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
Alumni
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
Claudia Rodriguez: Becoming a Lawyer Takes Elbow Grease
Visiting from Mexico at 18, Claudia Rodriguez only meant to stay in California for one summer. Instead, without means to return, she remained in America, went to college, and became a lawyer. The California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna (Class of '98, B.S., business administration; '00, M.A., behavioral science, negotiation and conflict management), said it was the heavy load of required units and rigorous coursework at the university that helped prepare her for law school. “The bachelor's got me into the critical thinking phase and the master's degree helped me with the writing,” she recalled. Rodriguez, who transferred from Los Angeles Harbor College with an ... Read More
University Celebrates Alumna and Olympic Champion on Carmelita Jeter Day
The fastest woman in the world, 2012 Olympic bronze, silver and gold medalist, and California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna Carmelita Jeter (Class of '06, B.A., kinesiology) slowed down long enough to spend the afternoon and evening at her alma mater on Nov. 20. During her first stop on the university's celebration in her honor–Carmelita Jeter Day, she shared insights about some of the hurdles in her Olympic quest and of her ultimate triumph to a large crowd in the University Theatre including Toro and area high school athletes as well as fans from the campus and the community. “I didn't make the team in 2008. In 2007 I was the [World] bronze medalist in the 100 meters and ... Read More
PEGS: Helping Graduate Students to Prepare for Thesis
Cleveland Goode made below-average grades as a University of Nebraska undergraduate student. But things improved dramatically years later in his graduate studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills with the help of the Promoting Excellence in Graduate Studies (PEGS) program. Now in the university's marital family therapy master's program, he has a 4.0 grade point average. “My writing abilities and the central tools that were needed, I didn't have them in undergrad. I was good at taking tests,” Goode revealed, adding that when he returned to school to pursue a graduate degree at age 51 he had some fears about the deficiencies in his academic writing skills. “[PEGS] was a really ... Read More
