Three years ago when Arnaud Lukombo came to California State University, Dominguez Hills as a student of the university's American Language and Culture Program, his command of English was limited. Now an undergraduate in the political science department, the Frenchman is winning awards due in large part to his ability to speak and write well in English. Lukombo was recognized with an Honorable Mention award at the Harvard National Model United Nations–held in Boston Feb. 14-17–for his contribution as a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation delegation representing Palestine on talks concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “I was quite shocked that my name was ... Read More
Archive
Africana Studies Faculty Promote Published Work at Book Signing
Published authors from the Department of Africana Studies faculty hosted a book-signing event on Feb. 19 in Loker Student Union, as part of the celebration of Black History Month at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Rudy Vanterpool, emeritus professor of philosophy and Africana studies, presented two books, "Speak My Soul: Poems on Migrations and Returns of a Native Son" (AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2011) and "In Job's Sandals" (Vantage Press, Inc., New York, 2010), a philosophical exploration of biblical stories. “I've always been interested in religion as an aspect of my philosophy. I am doing some writing on books of the Bible that are poetic by design,” ... Read More
Michelle Padilla Wholeheartedly Believes in Disease Awareness
“Gooood afternoon… This is K-D-H-R coming live from Cal State Dominguez. This is Michelle Padilla. …Happy Valentine's Day everybody. It's also go red for women American Heart Association Month …and we're winding down Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week…” Michelle Padilla, a junior at California State University, Dominguez Hills, really puts her heart into raising awareness of heart disease. And she takes to the airwaves to do it. She's one of two-dozen student volunteer on-air hosts at the on-campus radio station KDHR, which is funded by the Associated Students, Inc. “I want to help those that want to get help and want to get better,” she said of why she hosts the talk and music ... Read More
Digital Media Arts Students Produce City of L.A. Recreation & Parks Department PSA
Two California State University, Dominguez Hills digital media arts (DMA) students landed a gig that highlights their talent in a big way. The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) commissioned recent alumna Danayia Stedham (Class of '12, B.A., digital media arts, television arts option) and Kimberly Esslinger, a senior majoring in DMA with a television arts option, to produce a 30-second public service announcement (PSA), "Experience a Healthy Lifestyle," which has since aired on the City of L.A.'s Channel 35 with a reach of 1.3 million households in the City of Los Angeles, and debuted on the giant video screen at the Staple Center during halftime at the Clippers ... Read More
Latinas Juntas: 10 Years Together
Whether you attend or just peek in on Latinas Juntas (Latinas Together) at California State University, Dominguez Hills, it's easy to see that the event fosters instant, deep, and lasting camaraderie among the students, alumni, faculty, and staff, no matter if they are returnees or first-time participants to the event, now in its 10th year. Its co-founders Denna Sanchez, a clinical psychologist for the Career Center, and Monica Rosas-Baines, a clinical psychologist for Student Health and Psychological Services, not only lead the way to empowerment and sisterhood, they embody it. The two–who, Sanchez said, “finish each other's sentences”–met on campus in 2002 and instantly bonded, drawing ... Read More
University Goes to Church for CSU Super Sunday Outreach
California State University, Dominguez Hills Interim President Willie J. Hagan helped kick off CSU Super Sunday, a system-wide event held at nearly 100 predominately African American churches throughout the state in February and March, when he attended services at the historic First AME (FAME) Church of Los Angeles this past Sunday, Feb. 10, and spoke before the congregation about the importance of college. Reaching more than 100,000 churchgoers, Super Sunday is produced by the CSU African American Initiative - a partnership between CSU campuses and African American religious leaders with the goal of increasing college-going rates among African American students. It is in its eighth ... Read More
Ericka Verba Granted NEH Fellowship for Life’s Work
Ericka Verba, associate professor of history at California State University, Dominguez Hills, has been awarded a Fellowship grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to undertake the writing of a biography of 20th century Chilean artist Violeta Parra, the culmination of decades Verba has dedicated to the study. The project submitted to the NEH as “A Transnational Biography of Chilean Folklorist, Musician and Visual Artist, Violeta Parra (1917-1967),” earned Verba two potential awards from the organization. She was the only candidate to receive both grants this year. However, required to accept only one, she chose the NEH Fellowship grant over the NEH Award for Faculty. ... Read More
$200,000 from Keck Foundation Supports Unique Chemistry Lab Redesign
California State University, Dominguez Hills has received a $200,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to support a unique chemistry lab model aimed at addressing barriers to the sciences for part-time, working students. For nontraditional students who work and/or commute long distances to campus, spending hours in a lab each week can be daunting and is often a deterrent in the pursuit of a degree in science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) fields. Recognizing the large population of part-time, working students, as well as students underrepresented in the sciences who attend CSU Dominguez Hills, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry sought a more flexible model ... Read More
Sam Enriquez: Above the Fold at the Wall Street Journal
Sam Enriquez (Class of '85, B.S., economics) is featured as a CSU Dominguez Hills alumnus in the CSU Working for California campaign. His list of accomplishments are highlighted on the CSU website and as part of banner displays in the State Capitol Building. --- Just a month after his promotion to national news editor of the Wall Street Journal in 2008, Sam Enriquez found himself reaching back more than two decades to his courses in economics from California State University, Dominguez Hills. That fall, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., a global financial services firm and then the fourth-largest investment bank in the U.S., declared bankruptcy, ushering in a historic autumn of frozen credit ... Read More
Q & A: Hamoud Salhi on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Hamoud Salhi, associate professor of political science, specializes in international politics and comparative politics with an emphasis on the Middle East and Northern Africa, terrorism and counterterrorism, and political change in the Third World. He was in Algeria over winter break, during which time he joined a panel of experts to discuss American foreign policy and the Arab Spring. Dateline caught up with Salhi last week and asked him about this trip and his thoughts on events in the Middle East. Dateline: Why were you in Algeria and for how long were you there? Hamound Salhi: I was in Algeria for 10 days. I was invited to join in a panel on America foreign policy and ... Read More
