Whether it's a president's reception for donors or government officials, the student-centered Toro Iron Chef cooking competition, an education fair that brings tens of thousands of people to the California State University, Dominguez Hills campus, or commencement, the man behind them all is Toby Bushee, director of events and donor stewardship. For his tireless work Bushee was recognized with the 2012 MPP (Management Personnel Plan) Outstanding Leadership Award. “I still can't believe that I won the award. It blows me away because to do what I do, it takes an army. I rely on just about every single department to make one event happen,” he said. “I'm humbled.” But an army requires a ... Read More
Features
Alumna Karen Bass: Leading From the Hill
This article first appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of Dominguez Today, the university's magazine that is available in print and online, and is being posted in Dateline following her swearing in on January 3 to the 113th Congress as the 37th District of California representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congresswoman Karen Bass didn't set out to become the first African American woman to serve as California's Speaker of the Assembly when her peers in the legislature tapped her for the job in 2008. In fact, if someone had asked about her aspirations four years prior, elected office likely wouldn't have been on the list. “I was pushed to run for office by the former ... Read More
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
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
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