Friday Round-up

Federal stimulus funds help stabilize Kalamazoo Public Schools budget - for now (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• Officials at Kalamazoo Public Schools closed out their budget for the 2008-09 school year and approved a $129.5 million plan for 2009-10, they credited federal stimulus money for the district's relative fiscal stability.

Events to help Ecumenical Senior Center get money to help operations (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• A donor has agreed to match up to $12,400 to help elminate the budget surpless at the Ecumentical Senior Center. I've had the pleasure of visiting on of there fundraisings as a fish fry this winter; they are a wonderful organization and provide a great service to senior citizens of Kalamazoo.

United Ways Funding for Local Programs will by decrease 17 percent (Kalamazoo Gazette)

• Tough news for local non-profits - the Greater Kalamazoo United Way will decrease its funding for local programs by nearly 17 percent after its annual fundraiser fell short. The United Way funds for categories of non-profits: physical and mental health; strengthening families and youths; increasing self-sufficiency; and strengthening community. Service Providers to those in poverty will have to look elsewhere to fill their funding gaps.

MSU Extension Offering Cultural Competency Series in Battle Creek

• One of the content areas that in focus is the socioeconomic and hierarchies within organizational settings.
• More Info:

The Cultural Competency series is grounded in an underlying principle that diversity is not simply a process of learning about “others,” but that it begins with developing an understanding of one’s own cultural identity, beliefs, biases, worldviews and attitudes about differences. These learning opportunities provide a framework for an individual to define cultural competency within the context of their environment and to assess cultural competency at four levels (personal, interpersonal, institutional and cultural). Additionally, the series content will explore the interconnectedness of identities across differences and their relationship to power and privilege. The series content is presented through a combination of lecture, readings, small group activities, and project development and provides participants with skills that can be applied in numerous settings across work responsibilities and their careers.

August 19-20, 2009

Module 1: Building Foundations for Growth and Change

October 27-28, 2009

Module 2: Exploring Identity, Oppression and Privilege

December 9-10, 2009

Module 3: Developing Authentic Relationships across Difference

February 23-24, 2010

Module 4: Exploring Transformational Leadership and Multicultural Change

April 6-7, 2010

Module 5: Moving Toward Sustainable Multicultural Change

Times for all modules are: Day 1 – 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Day 2 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Series Location: Fairfield Inn, 4665 Beckley Road, Battle Creek, MI 49015

Series Costs: $500.00 MSUE staff

$800.00 Non-MSUE Participants (Partial scholarships may be available)

(*For those needing overnight accommodations there is an additional charge of $89.00 per night)

Undergraduate or graduate credit available (3 credit hours total)

Register at: http://web2.canr.msu.edu/inservice/Register_add_form.cfm?course=6747

For more information about the series contact Dionardo Pizaña (pizanad@msu.edu), 517-432-2666 or Karen Pace (pace1@msu.edu), 517-432-7628.