Several California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni took part in a CSU Mega Mixer along with nearly 250 alumni from 10 CSU campuses at the House of Blues at Downtown Disney in Orange County on Nov. 13. “More than it being fun, I think it's just a really good idea that the alums get together,” said CSU Dominguez Hills alumna Khaleah Bradshaw (Class of '09, B.A., English literature). “Thaun Lam [director for the CSU Fullerton Alumni Association] mentioned that there's over 2.6 million CSU alums, so it only makes sense that we network and create more of a tight-knit association.” As with Bradshaw, who works as an admissions supervisor at CSU Dominguez Hills, many alumni ... Read More
Archive
James Jeffers: Answering Hollywood’s Call to Explain the “Wrath of the Titans”
High-budget, action-adventure movies that are heavy on special effects tend not to be educational. While that is true for the recent summer blockbuster “Wrath of the Titans,” its Blu-ray release does provide a mini history lesson on the movie's use of Greek mythology given by California State University, Dominguez Hills history professor James Jeffers, who was invited to take part in the “Maximum Movie Mode” special feature on the disc. In Maximum Movie Mode, viewers can choose either the "Path of Man,” where they get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and what went into the special effects scenes or how various creatures took shape, or the “Path of the Gods” and ... Read More
Faculty Highlights: December 2012
Our faculty members participate in conferences around the world, conduct groundbreaking research, and publish books and articles that contribute to their field and highlight their expertise. We feature those accomplishments in this section. College of Arts and Humanities Ericka Verba, associate professor of history, has received a $50,400 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for College Teachers and Independent Scholars to work on a biography of Chilean folklorist, musician and visual artist Violeta Parra. Verba was the only candidate to be offered both the NEH Fellowship and the NEH Award for Faculty. College of Professional Studies Ann Choi, assistant professor of ... Read More
Early Alumnus James Waight Makes Adventure his Mission
Dashing young agent with top-secret clearance ferries confidential materials on international missions, lands in a few tight spots, and in the end gets the girl. An elevator pitch for a James Bond movie? No, but in many ways, it's better. In a nutshell, it was the life of James Waight (Class of '68, B.A., history/American studies) as a diplomatic courier for the U.S. Department of State. Unlike the famous fictional Brit, Waight doesn't have the status: Secret service agent 007. However, he may very well be student 007. In 1965, he was among just 14 fellow juniors and 27 freshmen to attend the inaugural term at what would later become California State University, Dominguez ... Read More
Second Budget Town Hall: Life After Proposition 30
Providing an overview of the 2012-13 budget in light of the passing of Proposition 30 in November, California State University, Dominguez Hills Interim President Willie Hagan, along with Mary Ann Rodriguez, vice president for administration and finance, addressed members of the campus community during the second in a series of campus town hall meetings in Loker Student Union Ballroom on Dec. 4. With the passage of Proposition 30, the university's budget will avoid a mid-year baseline cut of $5.8 million, Hagan said; however that passage did come at a cost, he added. The university incurred a one-time $3 million reduction resulting in part from the 9 percent tuition rollback. The state has ... Read More
Research Students Gain Insights and Experience at National Science Conference
Seven undergraduate and graduate science students from California State University, Dominguez Hills gained valuable experience participating along with 1,700 undergraduate students, and 400 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists from more than 350 colleges and universities nationwide at the 2012 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held at the San Jose Convention Center in November. The four-day professional conference, now in its 12th year, is the largest for biomedical and behavioral sciences, attracting more than 3,000 participants–including students, faculty and administrators–and is aimed at encouraging underrepresented minority students to ... Read More
Danny Brassell Reads Between the Lines to Inspire
Danny Brassell is big on reading, but he is no book snob. The California State University, Dominguez Hills professor of teacher education pointed out that there are myriad forms of reading materials, from newspapers and magazines, to electronic readers as well as the Internet, emails and even text messages. It doesn't matter to him what people read, he just wants them to get turned on to reading. “Reading doesn't just mean it's in a really old book,” said Brassell, a librarian's son. “If people want to read Sports Illustrated on the toilet, that's what they should be reading.” He also absolves readers from books they aren't enjoying. “If you don't like the first ... Read More
Digital Media Arts Grads Look to Crash Super Bowl with their Doritios Ad
It took 13 30 oz. bags, but with the director's clapboard on the final take sounding like the crunch of a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip, James Karroum and Calvin Ko called it a wrap on their entry into the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ad contest. The recent Digital Media Arts graduates (Karroum in 2012, Ko in 2010) are among thousands of people across the country who are seeking to have their original ad for the popular snack food chosen and shown on millions of televisions around the world during Super Bowl XLVII. The contest includes $25,000 and a trip to the big game for five finalists, with two winners ultimately being selected for airtime, one of whom will get a chance to work for a ... Read More
Message of Marine Conservation is No Fish Tale
A bespectacled red crab, an anemone wearing headphones, a mariachi sea star, and even a shark with a pompadour landed themselves on the main floor of the of Aquarium of the Pacific (AOP) in Long Beach, delivering a message of marine conservation. These and other sea characters were portrayed in "Fish Out of Water: The Aquarium of the Pacific Project" on Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 by California State University, Dominguez Hills students from Teatro Dominguez, a multicultural theatre company directed by professor of theatre arts Bill DeLuca, and the companion multicultural children's theatre course (THE 339) taught by theatre arts lecturer Naomi Buckley, who directed the show. The project, ... Read More
University Faculty and Staff Celebrate their Alma Mater Ties
Many students who have passed through the doors of California State University, Dominguez Hills understand what makes it special. For more than 300 alumni, it's also a special place to work. To celebrate their common ties, 80 members from the university's faculty and staff gathered for a luncheon held in their honor in the Loker Student Union Ballroom on Nov. 29. Iris Baxter (Class of '90, B.S., health science) said CSU Dominguez Hills was the only place she ever considered working. She began as an adjunct professor in public administration in 1996, was hired as a full-time professor in 2001 and has taught public management, health services administration management, health policy, ... Read More
