For many students who aspire to serve in public office, landing an internship in Washington, D.C. would be a dream come true. And it was for Glory Lopez, a junior majoring in political science and minoring in philosophy at California State University, Dominguez Hills. In fall 2012 she participated in the 14th annual Panetta Congressional Internship sponsored by the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan study center located on the CSU Monterey Bay campus and designed to encourage and develop future leaders in United States government. “This opens a lot [of doors], especially because it has Mr. Panetta's name on it. So everyone knows this is a very prestigious internship,” ... Read More
Political Science
Mike Bugason: Brokering Peace in Central Africa
Surviving a devastating decade-long war in his hometown of Arua in the West Nile region of Uganda, Africa, has led California State University, Dominguez Hills alumnus Mike Bugason (Class of '09, M.A., negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding) to a career of helping those affected to heal from the wounds of conflict. “The negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding (NCRP) degree greatly shaped my outlook on conflict, with the Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding (NCR 541) course particularly inspiring me to join global efforts aimed at healing the wounds of conflict associated with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA),” Bugason stated. Based in Bangui in the Central ... Read More
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
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
