CSUDH News

The primary source of news and information about California State University, Dominguez Hills, its students, faculty, and staff.

Library

Thomas Philo Honored with ‘2016 Excellence in Service Award’

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Thomas PhiloFor Thomas Philo, an archivist in California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) University Library, an “exceptional sense of service” requires one to persistently look for ways to serve on campus and for “opportunities to serve that were not there before.” For his eagerness and skill in applying his vision of service for the entire CSUDH campus community, Philo was honored with the 2016 “Excellence in Service Award.”

Philo will carry the University Mace, an honor reserved for highly distinguished faculty members, at the College of Business Administration and Public Policy Commencement Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20.

The Excellence in Service Award recognizes “contributions to university governance and development, and acknowledges that service is an essential component of CSUDH’s mission.”

“So what is service here? I think Cal State Dominguez is known as the place that opens the door for people who can’t find the door elsewhere,” said Philo. “But our big ticket item is that yes, we get them inside the door, but we then point them to another door that’s at the top of the stairway and say, ‘That’s what you need to get through.’ Service is whatever you will do to get your students through that door… That’s what service means to me.”

Philo came to CSUDH in 2005 as part of a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant to process papers related to the Rancho San Pedro and the Dominguez family archives housed by the University Library. The papers also contained records of land leased to Japanese American farmers, some of which provided evidence of “California’s attitude toward, and treatment of, Japanese Americans during the period of California’s Alien Land Acts.”

“The records I processed, and those that have come into the archives in the last 10 years, have made a significant impact on our students,” said Philo. “There is a natural fit with archives and the History Department, and we have cultivated that relationship.”

Philo’s outstanding service to the campus as an archivist and cataloger has landed him on numerous campus committees and bodies, such as the University Curriculum Committee, the WASC Steering Committee, as a Student Research Day judge, and on executive-level search committees.

“When he [Philo] participates, he is there to contribute and work–not to simply attend a meeting, for example,” wrote Naomi 0. Moy, academic resources librarian in the University Library, who drafted one of the numerous letters of support for Philo’s faculty award. “This desire to put all of his efforts into providing service for others is what those of us here on campus see all the time in his work with students and faculty. Tom is genuine, and he always puts other’s needs first.”

At CSUDH, Philo has also co-taught information literacy sessions, and has trained students on such programs as digital collection management. Off campus, his is founding member and served as vice chair of the Carson Historical Committee, and has been invited to present at many local and regional organizations and societies.

“Mr. Philo’s dedication and engagement with the campus and larger community has been exemplary as demonstrated by his voluminous and substantial activities throughout his career at CSUDH,” wrote Stephanie Sterling Brasley, dean of the University Library. “I applaud his commitment to the CSUDH community.”

Philo was also recognized for his “tireless work” as leader of the rededication of the Shinwa-En Japanese Garden in 2010.

“I have had the opportunity to work with Thomas on several special events including the Japanese Garden rededication,” said Cheryl McKnight, director of the Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic and Community Engagement (SLICE). “I was impressed, not only with his dedication to presenting the university in the best light possible, but also for his perseverance in ensuring  that members of the local community had a quality experience as we celebrated the garden’s history.”

Philo is “deeply grateful” for the support he has received for his faculty award, and for being recognized for his commitment to serving the needs of students and the university.

“It is simple to do this, but it does demand that one completely accept the core mission of the university and always look for ways to promote them,” he said. “I have always tried to show that level of service–to our students, to all members of the campus, and as someone representing the university in the greater communities.”

Syndicated Political Commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson Gives Library Talk April 15

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Earl Hutchinson talkEarl Ofari Hutchinson, noted author, political and social commentator and alumnus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), will give a talk and book signing on his latest book “From King to Obama, Witness to a Turbulent History” at the University Library on Wednesday, April 15, at 6 p.m.

The talk is in conjunction with the CSUDH Archives’ and Special Collections exhibition “The Font of Black Culture in Los Angeles, the Alfred and Bernice Ligon Aquarian Collection,” which features items from the recent acquisition of books, photographs and documents related to the Aquarian Book Shop, the longest-running black-owned bookstore in Los Angeles and its owners. Hutchinson frequented the bookstore as a student in the 1960s.

Hutchinson (1989, M.A. humanities) is author of 10 books on race and social change in America. He is a national political writer for New America Media and the Los Angeles Wave Newspaper, and is a feature contributor to the Huffington Post. His syndicated columns have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the host of two syndicated public affairs and issues talk radio shows on KTYM Radio and KPFK Pacifica Network Radio Los Angeles, and a weekly commentator on the Radio-One Network. He is also a guest MSNBC political analyst.

“From King to Obama: Witness to a Turbulent History” is Hutchinson’s personal reflection of seeing, writing about, and in his role as journalist and political analyst meeting and interviewing those people whose monumental accomplishments affected the lives of millions over a half century.

The April 15 CSUDH talk and book signing will be held at 6 p.m. on the fifth floor of the University Library South Wing.

For more information, contact University Archives and Special Collections at (310) 243-3895.

Archives Department Receives Collection from Longest-Running Black-Owned Bookstore

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Bernice and Alfred Ligon in 1992
Bernice and Alfred Ligon in 1992

In honor of Black History Month, the Department of Africana Studies and University Archives and Special Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) present “The Font of Black Culture in Los Angeles: The Alfred and Bernice Ligon Aquarian Collection” beginning Feb. 10

Featuring historical items from the famed Aquarian Book Shop in Los Angeles that were recently donated to the university’s archives department, the exhibit will run through Sept. 1 in the archives’ gallery. To commemorate the donation and the opening of the exhibit, a special reception will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 10.

“I am proud and honored to have facilitated the acquisition of this remarkable collection,” said Salim Faraji, associate professor or Africana studies at CSUDH. “Being born and raised in Philadelphia I heard about the Aquarian Book Shop through the scholarship of one of its most esteemed thinkers, the late Dr. Richard King. I have now been in Los Angeles for 20 years and this is my proudest achievement.”

Alfred and Bernice Ligon were proprietors of the Aquarian Book Shop from 1941 until it closed permanently in 1994. The longest-running black-owned bookstore in the country, the Aquarian Book Shop was often described as the “Font of Black Culture in Los Angeles” and the “Citadel of Black Intellectualism on the West Coast,” not only for its inventory of black literature but also for being a gathering place for a who’s-who of African American writers and thinkers of the day.

Since the death of Alfred Ligon in 2002, the Aquarian Spiritual Center, which he also founded, had been the stewards of collection. Last year, members approached Faraji about the university’s interest in properly preserving the items.

According to Faraji, the Ligons’ private collection of 5,000 books, journals, media, art and related materials from more than half a century in business represent history, culture, philosophy and life of African Americans and the African Diaspora in Los Angeles. In addition, the collection’s assortment of books and papers on metaphysical and occult studies illustrate how such practices as yoga, Eastern philosophy, ritual and the esoteric have roots in Africa.

“It’s very significant to finally get a place for the Alfred and Bernice Ligon Aquarian Collection,” said Marvin Matthews, a member of the Aquarian Spiritual Center and co-curator of the collection. “For almost 15 years the contents were in a kind of prison with no peering eyes or inquiring minds entering their domain. Now they can be honored for what they were created for.”

The collection is the largest donation the University Archives has received of African American and metaphysical books.

“With the help of community members who preserved this collection over several years, this archive and book collection is now in the library and we look forward to making it accessible to all who are interested,” said Greg Williams, director of University Archives and Special Collections.

“The Font of Black Culture in Los Angeles: The Alfred and Bernice Ligon Aquarian Collection” will feature key items such as photos, posters, magazines, programs and many of the 5,000 books donated, including autographed copies of books by Langston Hughes, Alex Haley, Maya Angelou.

The Feb. 10 opening reception is sponsored by the University Library and the Department of Africana Studies.

The University Archives and Special Collections research and exhibit space is located on the fifth floor of the University Library South Wing. Exhibit hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact University Archives and Special Collections at (310) 243-3895.

Library Hosts Talk on Upton Sinclair’s 1934 EPIC Race for Governor

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Greg Mitchell photoIn conjunction with the November 2014 elections and an ongoing exhibition on campus, “Citizen Sinclair: Upton Sinclair–American Provocateur,” the University Library at California State University, Dominguez Hills presents author and journalist Greg Mitchell discussing muckraker Upton Sinclair’s 1934 run for Governor of California and the evolution of the modern political campaign.

WHAT:    Guest lecture with author Greg Mitchell: “Upton Sinclair’s 1934 run for Governor and the birth of the modern political campaign”

WHEN:    6 p.m., Thursday, October 30

WHERE: University Library, fifth floor, South Wing, CSUDH, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson

Viewed as a radical by conservatives and a hero to the liberal wing, Sinclair, author of The Jungle, was a polarizing figure who encouraged grassroots activism from his followers and a full-scale response to defeat him–the likes that had never been seen before–from his critics, which included Hollywood moguls, industry groups, the Hearst Newspapers and the L.A. Times. This year marks the 80th anniversary of this raucous campaign.

Mitchell is author of more than a dozen books on the media, politics and culture, including the award-winning account of Sinclair’s run, The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair’s E.P.I.C. Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics (1992, reissued in 2011). He has written for The Nation, where he covered the Wikileaks scandal, Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, Mother Jones, and is the former editor of Editor & Publisher.

The talk is free and open to the public.

For more information about this event, call (310) 243-3895.

Art and Design Department Guest Lecture: L.A. Designer Stefan Bucher

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Stefan BucherThe Art and Design Department at California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomes Stefan G. Bucher, a prominent Los Angeles-based graphic designer, motion graphics artist, illustrator and author for a guest lecture at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the University Art Gallery.

Bucher has created designs for David Hockney, Sting, time-lapse drawings for PBS’s “The Electric Company” and typography for such television shows as “The Fall,” “Immortals” and “Mirror Mirror.” He is also the creator of the popular online animation series, Daily Monster.

During the free and public lecture, Bucher will discuss his creative process in designing his motion graphics and will create a demo showing his incisive but whimsical drawing style.

WHAT: Guest artist lecture with Stefan Bucher

WHEN: 5:45 p.m., Tuesday, September 30

WHERE: University Art Gallery, A-107, LaCorte Hall, CSUDH, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson

This guest lecture has been organized by Milka Broukhim, adjunct professor, Art and Design Department, and the University Art Gallery and is sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities, the Instructionally Related Activities Committee of the Associated Students, Inc., the Art and Design Department and the Winston Hewitt Fund for the Arts.

The University Art Gallery is in room A-107 on the first floor of LaCorte Hall on the campus of CSU Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria Street in Carson, Calif. LaCorte Hall is on the west side of campus off Toro Center Drive/Tamcliff Street.

Visitor parking in campus lots is permitted with a valid parking pass, which is sold for $5 at yellow dispensing machines at the front of each campus lot.