Faculty members in the Department of Africana Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills take to heart –and to task–the department's motto, “A place where scholars, thinkers and leaders are nurtured.” Availing themselves to students beyond the classroom, they become more than academic advisors, they become mentors. In part, because of this deep support they receive, students are able to achieve academic success and set their sights high–for some, well beyond an undergraduate degree. Seeing students excel is a big part of what drives Maurice Keith Claybrook Jr., adjunct professor of Africana studies who serves as a faculty advisor for students in the program as well as the ... Read More
College of Arts and Humanities
Memorial Festival of Arts Concert Honors Beloved Professor Rod Butler — March 8
The California State University, Dominguez Hills Division of Performing, Visual and Digital Media Arts, and the Department of Music will host the Fifth Annual Rod Butler Memorial Festival of the Arts and scholarship fundraiser on Thursday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. A blending of music, dance, and digital media arts will offer guests an evening of eclectic artistic entertainment and an opportunity to contribute to the Rod Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund, benefiting CSU Dominguez Hills music students, in honor of the late Rodney H. Butler, who had a distinguished career as a professor of music at the university from 1991 up to his sudden death in 2007. Remembering ... Read More
Alumnus Thabiti Asukile Urges Recognition of Black Intellectuals
For California State University, Dominguez Hills alumnus Thabiti Asukile (Class of '95, B.S. Africana studies), learning to read critically revealed deeper, more comprehensive insights into American history - including contributions of great African American thinkers. In learning more about American history, Asukile, who has an M.A. in African American studies from Temple University and a Ph.D. in American history from University of California, Berkeley, discovered a wealth of black intellectuals who had been forgotten or intentionally marginalized. “Today, it's hard to know who the black intellectuals are, because they aren't talked about in the media. Academic scholars know who they ... Read More
Eric Myles: Studio Art Alumnus Leads Program for Intellectually Disabled
Eric Myles (Class of '87, B.S., studio art) once painted in the oversized scale needed for billboards. Today, he makes a larger-than-life mark on the intellectually disabled as program manager of the South Los Angeles art center of the Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF). Myles's work is currently featured in the exhibit, "I Have the Right," now on view at the PICTURE Cultural Art space on the California State University, Dominguez Hills campus through Summer 2012. His charcoal drawings, "Zapata" and "Freedom" incorporate meticulously rendered images with freeform paper collage. He says that he has recently begun to utilize this style because of "a fragmentation of time." "I ... Read More
George Osorio: Music Student Makes Conducting Debut
While carrying 23 units, music student George Osorio is conducting himself quite well. And now he'll get a chance to conduct others, too. He will lead musicians during “Holiday Inspirations,” an orchestral and chamber music concert presented by the Department of Music on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Osorio will conduct students from the first university class dedicated solely to orchestra, in “Dance of the Tumblers,” from “The Snow Maiden” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. “One of the characteristics that make this piece a delight to conduct is the fact that there are sections where the brass is featured, which are my ... Read More
