Press Releases

April 7, 2008

For Immediate Release
Press Contact:
Alka Joshi
650-224-7580 cell
408-270-6413 direct
alka.joshi@evc.edu

For Immediate Release
Evergreen Valley College
Contact: Alka Joshi
650-224-7580; 408-270-6413

Developing the 3-Dimensional Student One Speaker At A Time

When English Professor Sterling Warner first organized the Evergreen Valley College Authors and Speaker Series in 1995, he had a gnawing suspicion that the most important learning sometimes takes place outside of class. So he begged and borrowed favors to design one of the most popular events on the campus today, the EVC Authors and Speaker Series, featuring diverse glitterati from the literary, creative arts and social science worlds.

From author Francisco Jimenez, who spoke to a packed house about his experience as a migrant farm worker in northern California, audiences learned that “it is noble work to put food on the table and contribute to the economic development of our nation.” From Phuong Banh, who read from her memoirs of adjusting to life in Modesto after her family fled Vietnam, students resonated with the pervasive need for belonging and acceptance as a human condition, not a cultural one.

“The marriage of critical thinking and creative thought is what makes the whole student and distinguishes that student in any endeavor, academic or otherwise,” Warner says, looking at the broader perspective beyond the college campus. “When these students go into the work world, those that can grow with companies are the ones who can think like individuals.” 

Wendy Hanamura, an award-winning author/journalist/documentarian, will close the 2007-2008 series on April 23. Then on May 7, another one of Professor Warner’s passionate endeavors, the 32nd Spring Poetry Festival, will feature “students as the stars” as they read from their own creations. Leaf by Leaf, the EVC literary magazine that Warner has published since 1992, will be on sale at the event and at the campus bookstore. All events are open to the community at large. Interested parties should call (408) 274-7900, ext. 6605, for more information.

Coming from an era where students questioned the curricula, their teachers, the establishment and the status quo, Warner hopes that “we’re coming full circle, back to a three-dimensional student who can think critically and create independent solutions.” 

Francisco Jimenez, who ended his March 27 presentation by crediting the many teachers who helped him gain his voice, said, “With help from our teachers and administrators, we are able to break out of cocoons to become butterflies.” As Sterling Warner continues to work tirelessly towards a culture of critical thinking, he is one of those instructors whom EVC students will thank for making breakthrough differences in their lives.

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ABOUT Evergreen Valley College

With student learning as its primary focus, Evergreen Valley College’s mission is to empower students to expand their human potential and to succeed in a global, multicultural society. The College, which sits on a picturesque 175-acre site in the eastern foothills of San Jose, provides access to comprehensive and flexible post-secondary education to prepare students of all ages and backgrounds for balanced and productive lives and to improve the workforce and quality of life in our community.