T H E M AGA Z I N E O F C A L I F O R N I A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y, F U L L E R T O N
SUMMER 2012 / TITANMAG.COM
Bold Leadership for a New Era Mildred García Set to Become CSUF’s Next President
President’s Viewpoint New Leadership for a New Era As you undoubtedly know, Dr. Mildred García has been named president of California State University, Fullerton and officially takes on this new role on June 11. Cal State Fullerton gains as its next president a nationally respected leader with firsthand knowledge of the California State University and an extensive and diverse skill set in higher education. She is well positioned to lead the university in facing the challenges and opportunities before us. Dr. García is a strong advocate for public higher education, and I am confident you will enjoy reading more about her, beginning on page 14 of this issue of Titan. As you may also know, I have accepted the opportunity to serve as interim president at California State University, Dominguez Hills and look forward to taking on new challenges at this fine institution. It has been an honor to serve Cal State Fullerton for the past 16 years both as interim president, and previously, as vice president for administration and finance and I am proud of all we have accomplished together. When one has the chance to work with good people, good things get done, and I am appreciative of all the work and support of our alumni and university friends who make such a positive impact on our institution. With this in mind, part of what I wanted to accomplish during my interim presidency was to initiate deeper discussions about challenges that both we and the greater higher-education community face now and in the foreseeable future. To that end, I was proud to host two symposiums featuring national experts on topics critical to the future of our nation and our state. Beginning on page 12, you can read more about the first of these two events, “Appraising the Future, Understanding Costs: Envisioning the New Normal in Higher Education.” Additionally, in May, a symposium titled “Confronting Inequality: Political, Educational and Social Consequences & Remedies” explored the complex dynamics of an issue that recently has sparked outrage, complacency and political activism. Both issues are timely and require ongoing attention and focus by all university constituencies. Again, it has been an honor to serve as interim president and as a vice president at Cal State Fullerton. I value and appreciate your commitment, camaraderie and support. Sincerely,
Willie J. Hagan Interim President California State University, Fullerton
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COVER STORY
14 Bold Leadership For a New Era CSUF’s new president,
Mildred García, ushers in a new era for the institution as she begins her presidency, emphasizing continued student-centered learning for a diverse population.
2 University News
3 Philanthropic Foundation
5 Titan Athletics
6 Alumni News
TITAN Titan is the magazine of Cal State Fullerton, published by University Advancement for alumni, friends and the university community. We welcome your observations, news and comments.
Summer 2012
/ VOLUME 11, NUMBER 3
In This Issue TITAN PRIDE
8 Life with the Hijab IN FOCUS
12 The Future of Higher Education
COVER
20 Milestones: New Nursing
Mildred García – set to become
Doctorate Program Set to Start
beginning June 11 – has been
22 Class Notes
28 Titan Profile: Mike Weisman ’74
EDITOR Cathi Douglas ’80 ART DIREC TOR Howard Chang ’00 PRODUC TION PL ANNER Andrea Kelligrew ’99 SENIOR DIREC TOR, DESIGN Mishu Vu
Cal State Fullerton’s president described as energetic, passionate and inspiring. Image by Matt Gush ’12
WRITERS Debra Cano Ramos ’84, Mimi Ko Cruz ’91, Pamela McLaren ’79, Valerie Orleans ’80
PUBLISHERS Dr. Willie J. Hagan
CONTRIBUTORS Jim Biever, Flor Edwards ’11, Matthew Gush ’12, Michael Mahi ’83, Katie McGill, Kathy Pomykata ’80, Karen Tapia, Bill Wadman
Pamela C. Hillman
Interim President Vice President, University Advancement
Jeffrey D. Cook Associate Vice President, Strategic Communications
TITAN ADVISORY BOARD Sherry Angel ’78, Elaine Beno ’83, Jeff Brody, David Ferrell ’78, Janine Fiddelke Arp ’80, Bryan Fisher ’92, Jimmy Hsieh ’10, Dianna Lopez Fisher, Gary Lycan ’69, Cynthia Ragland ’93, Bobbi Rice ’82, Steve Scauzillo ’81, Paula Selleck, Andi Stein, Kelly Teenor ’86, ’96, Anne Valdespino, Greg Young ’90
University Operator 657-278-2011 I Titan Magazine 657-278-4850 I P.O. Box 6826, Fullerton, CA 92834-6826 I TITANmagazine@fullerton.edu I fullerton.edu I © 2012 California State University, Fullerton. Nonprofit standard postage paid at Fullerton, CA. I Report address errors to uarecords@fullerton.edu or 657-278-7917.
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For more university news, please visit www.fullerton.edu/news.
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University News FRONT & CENTER 2012 More than 7,000 fans gathered inside the Honda Center February 25 for Front & Center 2012, featuring rockers Heart as headliner. Alumnus and Broadway star Dashaun Young served as master of ceremonies for the 17th annual event. A student theatre and dance cast, shown here at left, also performed. About $140,000 was generated for student scholarships. Former President Milton A. Gordon was honored as recipient of the Orange County Titan Award, presented by OC Supervisor Bill Campbell, above.
CSUF: A LEADER IN PRICE, QUALITY AND MORE, STUDY SHOWS The Washington, D.C.-based Education Trust completed the first-ever analysis of federal net-price data (drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and discovered that Cal State Fullerton is a national leader in price, quality, and accessibility and one of only five of the nation’s nearly 1,200 four-year colleges and universities doing a good job of serving low-income students. Besides CSUF, the schools singled out for praise include Cal State Long Beach, City University of New York campuses Baruch and Queens colleges and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
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OCTA, CITY AND CAMPUSES PARTNER IN BIKE-SHARE PROGRAM Soon students will be able to hop on a bike to get to and from the university, the store or even to their favorite Friday night hangout through a bike-sharing program that is being instituted around the city of Fullerton. A $700,000 federal grant awarded to the Orange County Transportation Authority will underwrite the pilot program, the first such citywide effort within the state of California, said Wes Parsel of the OCTA. Fullerton was selected after a review of census data and meetings with city representatives and officials from the city’s higher education institutions. Fifteen docking stations will be
located throughout the city, including at CSUF, Hope International University, Fullerton College and the Fullerton Transportation Center. Participants will pay a subscription fee to access the bicycles via a card-activation system at each solar-powered docking station.
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Philanthropic Foundation BOARD MEMBERS WELCOME NEW CSUF PRESIDENT
GIFT TO HISTORY INITIATIVE NAMES COPH ARCHIVIST’S OFFICE
Art and Debbie Hansen, shown at left with student Bethany Girod, have given $25,000 to the Bringing the Past to Life initiative in support of the Center for Oral and Public History. The Hansens’ gift will name the archivist’s office in the center’s proposed new home. Art is a professor emeritus of history and Asian American Studies and founder of the university’s COPH, while Debbie ’75, ’79 (B.A., M.A. history) participated in the oral history program as a student. TWO GRANTS SUPPORT INNOVATIVE WORK IN COMMUNICATIONS
The McCormick Foundation, together with the Poynter Institute, has given the College of Communications and the Orange County Press Club $41,000 to help support professors Jeff Brody and Brent Foster in hosting a Specialized Reporting Institute for journalists throughout the country. The institute will focus on how to better report social unrest through social media. The Open Society Institute has provided $85,400 to the College of Communications to create a centralized database to facilitate and track competitive debate results worldwide. Professor Jon Bruschke’s project will unify the currently fragmented data repositories, as well as integrate debate tournament management software with a database of results. MIHAYLO COLLEGE GIFTS SUPPORT PROFESSORSHIP, FINANCIAL LITERACY
Wells Fargo has made a $100,000 gift to the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics to promote financial literacy. Part of the gift funds the “Beat the Banker” contest, which pits bankers against high school students in an online stock market competition. White, Nelson & Co. has extended its sponsorship of its named professorship, held by Vivek Mande, director of Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Corporate Reporting and Governance. The gift was made possible through the involvement of White, Nelson & Co. Managing Partner Dave Doran ’75 (B.A. business administration), who has served the company for more than 30 years. KPMG has agreed to sponsor a named professorship in accounting as well, with details to come.
University News
To welcome incoming CSUF President Mildred García to Orange County – and introduce her to some community leaders and volunteers – several key members of the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Board of Directors met with García in March at longtime volunteer and past chair Annette Feliciani’s home in Orange. “Dr. García was gracious and interested in what we had to say,” Feliciani ’80 said. “She seemed very excited to continue our dialogue. She envisions using the board as partners in fundraising – combining her talents with ours in appealing to donors on how to enhance the quality of education at CSUF.”
HAGAN NAMED DOMINGUEZ HILLS INTERIM PRESIDENT Willie J. Hagan, Cal State Fullerton’s interim president, has been named as interim president of California State University, Dominguez Hills, effective June 11. Hagan has served in various senior leadership positions at Fullerton during his 16-year tenure at the campus, including serving as vice president for administration and chief financial officer. “I am honored to have been selected to lead the Dominguez Hills campus, and look forward to working closely with faculty, students and staff to build on the university’s excellent foundation,” Hagan said. Hagan’s appointment becomes effective when current Cal State Dominguez Hills President Mildred García begins as president of Cal State Fullerton.
ENGINEERING PROFESSOR RECEIVES EARLY CAREER AWARD Kiran George, assistant professor of computer engineering, has been honored with the $400,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award. This is the second time a CSUF faculty member has received the award, which is the most prestigious NSF award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research.
For more information, please visit fullerton.edu/foundation. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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LEWIS SPEAKS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH A crowd of 400 at the Fullerton Arboretum in February heard Georgia Congressman John R. Lewis discuss his experiences in the civil rights movement, during the university’s observance of Black History Month. His talk, a highlight of Cal State Fullerton’s Black History Month celebration, was one of a lecture series sponsored by the university’s Center for Oral and Public History as part of “New Birth of Freedom: Civil War to Civil Rights in California,” a free, public
exhibit at the Arboretum’s Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum. Lewis was invited to speak by his congressional colleague, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove).
USDA AWARDS CSUF THREE HEALTH GRANTS In a first for Cal State Fullerton, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded funding to the university – more than $800,000 in grants for projects tackling obesity and promoting good nutrition and related research. As a newly designated Hispanic-Serving Agricultural University on the Federal Register, CSUF garnered three USDA grants: n $280,343 for “A Childhood Obesity and Nutrition Curriculum for a Diverse and Changing Population” n $277,500 for “Urban-Agriculture Community-Based Research Experience” n $245,902 for “Increasing Workforce Diversity: Training Hispanic Students to Address Childhood Obesity and Nutrition.”
STEAMPUNK EXHIBIT INSPIRED BY ALUMNI WORKS
CSUF BUSINESS STUDENTS MEET WARREN BUFFETT They have studied his businesses, his philosophy and his background, and now Titan business students have had lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Nineteen CSUF business administration majors can say they have talked and dined with the high-profile investor and business leader. They traveled to Omaha in January to attend a two-hour question-and-answer session and have
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lunch with Buffett. The visit came about through the efforts of graduate student Parth Bhatt, who attended Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in 2009, then approached company officials to get a group of his fellow students invited to one of six question-and-answer sessions Buffett holds annually with students. Bhatt’s persistent efforts finally landed Cal State Fullerton a slot this year.
More than 80 illustrations inspired by the steampunk genre, specifically the work of three Cal State Fullerton alumni, were featured in the exhibit “Steampunk: The Beginning” from April 7 to May 10 in the Begovich Gallery. The creations of participating Visual Arts faculty, students and alumni showcased in the exhibit are inspired by three Cal State Fullerton alumni and their Steampunkrelated publications – “Homonculus” by James Blaylock ’72, ’74 (B.A., M.A. English); “Infernal Devices” by K. W. Jeter ’73 (B.A. sociology); and “Anubis Gates” by Tim Powers ’76 (B.A. English). For videotaped interviews and more on the genre, the exhibit and the alumni authors, please visit fullerton.edu/arts/art/Begovich%20 2011-12/2012_Steampunk.html.
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Titan Athletics
IT’S A THREE-PEAT FOR TITANS DANCE TEAM
For a third consecutive year, the 16-member Titans Dance Team won the Division I Universal Dance Association College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship for universities without football programs. The Cal State Fullerton team, coached by alumnae Jennie Volkert ’97 (B.S. child development) and Kenndra Alvarez ’10 (B.S. health science), traveled to Orlando and captured the title in January, adding to CSUF’s dominant record of 11 titles in the past 13 years. GOLF PROGRAM GETS BOOST FROM FORMER CSUF MVP
Former Cal State Fullerton golfer Wayne “Buz” Knyal and his wife, Carol, have contributed the lead gift of $50,000 to support the Titans’ new on-campus men’s and women’s golf practice facility. In exchange for the gift, the facility, completed in the fall and located behind the centerfield fence of softball’s Anderson Family Field, will be known as the “Buz and Carol Knyal Practice Facility, MVP 1967 & 1968.” “This is one more large step in the rebirth of our men’s and women’s golf programs,” said Athletics Director Brian Quinn. “We are grateful to Buz and Carol for their generous support.” SCHOLAR-ATHLETES HONORED BY BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Lauren Chow and Carlos Lopez were honored in March as Cal State Fullerton’s female and male 2012 scholar-athletes at the Big West Conference banquet, held at the DoubleTree Hotel, saluting the top student-athletes from the nine campuses. GOODWIN FIELD: REMEMBERING 20 YEARS AGO
The first Titans baseball games played at Goodwin Field – a double-header sweep of Loyola Marymount University – occurred on April 18, 1992. Taking part in the dedication ceremony that day were Merilyn and Jerry Goodwin, who provided the lead naming gift of $1 million for the expansion of the field, and alumnus Kevin Costner ’78 (B.A. business administration), known for his baseball films “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams.”
Known for her inclusive working style, Sheryl I. Fontaine, chair and professor of English, comparative literature and linguistics, has been named this year’s recipient of the Cal State Fullerton Faculty Leadership in Collegial Governance Award. “This prestigious award, proposed by your colleagues, recognizes your exemplary leadership and lasting contributions to shared governance, and acknowledges the value and enduring impact of your role in promoting consensus and collegiality,” Interim President Willie J. Hagan told Fontaine.
PSYCHOLOGIST FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Nancy L. Segal, psychology professor and author of “Someone Else’s Twin: The True Story of Babies Switched at Birth” (2011, Prometheus Books), was featured in January’s National Geographic magazine. A question-and-answer feature with the twins expert highlighted Segal’s research on the rarity and behavior of twins, parenting challenges, issues twins face and twins raised apart. She also was quoted in the cover story on what identical twins reveal about humans in general. Segal, director and founder of Cal State Fullerton’s Twin Studies Center, has been researching twins for decades.
For more information, please visit fullertontitans.com. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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University News
ENGLISH PROFESSOR RECEIVES COLLEGIAL GOVERNANCE AWARD
For the latest news and upcoming events of the Alumni Association, please visit www.fullerton.edu/alumni.
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Alumni News VISION & VISIONARIES HONOREES VISIT CAMPUS This year’s 19th annual Vision & Visionaries awards included a two-day campus honoree visit prior to the ceremony. Recipients participated in panel discussions, class lectures and campus forums. The itinerary concluded with a luncheon with Interim President Willie J. Hagan and other campus leadership. “We host amazing alumni each year at our V&V gala,” said Alumni Relations Executive Director Dianna Lopez Fisher. “Incorporating a campus visit this year allowed us the opportunity to showcase their amazing talents to students, faculty and other campus communities.” Honorees included: Randall L. Baumberger ’92 (MBA); Caecilia S. Gotama ’82, ’86 (B.S., M.S. engineering-mechanical); Becky L. Hamilton ’06 (B.A. radio/TV/film); Tony Ortega ’87, ’89 (B.A., M.A. English); Dale Raoul ’73, ’79 (B.A., M.A. theatre arts); Raymond L. Thompson ’77 (B.A. theatre arts); Jeffrey S. Van Harte ’80 (B.A. business administration-finance); and Verne D. Wagner ’77 (B.A. business administration-accounting).
Honored for their outstanding achievements at this year’s Vision & Visionaries event held April 28 at the Hilton Anaheim were eight alumni including, in the back row, from left: Jeffrey S. Van Harte ’80; Dale Raoul ’73, ’79; Raymond L. Thompson ’77; Randall L. Baumberger ’92; and Tony Ortega ’87, ’89; and in the front row, from left: Caecilia S. Gotama ’82, ’86; Becky L. Hamilton ’06; and Verne D. Wagner ’77. For more, visit visionandvisionaries.com.
Fun Facts May 11, 2012 marked the 50th Anniversary of the First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in Human History held at Orange County State College (now Cal State Fullerton). n Richard Nixon sent a Western Union Telegram to the Elephant Racing Club at Orange County State College prior to the race: “The best of luck to you in your forthcoming elephant race. Having been involved in a few such races myself, I know that there is more to the fine art of pachyderm pacing than meets the eye. It is, perhaps, a sign of the times.” n The “First Intercollegiate
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Elephant Race in Human History” in 1962 was composed of racing associations including university and college representation from Cal Lutheran, Caltech, Cal Poly Pomona, Cerritos Junior College, Chapman, Fullerton Junior College, Harvard, Long Beach State, Northrop Institute of Technology, Orange County State College (CSUF), Orange Coast College, Santa Ana Junior College, Santa Monica City College, Nevada, USC and Washington. The Nixon telegram and trophies may be viewed in the new Alumni Lounge cases through summer 2012.
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BIG WEST BASKETBALL VIP ALUMNI EVENT IS A SLAM DUNK
A crowd of more than 125 Titan alumni and friends gathered at the Honda Center on March 8 to rally the Titans before the first round of the Big West Basketball Tournament. Guests indulged in delicious barbecue from Newport/Naples Rib Company and desserts from Duke’s in a private club level VIP room. Joe Ulloa, Titan parent and friend of Cal State Fullerton, liked reconnecting with the university through the tournament event. “I more than enjoyed the event,” Ulloa said. “It was very well-planned and welcoming. I’m looking forward to next year and other future Alumni Association events.” Fans also received a Fullerton sports cap, rally towel and seat cushion to show their support while sitting in center court lower-level seats. Basketball fans from eight Big West schools filled the room the entire day, but the Titans and Long Beach 49ers dominated attendance. Although the Titans didn’t take home the tournament trophy, they made the record books for being a part of the largest crowd in Big West Tournament history. “It was great to see so many Fullerton alums dressed in orange and cheering on the Titans,” said Kirk San Roman ’83, past president of the Titan Athletics Club. “While the outcome of the game was ultimately not what we wanted, I am very optimistic that we are in a great position to possibly win the Big West championship next season.” PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICE WHILE HELPING CSUF STUDENTS
Sponsor or contribute items and services for Vintage57, the university’s premiere food- and wine-tasting fundraising event, benefiting the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association student scholarship program. Thanks, in part, to the 2011 event, the Alumni Association will provide 10 merit-based scholarships to worthy Titans in 2012-13. Your business will be featured in event promotions, event-day recognition and post-event publications. Learn more at fullerton.edu/alumni/vintage57. Contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumnirelations@fullerton.edu or 675-CSU-ALUM (278-2586) for more information or to donate now.
For more information, please visit fullerton.edu/alumni.
Tuffy Titan has been making his way round the world, with visits to Washington, D.C., New York City and even Singapore, above.
TUFFY TRAVELS THE WORLD Take Tuffy with you when you travel and your photo will be showcased in either our @Fullerton newsletter or on the CSUF Alumni Facebook page on Tuffy Tuesday. Get your own Tuffy bobblehead by joining the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association or renewing your membership today at csufalumni.com!
TITANS TAKE MANHATTAN Senior students from the Department of Theatre and Dance showcased their best work in Manhattan in front of a recordbreaking number of talent agents and alumni during spring break. A special invitation to watch the Paul Taylor Dance Company at Lincoln Center was provided by the company’s Director of Public Relations Lisa Labrado ’92. “It was an honor hosting Interim President Hagan, distinguished CSUF NYC-based alumni and staff at Lincoln Center and introducing them to Paul Taylor’s genius work,” Labrado said. Alumni visits included a backstage chat with Tony Award nominee Linda Emond ’82, now performing in “Death of a Salesman.” CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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Life
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adaf Syed ’97 (B.A. communications-photocommunications) is author of “iCOVER: A Day in the Life of a Muslim Covered Girl,” a photography book of Muslim women in America who lead sometimes surprising lives as commercial truck drivers, ballet dancers, surfers and more. Syed, a married mother of two who lives in a Chicago suburb, began research for the book in 2006, traveling throughout the country to photograph women who wear the hijab. She began her work with an email introducing herself and her concept, and asked family and friends to forward it to their contacts. A former newspaper photographer, Syed published her book in 2010. “A lot of American Muslims don’t feel as if they have a voice,” Syed said. “I wanted stories to be told after the 9/11 tragedy that would educate readers and help them know about the beauty of the faith of Islam.” She wants her book “to show love, mercy and unity – that our differences are appreciated.” The 150-page, self-published book is available at amazon.com or on her website, sadafsyed.com.
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Hijab
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A ballerina and tap dancer from Texas, Hiba Awad is anxious to prove “how versatile and unique a Muslim woman can be.”
Yim, a network engineer, skis, swims, body surfs, rides motorcycles – all while wearing the hijab. make up Hijabi Deafness, a Muslim punk rock/hip-hop band.
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Michelle
Nadia Afghani, left, and Nadia Chohan
Asma Azim, a step-grandmother from Pakistan, has been a manager of
mechanics and a truck driver for more than a dozen years. She said her male contemporaries treat her with respect – especially when they discover she can repair her own engine.
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Nousheen Yousuf said the practice of tae kwon do “taught me to treat daily prayers as a real
meditation, where the focus is on my relationship with God.”
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Stories about individuals or programs that characterize the proud Titan tradition.
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No matter how different they may look from other beachgoers, Sama Wareh, left, and Aurelia Khatib believe in doing what they love,
including surfing.
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University of Michigan’s DJ Hadeel Al-Hadidi created and broadcasts her own hour-long radio program.
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Nosheen Cassim,
a part-time makeup artist and full-time mother of two, was born and raised in Illinois, but has been threatened by strangers who told her to “go back to where she came from.”
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Atlanta-based Mariem “Punchenella” Brakache (5-5, 1KO) is a former IBA Junior Middleweight Champion, boxing coach and renowned trainer.
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Whitney Schreider went from being a cheerleader at her Georgia high school to a convert to Islam. “When I found out why women in Islam wear
modest clothes and hijab,” Schreider said, “I wished that every woman would follow the Islamic attire.” manages a Target store in Deerfield, Mich. Sienna Ranch in Lafayette, Calif.
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Senior team leader Renee Abdul Hadi
Former engineer Sara Brownlow-Kim home-schools her six children and helps her family run the 22-acre
Scholars teach that Islam encourages sports and physical activity for all, wrote Sayed. The prophet Muhammad is
said to have invited his wife Aisha to a foot race. Images Courtesy Sadaf Syed
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The Future of Higher Education
President’s Symposium Analyzes Costs, Challenges and Political Landscape
ome of the most pressing issues facing higher education were discussed February 22 at Cal State Fullerton’s first President’s Symposium, “Appraising the Future, Understanding Costs: Envisioning the New Normal in Higher Education.” Several of the nation’s leading voices on education and public policy addressed state and national goals for degree attainment, cost analyses of higher education, e-learning and challenges to current educational models, as well as the political landscape for higher education. Speakers included: n JEFFREY J. SELINGO, vice president and editorial director of the Chronicle of Higher Education; n ROBERT SHIREMAN , chief consultant of California Competes and former deputy undersecretary of education in President Barack Obama’s administration; n WILLIAM TIERNEY, USC’s director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis; n JANE WELLMAN , executive director of the National Association of System Heads and founding director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity and Accountability; n F. KING ALEXANDER , president of Cal State Long Beach; n KEITH O. BOYUM , CSUF interim executive assistant to the president and professor emeritus of politics, administration and justice; n WILLIE J. HAGAN , CSUF interim president;
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n RAPHAEL J. SONENSHEIN , executive director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles; and n STEPHEN STAMBOUGH , CSUF associate professor of political science and chair of the Division of Politics, Administration and Justice. Here are some of their observations.
“The majority of Americans now think that higher education is not affordable. There’s a growing percentage of Americans who think the amount being spent for higher education is not worth it. Only a minority, 40 percent, believe that the amount we’re spending is either excellent or good. If you peer into those numbers and look at what people think, you’ll also see a growing share of people who believe institutions can be doing more to control spending without compromising quality.” — JANE WELLMAN , executive director of the National Association of System Heads and founding director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity and Accountability
“California is one of the 12 worst states in terms of its abandonment of higher education... If we’re going to be committed as a wealthy state to supporting our students, we need to rethink how we’re funding higher education and reward the institutions that
needs to be of more value to the people who use it.” — JEFFREY J. SELINGO, vice president and editorial director of the Chronicle of Higher Education
“As we think about the future of higher education and where the disruption in a higher ed market could happen, I think we have to ask what are the less-tangible aspects that define the college experience that can’t be easily replaced by fragmented, simplified services on the Internet. Let’s think about what the Internet and the Web did to newspapers, to music and to bookstores. It took this bundled approach and went after what I would call the low‑hanging fruit at first. So as you think about the college experience, what are the things that are most at risk in the traditional college experience today and what potentially are least at risk in the traditional college experience? Higher ed is now competing in a market that is incredibly different than it was 20 or 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago. I think the Internet has really changed that. People now can get an education anywhere at anytime. I’m not saying that higher ed needs to change drastically, but it at least needs to be open to these alternative ideas; it needs to focus on what it does well... and figure out how to shed the rest. It
“What does this mean for Cal State Fullerton?” Hagan asked at the conclusion of his symposium. “Based on what I’ve heard here, it is clear that we are going to be held more accountable. We’re going to be expected to do more with less. We’re going to have to deal with increased competition. For us, I think we have an idea of what the future will look like. We also know it will be a team effort, and our faculty will play a key role.” n
For complete symposium transcripts and videos, please visit calstate.fullerton.edu/spotlight/2012sp/president-symposium.asp.
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Stories that take a close look at an issue, trend or subject that affects the university and the community beyond.
are doing a good job and doing what the public wants them to do – keeping expenditures relatively low, keeping costs relatively low, keeping student indebtedness low – all of the things that matter to our taxpayers and that matter to our students and our parents.” — F. KING ALEXANDER , president of Cal State Long Beach
“I agree with President Obama. I agree that we need more students participating in the post-secondary sector. Let’s recognize that when we are speaking about more students participating in the post-secondary sector, it’s not the kids who are coming from Beverly Hills 90210. It’s the schools that I’m working in right now, where the participation rates are extremely low and the parents are working adults. I want us to raise the public dialogue about the future of higher education and the importance of it in terms of reducing poverty. I really think that faculty will no longer be a proxy for learning. I think we will have things that are tied to outcomes. I think that we can absolutely argue about what ‘critical thinking’ means. This whole argument about gainful employment is not going away. Are we providing the skills necessary for people to take positions in the economy?” — WILLIAM TIERNEY, USC’s director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis
In Focus
“Certainly one of the reasons that California is struggling to achieve that high level of education is that we have an expanding Latino population that has tended to have lower levels of education. When parents have lower levels of education, it’s less likely that the children are going to get that high level of education. So we must address that achievement gap in terms of [both college entry and successful degree completion] by under-represented populations in our colleges and universities.” — ROBERT SHIREMAN , chief consultant of California Competes and former deputy undersecretary of education in President Barack Obama’s administration
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Cover Story
Bold Leadership for a New Era Mildred García Set to Become CSUF’s Next President Story by Cathi Douglas ’80 / Images by Matt Gush ’12 and Karen Tapia
Energetic. Passionate. Inspiring. hese are some of the words that have been used to describe Mildred García, who is set to become Cal State Fullerton’s president beginning June 11, ushering in a new era for the institution. García has a long list of degrees, publications and appointments to her credit, and has rubbed shoulders with both highprofile educators and government leaders. Yet she never forgets her roots in New York City as one of seven children born to poor Puerto Rican immigrants, and she frequently recalls those responsible for helping her construct the foundation on which her future success would be built. “My hero and my ‘shero’ are my parents,” she said in a recent interview. “They came to this country not knowing the language and making very little money working in a factory. It was instilled in us that the only inheritance a poor family can leave is a good education.”
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The importance of education and research is a theme that echoes throughout García’s lifelong career as an educator, researcher, author and administrator. Recently appointed to President Barack Obama’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, she has a long history of distinguished service on regional and national boards that help shape educational policy through published reports and their counsel to decision-makers. García brings to Cal State Fullerton a national perspective and a continued focus on diversity – both of which make her an excellent fit for the job. Continually ranked in the Top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of public master’s-granting institutions in the West, CSUF is steadily increasing its national profile. And Cal State Fullerton is one of the country’s most diverse universities, designated a Hispanic- and an AsianAmerican and Native American/Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and ranked ninth in the nation in terms of baccalaureate degrees awarded to minority students by Diverse Issues in Higher Education, based on data from the U.S. Department of Education. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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“Fullerton is a community committed to learning,” García observed. “It’s committed to being student-centered for a diverse population. What a wonderful place to work with faculty and staff who are committed to what is essentially an educational laboratory, where students learn to work, study, live together and become leaders within a diverse world.” That diversity reminds her, again, of her parents. “They were smart individuals who strongly believed in diversity and getting along with others,” García recalled. She vividly remembers when, shopping for clothes, “there was my father speaking in English with his Spanish accent and the proprietor speaking Yiddish, back and forth, teaching us so much about getting along with others.” She and her family also lived in housing projects alongside African-American and other diverse families. “My parents would say, ‘Yes, we are different, but we’re all the same. People are people and you learn to work with each other.’ ” As she looks to leading Cal State Fullerton into the future,
García acknowledges the challenges. “California has disinvested in public higher education. We’ve been abandoned,” she said. “We are at a point where Fullerton is enrolling more than 36,000 students – students who have kept their promise to do well in high school and junior high. We’ve said ‘There will be a seat for you.’ But we’re not keeping up with our promise.” ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION Moving forward, she said, Academic Experience will require that university leaders n First Latina president in the California State University system be strategic and use resources even n President and Professor of Graduate Student Education, Cal State Dominguez Hills, more wisely, raise more funds from 2007-12 private sources, be creative and n President, Berkeley College of New York and New Jersey, 2001-07 entrepreneurial in finding new n Vice Provost for Academic Personnel, Arizona State University, 1997-2001 sources of funding, and better n Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Arizona State University, 1997-2000 compete for grants for faculty n Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, 2000-01 and student research. n Associate Professor, Arizona State University, 1997-2000 Initially in her work at Cal n Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Montclair State University, 1988-96 State Fullerton, García said, she n Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Montclair State wants to focus on listening to University, 1986-88 determine how she can lead the n Faculty member, School of Professional Studies, Montclair State University, 1987-96 university. “I want to listen to all n Dean of Students, Hostos Community College, City University of New York, 1979-86 the voices, and to the silences. The n Executive Assistant to the President, Hostos Community College, City University of people who don’t speak up – I want New York, 1979-80 them engaged. Their voices are as n Instructor, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York, 1974-79 important as the louder voices. I want to know what they love about Education Fullerton, how they would like it n Ed.D., Higher Education Administration, Columbia University-Teachers College to be improved, how they can be n M.A., Higher Education Administration, Columbia University-Teachers College engaged in moving us into n M.A., Business Education/Higher Education, New York University the future.” n B.S., Business Education, Bernard M. Baruch College Secondly, García said, she n A.A.S., Business, New York Community College
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LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE 17
At left, Dr. Mildred García – the California State University’s first Latina president – meets a reporter for the Daily Titan on one of her first official visits to the Cal State Fullerton
Her research in higher education focuses on the impact equity, diversity and outreach have in policy and practice.
Cover Story
campus in January. Below, García models a CSUF T-shirt.
New CSUF President Mildred García has wide-ranging experience serving higher education. n
wants to make sure the university has a strategic plan that sets priorities, is focused, and is based on limited resources. Then, she wants to go out into the community. “I want to make sure the community knows we’re here and what Fullerton is all about. I want them to know the excellent Fullerton story. We want them to see Cal State Fullerton as their institution among the many communities in Orange County. We need to strengthen and build new friendships.” She is interested particularly in the university’s partnerships with K-12 institutions and community colleges. “We bring in more community college transfers than any university in California,” she noted. “When they come here, how soon do they graduate? We need linkages to help prepare them before they get here.” Cal State Fullerton is similar, García said, to Cal State Dominguez Hills in that they are both welcoming institutions. “The culture at Fullerton, as I see and read it, is that its faculty and staff really care about students and their success,” she said. “It’s a collaborative place, a place that’s looking outward and saying, ‘How can we improve?’ “Everyone is committed to students and concerned with the student experience. Faculty are committed to teaching and research. The academically excellent faculty, even during these difficult fiscal times, are totally committed to ensuring that students are engaged in their research, and they take extra steps to make sure our students are learning and receiving the very best educational experience. Alongside the faculty, staff and administrators are also educators contributing to the success of all students. It’s an institution moving forward, an institution that knows what
A sought-after speaker, García has written and published more than 30 books, articles, book reviews and commissioned reports. n
Among the books she has authored or co-authored are “Succeeding in an Academic Career,” which focuses on how faculty of color can excel in higher education; “Assessing Campus Diversity Initiatives”; and “Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color.” n
She is a recent appointee to President Obama’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. n
An active participant and consultant on policy work by the National Science Foundation, García also is involved in the American Shown here meeting the President at the White Educational Research House, García recently was appointed to President Association, the Middle Barack Obama’s Commission on Educational States Commission on Excellence for Hispanics. Higher Education, and other national, regional and state organizations. n
She serves on the boards of directors for the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education. n
She serves on the advisory boards of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and Higher Education Abstracts; the editorial advisory board of Peer Review of the Association of American Colleges and Universities; the board of trustees for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning; the board of visitors for U.S. Air Force’s Air University; the national advisory panel of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment; and as a founding board member of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships. n
García was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in 2010 to the U.S Committee of Measures of Student Success, charged with developing recommendations to improve student success at two-year, degree-granting institutions. n
She served as a member of the 2060 Blue Ribbon Committee, charged by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to identify long-range strategies to foster water reliability and environmental stewardship in the region. n
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García greets, from left, President’s Scholar Leah Espinoza, military veteran and criminal justice major David Lien, and speech communications major Kayleigh Ocampo during a recent campus visit.
it means to help students graduate into the world and reach their dreams.” At Dominguez Hills, García was especially proud of meeting enrollment targets with strong, qualified students; obtaining the university’s first endowed professorship from Wallace Annenberg in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education; raising alumni donors by 400 percent; increasing retention to 77 percent; and creating the University Advisement Center. “All of those things were done collaboratively with faculty and staff committed to the university,” she said. At Cal State Fullerton, measuring success will be critical, and she will use metrics and accountability to ensure that the strategic plan and goals are met by all the members of her team. “There will be accountability for everyone, including the presiTITAN MAG.COM
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dent,” she said. The demands before her are great, García acknowledged, but she is full of energy, ideas and enthusiasm for Cal State Fullerton’s future. As a busy professional, García relishes what little down time she can eke out. When she is not on the clock, García works out with a trainer three times a week, loves to read, dance and travel, and presently is reading a book of Spanish poetry. “I try to read one book in Spanish and one in English. I’m reading books on leadership, fiction and also fun novels. I’m not ashamed to say that I loved the ‘Harry Potter’ books for their imagination. “I skim through the news, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the L.A. Times and the Daily Breeze,” she added, “to find out what’s going on in the world as well as any references to our institution.” CSUF’s incoming president has traveled throughout the
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING… 19
JACK BEDELL , chair of the Academic Senate and emeritus
professor of sociology: “We look forward to working with her as we tackle such issues as academic quality; online education; access; threats to the classroom, such as increasing student-faculty ratios; and the need to prepare the future workforce through studentfaculty research projects.” PAUL CARTER ’82, CSUF Alumni Association president, partner
at Bergkvist, Bergkvist & Carter, LLP and member of the Advisory Committee to the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President: “Since I graduated 20 years ago, Dr. Gordon has transformed CSUF. Dr. García is the right choice to amplify Dr. Gordon’s hard work and to take CSUF to the next level.” HENRY MENDOZA ’81, managing partner at Mendoza, Berger &
Company and member of the California State University Board of Trustees: “Dr. García is very warm and outgoing, but she’s also tough, and with the economically tough time we are going through now, we need a tough person who can get us through.” ERIC NIU, past president of CSUF’s Associated Students Inc. and
globe and makes time each year for three long weekends to New York City for visits to see family, the opera, Broadway plays and museums. Her most recent international voyage was to Morocco in May for the International Women’s Forum and a brief vacation. With all her accomplishments, García believes that her proudest career achievement comes every spring during commencement. “Graduations make me most proud,” she said. “Seeing the extended families attending ceremonies, the joy of the parents and grandparents, godparents and cousins – to me that is the most joyful day, the culmination of what the university has done to transform lives.” n
member of the Advisory Committee to the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President: “In my interactions with her, she has demonstrated great leadership and puts students first. My hope is that she can stand with students during this economic downturn – with students facing tuition increases – and that she will be an advocate to legislators and the Chancellor’s Office on behalf of Cal State Fullerton students.” LOUI OLIVAS, president of the American Association of Hispanics in
Higher Education: “AAHHE has been privileged to have Dr. García serve on the board, providing leadership, synergy and guidance. On a personal note, I have known Millie for the past 25 years and I have always admired her vision, passion and commitment for improving the academic access/graduation rates for students in higher education.” DOUG SIMAO, chair of Cal State Fullerton’s Philanthropic Founda-
tion Board of Governors and member of the Advisory Committee to the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President: “Personally, I found Mildred García to be warm and visionary, articulate and clear in purpose, committed to excellence and to fulfilling the promise of higher education as the great equalizer.” CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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Interim President WILLIE J. HAGAN: “Dr. Mildred García is a seasoned and experienced chief executive and has made access to higher education a central concern of her distinguished career. After watching her in action as president of CSU Dominguez Hills, I can report that she carries the mantle of executive leadership with the confidence born of more than a decade as a university president, first at Berkeley College and, since 2007, in the CSU.”
orty-one nurses representing a diverse group of students in myriad nursing fields soon will be on campus as the inaugural class earning a California State University Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Among the skills they will learn are how to acquire, evaluate and use health care records in order to improve patient care, said Penny C. Weismuller, associate professor and coordinator of Cal State Fullerton’s nursing graduate programs. “Their doctoral education will help them improve the health care system,” Weismuller said. “They will be given the leadership, advocacy and management skills needed to effect system change. They will use research in an applied way to answer such questions as ‘How can we better serve patients?’ and ‘How do we use data,
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such as health trends and statistics, to make things better?’ ” Gaining such an education sets the Southern California CSU D.N.P. Consortium apart, said Weismuller, the consortium’s director. It also is one of the reasons the program, which is being offered jointly in the fall by Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Los Angeles,, already has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Cheryl D. Pearce, a midwife who has been teaching nursing courses at Cal State Fullerton for the past seven years, can’t wait to start studying for her Doctorate in Nursing in the fall. The degree, Pearce said, will give her the expertise she needs to become a leader in health care. “This is an exciting time, being part of the first D.N.P. cohort,” she said. “This degree will take me to the next level in the workplace and in Penny C. Weismuller TITAN MAG.COM
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21 “This degree will take me to the next level in the workplace and in the political arena.”
Milestones
- Cheryl D. Pearce, D.N.P. Student
about 800 nursing majors are enrolled. “In this age of expanding health care knowledge, the D.N.P. prepares nurses for work in increasingly complex health care systems,” Greenberg said. “To improve health care outcomes, the evidence generated by research must be translated into clinical practice. The D.N.P. prepares practitioners to evaluate the available scientific evidence and use it in clinical practice to provide best-practice interventions, ultimately improving the quality and safety of health care.” The D.N.P. demonstrates CSUF’s commitment to meeting the need for a highly educated nursing workforce, a need addressed by the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation. Nursing is one of the foundation’s top fundraising Story by Mimi Ko Cruz ’91 / Image by Matt Gush ’12 priorities over the next few years. Ultimately, more than $10 million will be sought “We are ready to start the program,” said Shari G. to supplement the cost of educating nursing students; pay for McMahan, dean of the College of Health and Human administrative, faculty and development costs; upgrade Development, adding that two Fullerton lecturers — Nicholas technology; and endow funds to help support scholarships, P. Gorman and Katherine Tong — will move into tenure-track a professorship and chair. positions in the fall as assistant professors of nursing. Their assignThe first 41 D.N.P. students were chosen from nearly 100 ments will include teaching and advising in the D.N.P. program. applicants, Weismuller said. They will complete their first year Cal State Fullerton’s nursing program is one of the largest at Fullerton and their second year at Fullerton, Long Beach or in the CSU system. Enrollment grew by more than 1,200 percent Los Angeles, and will be expected to complete 36 units of course between 1998 (69 nursing majors) and 2009 (857 majors). Today, work in two years. n
Patients Better Doctorate Program Set To Start
About Penny
C. Weismuller, Director of the Southern California CSU D.N.P. Consortium
Year Joined CSUF: 2004 Education: Dr.PH. in health education and M.S.N., Loma Linda University; M.A. in psychology, Chapman University; B.S.N., Brigham Young University; certified Registered Nurse and Public Health Nurse Claim to Fame: Credited for setting up system of care for HIV/AIDS patients in Orange County
Recent Awards: 2011, First Place Evidence-Based Poster Award from Sigma Theta Tau, International, Upsilon Beta Chapter Poster Session and Induction; 2010, Best Practice Poster Award, National School Nurses Conference; 2009, Academic Advising Certificate in Excellence, Cal State Fullerton Academic Affairs; 2009, Award for Outstanding Teaching, CSUF Department of Health Science; 2009, Outstanding Faculty Service Award, CSUF
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Stories that highlight a landmark issue, program or individual in the life of the university.
the political arena. I’m looking forward to participating in the nation’s discussions on health care expenditures and how our health care dollars will be utilized.” Cindy Smith Greenberg, professor and director of Cal State Fullerton’s School of Nursing, said the doctorate is the professional-practice degree that qualifies those who earn it to work in advance-practice fields and in higher education, thus helping to address the shortage of nursing faculty members and nurses nationwide. The nation’s nursing shortage is projected to reach 800,000 by 2020. In California, which ranks in the bottom five states for registered nurses per capita, the shortage is estimated to be as high as 50,000 by 2015. “Preparing nurses at this level meets a community need, and we’re very excited about it,” Greenberg said. “The program also helps achieve the recommendations of the 2010 Institute of Medicine Report on the future of nursing, which calls for increasing the education of nurses and doubling the number of nurses with doctoral degrees by 2020.”
To submit news about yourself, please email titanmagazine@fullerton.edu.
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Class Notes 60s
BARBARA JALBERT ’67 (B.A.
business administration) is president of the California Nevada Hawaii State Association of Emblem Clubs, a not-for-profit organization, in which she represents 58 clubs with 4,000 members. Jalbert assists the various Elks Lodges in their endeavors aiding veterans and providing scholarships for teachers of the hearing-impaired. GAI JONES ’68 (M.A. theatre arts) was part
of a team that presented “Making Magic, Defying Gravity,” an evening of behindthe-curtain conversation and music with professionals from Walt Disney Creative Entertainment and members of the national touring company of “Wicked.” The evening’s proceeds benefited the Educational Theatre Association’s Board of Directors Scholarship Fund.
ARLENE TAFOYA MULLER ’66 (B.A. speech
communications) is president and founder of Retention Specialist Today, offering workshops on retention techniques for the classroom and vocational school campus. Muller is author of the textbook “How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Health Professions School Retention and Placement Guide,” published in 2011 by F.A. Davis for McGraw-Hill’s medical division. retentionspecialisttoday.info
70s
KITTY DEKEIFFER ’78 (B.A.
business administrationaccounting) has been named the new foundation executive director for Gamma Phi Beta international sorority. DeKeiffer has extensive experience in the Boulder, Colo., nonprofit community, where she was previously executive director of the Mental Health Partners Foundation and the development and public information officer for Mental Health Partners. JUDITH GOFFIN ’74 (B.A. communications)
has written and published her fifth book, “Menageries in the Garden,” a poetry book about nature, childhood and sharing. Goffin’s poems have appeared on the Fullerton Arboretum website. Her book is available on Kindle, Smashword and PuBit. judygoffin.com
ROBERT E. LINDEMAN ’71 (B.S. engineering)
is president of the International Society of Automation, a leading global nonprofit organization that sets the standard for automation by helping more than 30,000 worldwide members and other professionals solve difficult technical problems, while enhancing their leadership and career capabilities. Lindeman is an ISA fellow who has served in numerous society leadership positions. Presently he is a system engineer for Aerospace Testing Alliance. BOBBY MCDONALD ’75 (B.S. physical educa-
tion) has produced a documentary film about the construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. “Building the Dream” aired on California PBS stations during February, Black History Month, and is available from the Orange County Black Chamber of Commerce. ocblackchamber.com/MLK_Project.htm
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FRED STEMME ’71 (B.A. history) wrote the
historical novel, “The Lieutenant’s Whistle,” released by Amber Quill Press in February. The book is part two of Stemme’s planned trilogy on the Lost Generation. The first novel, “Beguiling Dreams,” was released in 2004. Hourglasshistoricals.com RICHARD WATSON ’73 (B.M.-music) has been
involved in music education for 38 years, teaching percussion at Fullerton College and Cal State Fullerton, and serving as director of bands at El Dorado High School. Watson is an honorary life member of the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, has toured with Roger Williams and has played for many celebrities. Additionally he has played with the Pacific Symphony and currently plays with the California Wind Symphony. He worked for the Walt Disney Company for more than 30 years and was the drummer for the 10-city tour of “Disney’s Symphonic Fantasy.”
80s
HENRY ALVIANI ’81 (M.M.-per-
formance) has been associate professor of music and director of choral and vocal music studies at Clarion University of Pennsylvania since 2003. Alviani recently was honored by Mount St. Mary’s College of Los Angeles as 2011 Outstanding Alumnus for Professional Achievement. His vocal technique manual, “VoiceWorks,” published by Alfred in 2007, continues to sell well.
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Class Notes
LAWRENCE BERENATO ’84 (B.A. communica-
tions-public relations) was named 2011 Public Relations Practitioner of the Year by the California Inland Empire chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. His service to the chapter, role as mentor, and contributions as an advocate of public relations were cited in the October presentation at the chapter’s Polaris Awards ceremony. KATHLEEN CONNOLLY ’89 (B.A. business
administration-marketing) is UBM Studios vice president, responsible for business development and consultative services focused on leveraging virtual environments to engage with audiences of all types. Connolly has 20 years of experience in sales and management with IT media and events. PAUL GILLEBAARD ’87 (B.S. engineering-
mechanical) has written the novel “Moon Hoax,” published by Dream Access Books in January. Gillebaard’s book is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Costco. LEAH HARVALOS VICKERS MARINCOVICH ’82
(B.A. communications-public relations) is a West Coast sales representative for McGraw- Hill, selling both print and online advertising for Aviation Week. Last June, Marincovich attended the world’s largest air show in Paris. She has been in publishing sales for 24 years, previously working for EDN Worldwide and a number of other publications.
In today’s economy, we’re all searching for the best return on our investments. A charitable gift annuity is the perfect answer for donors over age 55 with a minimum gift of $5,000. By providing a sizable charitable tax deduction and a fixed income for life, a charitable gift annuity is an investment in your own future as well as the future of Cal State Fullerton. Better yet, getting older pays, because the older you are when you make your gift, the higher the rate you receive.
SINGLE LIFE CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY RATES*
Age
Rate Range
55-64
4.0-4.6%
65-74
4.7-5.7%
75-84
5.8-7.6%
85-89
7.8-8.7%
90+
9.0%
* Rates subject to change.
For more information about our charitable gift annuities, please contact Joan Rubio, Senior Director, Planned & Major Gifts, at 657-278-3947 or jrubio@fullerton.edu.
fullerton.edu/PlannedGiving
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24 CINDY MARAM ’86 (M.A. American studies)
is founder and executive editor of Dig In, an online popular culture magazine that explores art, film, music, fashion and style. Launched in 2010, Dig In is based in the Bay Area. Maram has worked in the areas of editing, marketing, Web and graphic design for clients such as Levi’s, Volkswagen, Lowepro, American Quarterly, The Institute of Reading Development, Round Pond Estate and Winery, Mix It Up magazine and Color and Light Interiors.
In Memoriam n DONN FINN, professor emeritus of theatre and dance, died Nov. 27, 2011. Finn taught acting for stage and film, as well as audition techniques, for 20 years on campus. Finn also served as a director for several theater, television and film productions in the United States and Europe, including the National Theatre of Yugoslavia, opera productions in Germany and Yugoslavia and regional theater in Chicago and Minneapolis. He shared billing as casting director with his late wife, Mali, in such films as “The Super Mario Brothers,” “Titanic,” “L.A. Confidential” and “The Matrix.” In 2005, Finn was invested as a Fellow of the American Theatre in recognition of his achievements in the industry. n RONALD DUANE MINKE ’78, ’80 (B.A. business administrationfinance, MBA) died recently after a hardfought battle with leukemia. Minke was a chartered financial analyst and chartered investment counselor who held vice president and portfolio manager positions with several different firms. He is survived by his wife and two sons. n BONNIE E. SHARPE ’72 (B.A. anthropology) died Feb. 3 at the age of 64 following a long battle with a brain tumor, a stroke and metastatic cancer. Sharpe was the TITAN MAG.COM
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LINDA MARTIN ’83 (B.A. communications)
BRIAN PUGH ’82 (B.A. business administra-
first female Cal State Fullerton student body president and fought for additional funds to support the women’s gymnastics team as part of her service to CSUF. Sharpe was active in the Sierra Club, championing archaeological sites in Chaco Canyon, N.M. She is survived by her sons, Brendan and Sean, and her two grandchildren. n JERRY SAMUELSON , former dean of the College of the Arts, passed away April 27. Samuelson had been battling cancer and retired in 2009 as the longest-serving dean in the university’s history. He spent 34 years in that post – a record of service for CSUF deans that is not likely to be broken. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, sons and grandchildren. n YOSEF SHERIF, professor of Information Systems & Decision Sciences, died on Jan. 10. Sherif taught in three disciplines, including operations research, statistics and probability, and network communications and security. Prior to his teaching career, he was a consultant for the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech. He is survived by his wife, Ellen, and three children. n RODGER D. VAUGHAN, professor emeritus of music, died at his home in January. The former faculty member, who had served the campus community for more than 30 years, was 79 years old. In addition
to teaching, Vaughan was also a renowned composer. He co-produced the first West Coast Octubafest at Cal State Fullerton in 1975 and created more than 50 arrangements for the professional tuba quartet, the Tubadours. He is survived by his son, Ed; daughter, Judy; and granddaughter, Christina. n W. PRESTON STEDMAN, professor emeritus of music, died March 31 at the age of 89. Stedman joined the university in 1976 as chair of the Music Department after a decade as a dean of the conservatory of music at University of the Pacific and as a department chair at Texas A&I University in Kingsville. He served CSUF for 23 years. He was on the board of directors of several music organizations, including the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and California Association of Professional Music Teachers, and was author of such books as “The Symphony,” “The Symphony - A Research and Information Guide: The Eighteenth Century” and “Introduction to Stylistic Theory.” Stedman is survived by his wife of 40 years, Leslie; his sons, Preston and Alex; stepson, Rob McNeill and stepdaughter, Kate McNeill Hicks; and five grandchildren.
has been appointed partner at Porter Novelli in recognition of her development and implementation of strategic programs that drive the growth and success of the agency, and for her creation of a workplace that fosters teamwork, enabling top talent to thrive and drive meaningful change for clients. Martin is executive vice president and managing director of Porter Novelli’s Irvine and San Diego offices.
tion-marketing) has joined the Insco Dico Group as branch manager of its Phoenix, Ariz., office. Pugh has more than 25 years of surety experience and has held numerous management positions, as well as serving as regional director for national carriers. The Insco Dico Group includes Developers Surety and Indemnity Company and is one of the nation’s leading surety writers.
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tion-finance), a 30-year real estate consultant and certified financial planner, recently was acknowledged by Five Star Professional group and Orange Coast magazine as providing over-the-top service and satisfaction to his clients. It is the second year in a row Santoro, of Fullerton-based Crane Real Estate, has been so honored. MICHELLE SCARPELLA ’87 (B.S. human
services) is vice president for the Northrop Grumman F-35 program. Scarpella most recently was vice president of the company’s F/A-18 programs, which included management of the F-5 and T-38 aircraft programs. TIM SCUDDER ’89 (B.A. business adminis-
tration-accounting) is president of Personal Strengths Publishing, a global training and personal development company, which recently published “Have A Nice Conflict.” The book reveals practical, memorable relationship-building and conflict-management techniques. Alumnus KENT MITCHELL ’95 (B.A. communications-advertising) is vice president of communications for the publishing firm. www.haveaniceconflict.com SCOTT VANATTER ’80 (B.A. business admi-
nistration-finance) is executive vice president and chief operating officer at Frontiers of Freedom, an educational institute that promotes conservative public policy based on the principles of individual freedom, peace through strength, limited government, free enterprise and traditional American values as found in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Class Notes • Spotlight
TOM SANTORO ’87 (B.A. business administra-
Finding His Voice Spotlight Even after five years, TONY ORTEGA ’87, ’89 (B.A., M.A. English) still cannot fully comprehend that he is editor-in-chief of New York’s storied Village Voice. “It’s a great challenge,” Ortega said. “It’s a legendary paper and it’s still stunning to me [that I am here].” At the same time, he believes his duty is clear. “We have a very simple mission: We want to tell people things about New York that they don’t already know. It sounds simple, but it’s very difficult – and it’s something worth doing.” The Voice was launched by Ed Fancher, Dan Wolf and Norman Mailer on October 26, 1955, from a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village. At a recent meeting with Ortega, Fancher, now 88, recalled Mailer delivering papers to newsstands. The Voice has published many well-known writers, including Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, James Baldwin, E.E. Cummings and Allen Ginsberg. Ortega recently traveled back to Cal State Fullerton to attend a flurry of receptions, classes and seminars at the invitation of the Alumni Association. He particularly enjoyed speaking to journalism classes and visiting the Daily Titan newsroom. “Students ask great questions, particularly those in Professor Jeff Brody’s class,” he said. “Brody really understands how the media has changed. I heard him giving students advice that was absolutely spot-on.” Ortega’s prior experience includes work for weekly newspapers in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Kansas City and Fort Lauderdale. He started with the Phoenix New Times in 1995 and was named Arizona’s Journalist of the Year in 1996 for his work exposing corruption in Sheriff Joe Apaio’s Maricopa County offices. He has spent 17 years writing about Scientology, with a blog post nearly every day. Crediting Professor Emeritus William Koon and Joe Sawicki, English chair and professor, among others, with inspiring him to write well and think critically as a student and then as a teaching assistant, Ortega believes his literary and grammatical studies were important in making him the editor and writer he has become. “We’ve gone from a weekly newspaper with a website to a 24-hour digital news organization that happens to put out a weekly paper,” he said. “It’s been a difficult transition – we’ve all taken on extra jobs and we’re all working really hard.” n
Story by Cathi Douglas ’80 / Image by Bill Wadman CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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DAVID G. HIRZ ’96 (B.A. busi-
ness administration-finance), president and chief operating officer of Smart & Final Holdings Corp., has been named chief executive officer and a member of the company’s board of directors. Hirz joined Smart & Final in April 2010 as president. He was a CSUF Vision & Visionaries honoree in 2001. GEORGE GOLLEHER ’71 (B.A. sociology) remains executive chairman of the Smart & Final board and continues to work closely with Hirz and the senior management team on strategic issues. Golleher was a 1996 Vision & Visionaries honoree. WILL LESTER ’96 (B.A. communications-
photocommunications) is a four-time winner of the Taxslayer.com Motorsports Journalism Award, presented during NASCAR’s annual Spring Media Tour. Lester has won the country’s most prestigious motorsports journalism award more than any other photographer.
RON MAZELLAN ’91 (M.A. art-design) has
illustrated a picture book biography of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker who helped save nearly 2,500 Jewish children during the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II. “Irena’s Jars of Secrets,” written by Marcia Vaughan, is published by Lee & Low Books Inc. IRENE NELLER ’98 (M.A. communications)
was promoted to vice president of university communications and marketing at Biola University in spring 2011. Neller has been recognized with various awards by industry groups and higher education agencies, such as Admissions Marketing Report, CASE, President’s Awards for Excellence and Exceptional Performance and the Public Relations Society of America.
KEVIN O’GRADY ’90, ’93 (B.A., M.A. political
science) is the new executive director of The Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County. O’Grady previously served as the Anti-Defamation League’s regional director for the Orange County and Long Beach region. He holds a doctorate in education from USC.
JOVEN OROZCO ’95 (B.F.A. graphic design) is
owner of Jovenville, a Newport Beach advertising agency that won several top awards in the Addys, sponsored by the Orange County Advertising Federation. “We were thrilled not only with the volume of the wins but also for the breadth of work,” Orozco said. “We won for complex interactive work, as well as for more traditional printed and packaging work.” MICHAEL PIERCE ’91 (MBA) is vice president
of business and financial affairs at Biola University. Pierce joined the university in August 2010 after serving as senior director of finance and administration at the Center for Innovation and Strategic Collaboration, a research and development company within St. Jude Medical Inc. BRYAN THOMAS SCHMIDT ’92 (B.A. commu-
Want a Smarter California?
nications-radio/TV/film) is a Kansas-based science fiction author whose latest work, “The Worker Prince,” received an honorable mention from notable Barnes & Noble reviewer Paul Goat Allen on his Best Science Fiction Releases for 2011 list. A sequel to the book, “The Returning,” is planned for this summer. FRANK TALARICO ’95 (M.A. communications-
journalism) is the new president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County. Talarico previously served as president and CEO of JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano.
fullerton.edu/advocacy/titanmag TITAN MAG.COM
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ERIC BEAN ’07 (M.S. kinesiol-
Class Notes • Spotlight
ogy), a performance enhancement specialist with the U.S. Army in University Place, Wash., recently was designated a certified consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the international professional organization of sport and exercise psychology. LANDON EVANS ’06 (B.A. communications-
advertising) leads the HDE Agency in Phoenix, Ariz., one of the area’s fastest-growing, full-service marketing and public relations firms. A percentage of all HDE-produced events benefits local charities. In 2011, Evans raised nearly $50,000 in charitable donations.
The Enforcer
NILO GHANDEHARI ’07 (B.A. business
with the Green Bay Packers in 1975, today serves the sport he loves in an unusual way: He is one of a 32-man crew dedicated to inspecting National Football League uniforms. Gray, a nine-year starter with the Packers, intercepted 22 passes in 124 games before retiring in 1983. These days you can find him standing on the Packers sidelines with a clipboard, inspecting jerseys, footwear and more items for unauthorized logos and other breaches of the league’s strict dress code. Everything on game day has to be licensed by the NFL, Gray notes, including the Gatorade buckets, Wilson footballs, Reebok apparel and different brands of shoes. This is about maintaining a look, and it’s also about marketing, since companies pay lots of money to be associated with the NFL. “Bellies showing are probably some of the more interesting violations,” Gray said, noting that some players want to show off their tattooed Bible verses. “The main thing as a uniform inspector is to make sure these guys aren’t sloppy; that they aren’t doing their own thing.” He stresses that he is there for the players, educating them about the proper uniform so that the league doesn’t fine them. Fines can start as high as $5,000 for a sock pulled too high or too low. The NFL began strictly enforcing its dress code in the mid-1990s, when officials decided they wanted a more professional appearance for their players. But when they first called Gray on the phone to invite him to be a uniform inspector, he thought it was a prank call. “It took a couple of years for us to get it under control,” Gray said. “Now the league looks more professional. This is what we want for the NFL.” In the years since he was a player, Gray said, “the game has gotten faster, the guys are bigger, and there’s a lot more marketing. But standing on the sidelines on game day, my enthusiasm, emotion and passion for the game are still there.” n
administration-marketing), known professionally as Nilo G, along with her team at KaptureVision, coordinated the dinner reception and party for comedy legend Betty White’s 90th birthday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles in January. STEPHEN GREGG ’07 (B.A. communications-
public relations) is senior account executive at Irvine-based Morgan Marketing & Public Relations. Prior to joining the company, he was with Faubel Public Affairs. CHRISTINE HERNANDEZ ’09 (B.A. English)
won two awards from the American College Personnel Association: the Standing Committee for Multicultural Affairs Outstanding New Professional award, and the Standing Committee for Women’s Outstanding Emerging Professional award.
DURGAPRASAD KOTTARY ’11 (M.S. engi-
neering-electrical) is a software engineer at Hewlett-Packard. Kottary formerly worked at Cal State Fullerton as an IT Services student assistant and was a programmer analyst at Cognizant Technology Solutions.
Spotlight JOHNNIE GRAY, who played Titan football in 1973-74 and was an undrafted rookie
Story by Cathi Douglas ’80 / Image by Jim Biever, Green Bay Packers CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON I
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VICTOR MACIAS ’09 (B.A. business administration-entrepre-
neurship) has created a Web enterprise, MaleStandard.com, providing education and insight about men’s grooming options. “The CSUF Entrepreneurship Program helped me get ready for the new venture creation, and gave me the confidence to go do it,” Macias said.
Mike Weisman ’74, founding partner and president of DGWB Advertising & Communications, applies social science research methods to determine companies’ values.
KRISTIN PROCTOR ’05 (B.A. communications-public
relations) is account supervisor at Irvine-based Morgan Marketing & Public Relations, where she manages public relations programs and strategic direction for several of the agency’s biggest clients.
Beyond
SHAYLA SABIN ’08 (B.S. kinesiology) is the new director
of operations for the USC women’s soccer program. Sabin was San Clemente High School’s assistant soccer coach for six seasons, helping the school reach a county-record four straight CIF-SS Division 1 title matches.
the Mission
ISAAC SALAZAR ’10 (M.S. kinesiology) is Cal State
Fullerton’s new head strength and conditioning coach. Salazar served as the graduate assistant coach for the Titans from 2007 to 2009, and has been a performanceenhancement specialist for the Boras Sports Training Institute, in Newport Beach, since June 2011.
CSUF College of Communications and Ad
PAO-YUEH “CLAUDIA” SCHOLLMEYER ’07 (B.A. business
administration-finance) has joined Widner Roel PC in Bismarck, N.D., as a staff accountant. Schollmeyer has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Mary.
KENT TREPTOW ’02 (B.A. communications-photocommu-
nications), a former Daily Pilot photographer, is walking across the United States with his dog, Hanna. Treptow talks about his experience in his blog: “… [I] hold on to the crazy idea that photography and storytelling can do good in the world.” kenttreptow.com/blog CARLOS URQUIZA ’05 (B.A. political science) is a field
representative in the Garden Grove office of U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove). Urquiza handles the business, housing and transportation portfolio. He previously served as council assistant to former Anaheim City Council member Bob Hernandez. JESSICA WETZEL ’08 (B.A. liberal studies) is the new
academic coordinator of Girls Inc. of Carpenteria, managing the after-school program that provides girls with specific tools and instruction crucial to academic success.
KRISTI WOLFORD ’01 (B.A. psychology) is a job develop-
ment specialist with New Horizons, a nonprofit agency in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
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ike Weisman ’74 (B.A. communications) a founding partner and president of DGWB Advertising & Communications in Santa Ana, was becoming increasingly concerned over what he saw as a disconnect between companies’ mission statements and how they actually operated. Working with his former director of strategic planning – who happened to have a master’s degree in sociology – he decided to try to understand what was happening. “We were concerned with what seemed to be a revolving door in marketing and advertising,” Weisman said. “Our agency was frequently called upon to analyze these campaigns. What we discovered was that the average tenure of someone in a marketing position was about 18 months. “Often we found ads and communication strategies that were fine,” he added. “But when we dug a little deeper, we’d often find problems with the quality of the product or inconsistent delivery systems. Sometimes the leadership of an organization caused problems. Or there was disorganization that prevented companies from moving ahead. But instead of focusing on the deeper issues, the tendency was to blame the marketing campaigns.” So Weisman, along with his former partner, began to apply social science research methods to businesses – trying to determine what qualities successful companies used to stay profitable and maintain excellent reputations. That led to the implementation of DGWB’s Values Institute. Recently the agency teamed up with Cal State Fullerton’s
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Statement Agency, DGWB, Team Up to Promote Organizational Values
College of Communications to develop processes related to values-based marketing, relationship development and socially responsible corporate behavior. After meeting with College of Communications Dean William Briggs, Weisman extended an invitation to advertising professor Mark Wu to join the board of the Values Institute. In turn, Weisman serves on the dean’s advisory board in the College of Communications. “At the Values Institute, we looked at issues of trust and shared values,” Weisman said. “Rather than simply write up a mission statement or talk about customer service, we wanted companies to demonstrate how they put these words into practice. Some of them had a hard time doing so.” When he (or his staff members) met with company leadership, they first conducted an audit of the organization, examining the leaders and influential employees. Weisman discovered that by looking within a company, he could determine if there were no ascribed values (values weren’t something addressed by the company), latent values that hadn’t been communicated (values had been developed but employees often couldn’t articulate what they were) or compliant values (values were in line with how business was being conducted). If it was determined that a larger problem was at hand, the group would turn to operational issues. “The big idea here is that strong organizations that ‘live out’ their values are the ones that succeed over the long haul and
out-perform their competitors,” Weisman explained. “We often look inward before we can communicate outward. “The brand transcends the company,” he said. “Ad campaigns usually make a promise. If there is a problem with the product or delivery system, it’s hard to make good on that promise. If a company doesn’t have a set of values and live them, then long-term sustainable growth is almost impossible.” Briggs had heard about the Values Institute and was interested. “I found that it was a very progressive approach to looking at communications,” Briggs said. “The more we talked about what Mike was trying to accomplish, the more I wanted CSUF to play a role. It makes an enormous amount of sense that an academic component could enhance the credibility of what Mike was trying to do; and at the same time, it gives the college and our students, many of whom are interns at DGWB, a solid footing in the business community. “The future of public higher education will depend, to a large extent, on public/private partnerships,” said Briggs. “It is our hope that private organizations will come to recognize the added advantages of such partnerships.” Weisman’s vision is to enable DGWB to become a recognized leader in the movement to base communications and management decisions on values. “Partnering with Cal State Fullerton makes sense for both parties,” he said. n
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Titan Alumni Mega Mixer 6:30 P.M. GRAND CENTRAL ARTS CENTER, 125 N. BROADWAY, SANTA ANA
The second annual Mega Mixer is an opportunity for the 20 chapters of the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association to welcome our newest graduates for a night of networking, socializing and fun. Please call 657-CSU-ALUM or email alumnirelations@fullerton.edu for more information. n
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ISM: A Community Project 7 P.M. OPENING RECEPTION; GRAND CENTRAL ARTS CENTER, 125 N. BROADWAY, SANTA ANA
An opening reception celebrates “ISM: A Community Project,” which marks 10 years of creativity and accomplishments with a retrospective book and an exhibition, on display from July 7 to August 12. For more information, email info@ismcommunity.org . n
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Vintage57 – A Premier Wine and Food Tasting Event 6 P.M. GOLLEHER HOUSE
A popular event that sells out quickly, this award-winning evening sponsored by the Cal State Fullerton Alumni Association features international cuisine and eclectic wines from around the globe. Sommelier Diane DeLuca provides her expertise throughout the event while sharing her wine- and food-pairing choices for the evening’s menu. A silent auction will benefit the Alumni Association student scholarship program. Sponsorship and auction donations are welcome, and you may reserve your seat or table today. Please call 657-CSU-ALUM or email alumnirelations@fullerton.edu for more information.
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