote remarks. As a community partner with Cal State Fullerton, Bill Wood, vice president of community relations of PacifiCare Health Systems and president of PacifiCare Foundation, also will speak.

Other activities include a health fair, tours and a 1:15 p.m. forum on Promoting Well-ness in Later Years: A 10th Anniversary Celebration of Campus/Community Partnerships – Honoring the Past, Looking to the Future,” in the Ruby Gerontology Center. Special forum guests include Wood of PacifiCare; Mary Ellen Courtright, vice president of the Archstone Foundation; and Mary Paul, interim executive director of the Orange County Office on Aging. Debra Rose and C. Jesse Jones, co-directors of the Center for Successful Aging, will be the main speakers, discussing issues and programs related to health and mobility in later years.

“We know that mobility greatly impacts the quality of life of older adults so programs such these offer practical services to members of the community and hands-on educational experiences to students pursuing careers in gerontology and kinesiology,” said Rikli.

The Kinesiology and Health Science Building houses undergraduate and graduate programs in kinesiology, undergraduate programs in health science and a new masters of public health degree program, which begins this fall.

Seating is limited. For reservations, call 278-3316, or register at http://hdcs.fullerton.edu/knes/khp.htm.