On the 113th day of his permanent appointment by the California State University Board of Trustees as president of CSU Dominguez Hills, Willie J. Hagan welcomed faculty, staff–several of whom are recent additions–and students to the campus during the annual fall convocation. The Sept. 12 event held in the Loker Student Union Ballroom drew a large crowd of approximately 400 people who were treated to details of the university's history that Hagan said help to make its achievements particularly significant. “California State University, Dominguez Hills has always been a catalyst for change, a place of individual and social transformation,” he remarked. “This is who we are. Despite ... Read More
Archives for September 2013
ASI President Gavin Centeno Centers on Student Engagement
Gavin Centeno believes that student engagement enriches the college experience. As president of Associated Students, Incorporated (ASI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills, he leads the way. And he delivers his message to students every chance he gets. Over the summer, he shared his message of student involvement with incoming Toros during new student orientations (NSO). He recalled that it was through high school advisers and mentors that he learned the value of becoming engaged in college and NSO was an opportunity for him to influence students to do the same. Centeno, a senior majoring in public administration, asserted that being engaged on campus develops habits that ... Read More
Jenny Greer: Volunteerism Started while Student Results in Award
Recent CSU Dominguez Hills alumna Jenny Greer ('13, B.S. geology; environmental science) was honored as Outstanding Volunteer by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC), which since 1988 has successfully preserved 1,600 acres of open space on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The award was presented at the PVPLC's annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon in July. "I had no idea I was going to be given an award," Greer said. "Cris Sarbia, the stewardship manager, surprised me when he went in front of the crowd and proceeded to explain some of the various projects I had been working on throughout the year. I was embarrassed but thrilled that I was being acknowledged for doing what I ... Read More
Senior Class Leaves Legacy of iPads to Library’s Technology Loan Program
Before graduating, the senior class of 2013 at California State University, Dominguez Hills added its collective two cents to the university. Or make that $4,941 payable to the University Library's technology checkout program. More than 100 individual contributions–many larger than the suggested $20.13– to the Alumni Association and Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) collaborative iGave Senior Class Gift Campaign resulted in the purchase of 10 second generation iPads for the Library, which expands the existing inventory for the loan program to approximately 50 tablet computers. iPads are available for checkout through the library's Laptop Loaning Office for one-week periods to any currently ... Read More
Fieldwork Enriches Education For Biology Major Erica Parra
Whether contending with torrential rains, viscous mud or venomous snakes, all under the din of screeching monkeys and the clatter of exotically feathered fliers, things in a densely vegetated rainforest can seem larger than life. But it was a wee creature that captured Erica Parra's imagination. “Once you really stop and observe them you realize they are not just ants but they are individuals who are working together to make their colonies function efficiently. And not only that, but they each have their own personality and mission, which in turn helps the environment that surrounds them,” Parra asserted. The California State University, Dominguez Hills senior, who is majoring in biology ... Read More