20
ON CAMPUSHonors Community students ..................................................... 1
A L U M N I A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S Alumni Awards Gala ................................................................ 14
Benefits update ....................................................................... 14
Mentoring/Class notes ............................................................. 15
Alumni Spotlight: Sal Castro ’61 ............................................. 16
UNIVERSITY NEWS Campus highlights/Reconnecting ..........................................2-3
FEATURESSparking Tommy Lister’s career ................................................ 4
The art of inspiration .................................................................. 5
Crossing cultures, time ...........................................................6-7
Making a difference, one village at a time ..............................8-9
Lessons in learning .............................................................10-11
For the love of the game? ........................................................ 12
Profile in Giving: Leslie Cromwell ............................................ 17
SPORTSBasketball sets sights on memorable season ......................... 13
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITORIAL BOARD
Dan BridgesDirector of Intercollegiate Athletics
Paul BrowningDirector of Media Relations
Kyle C. ButtonVice President for Institutional
Advancement
Nancy MironExecutive Director of Public Affairs
Randi MooreExecutive Director of Alumni Relations
Collette RochaAssistant Vice President for
University Development
Published by: Office of Public AffairsForward inquiries and submissions to:
Cal State L.A.Office of Public Affairs
5151 State University DriveLos Angeles, CA 90032-8580
Phone: (323) 343-3050Fax: (323) 343-6405
E-mail: [email protected]/today
Managing EditorNancy Miron
Associate Editor/WriterShayna Chabner
ContributorsPaul Helms • Margie Low
Natalie Spiwak
Graphic DesignYuri Watanabe
Web DesignAdam James
PhotographyBernard Kane
NOTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)
California State University, Los Angeles does not permit discrimination on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its instruction, programs, services, or activities, or in its hiring and employment practices. Also, the University does not permit harassment based on protected disability. In addition, the University does not permit discrimination or harassment based on an applicant’s, employee’s, or student’s relationship with or association with anyone with a known protected disability. Upon request, the University will consider reasonable accommodation(s) when needed to facilitate the participation of persons with protected disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be considered to permit individuals with protected disabilities to: (a) complete the admission/employment process; (b) perform essential job functions; (c) participate in instruction, programs, services or activities; and, (d) enjoy other benefits and privileges of similarly situated individuals without disabilities. Questions, concerns, complaints and requests for reasonable accommodation or additional information may be forwarded to Human Resources Management, Office for Equity and Diversity, the campus office assigned responsibility for compliance with the ADA. The Office for Equity and Diversity is located in Administration 606 and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (323) 343-3040, or TDD: (323) 343-3670.
StateCal
Cover – Tommy Lister, a credited Hollywood actor, former wrestler and NCAA Division II champion, found the strength and footing for a successful career at CSULA. Get the full story on page 4.
www.calstatela.edu/today/theirSay.php 1
Moises OlavarrietaPhilomena Pirrone
Tiffany ChenMichael Mattice
What’s it like being part of an Honors Community?
MICHAEL MATTICEFreshman, Psychology
“It makes me feel an overwhelming sense of excitement and reverent equality between my professors, and it’s wonderful. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
TIFFANY CHENFreshman, Business and English
“Everyone is already willing to be so friendly. The thing is, when you are in an honors program…they all believe in hard work; and it’s just nice to know that other people are as hard working as you in these classes.”
PHILOMENA PIRRONEFreshman, Nutritional Science
“It’s more of a smaller community and you get to know everyone better, and they give you more opportunities to be a part of the L.A. community and helping others.”
MOISES OLAVARRIETA Freshman, Anthropology
“Growing up you always hear that once you are in college you are on your own, that once you are in college, no one is going to be there to help you, but this just kind of shows the opposite. There are good people out there who want to help you do something with your life.”
HEAR MORE FROM THESE STUDENTS AND OTHERS ENROLLED IN THE HONORS PROgRAM AT WWW.CALSTATELA.EDU/TODAY/THEIRSAY.PHP. LEARN ABOUT THE HONORS COLLEgE, OPENINg WITH ITS FIRST FRESHMAN CLASS IN FALL 2011, AT WWW.CALSTATELA.EDU/ACADEMIC/HONORSCOLLEgE.
BRIEFLYEconomics professor returns to lead faculty, academic affairs
In October, the University welcomed Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ashish Vaidya. The former dean of faculty at California State University, Channel Islands, has broad administrative experience and an extensive record of academic successes. Vaidya also has roots at Cal State L.A., where he served as a professor of economics, director of the MBA program and as associate chair of the Department of Economics and Statistics.
Doctoral student receives top CSU Trustees’ awardRobert David Black ’08 MS, a student in the University’s
doctoral program in educational leadership, was honored as one of two 2010 CSU Trustee Ali C. Razi Scholars. The $10,000 award is the top honor given by the CSU Trustees.
Black enrolled at CSULA just two months after losing his eyesight, defying all odds with his determination to build and pursue a career in counseling and education.
UnivErsiTy NEWS
2 www.calstatela.edu/today
SPORTS COMPLEX NAMED AFTER ALUMNA, TENNIS gREAT
In recognition of alumna and Tennis Hall of Famer Billie Jean King’s commitment to Cal State L.A. and its student-athletes for nearly five decades, the University has established the Billie Jean King Sports Complex. Thecomplex includes the University’s Eagle’s Nest Gym-nasium, Jesse Owens Track and Field, Jim Reeder Field,tennis courts and swimming pools.
King, a 1986 CSULA Hall of Fame inductee and 1997 honorary doctorate recipient, was a Cal State L.A.student from 1961 to 1964. She arrived on campus with the 1961 Wimbledon doubles title, and she repeated the featin 1962 as an undergraduate. In her career,King won 39 Grand Slam titles, and defeated former Wimbledon men’s tennis champion Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match.
She is a dedicated champion of social justice, service, philanthropy, equality, fitness and education and through an annual gala has helped raise $2.2 million in support of Cal State L.A. student-athletes.
1. Find former classmates, network and renew your relationship with your University through the Alumni Association. Call (323) 343-ALUM or visit alumni.calstatela.edu.
2. Turn a page and crack open the new One Campus, One Book: Parable of the Sower, by late alumna Octavia Butler. Stay tuned for speaking events and activities throughout the year in the third community reading project.
3. Take a seat, start the wave and cheer on the Golden Eagles. Did you know that the University’s
athletic teams have seven national championships and
71 conference team champion- ships to their names? For information, visit www.csulaathletics.com.
4. Take a tour. The campus has grown by leaps and bounds—with more
projects on the horizon—and you can get a glimpse of all that has changed in a student-led virtual tour at www.calstatela.edu/virtualtour.
5. Sit, relax and reminisce about your college days lounging in the shade of a tree near King Hall.
6. Come back to class! It’s never too late to start learn- ing again, and the University’s Extended Education
program offers training in everything from account-ing and paralegal studies to fashion styling. Alum-
nus and muralist Frank Romero completed his degree last spring, decades after having first enrolled.
www.calstatela.edu/today/universityNews.php 3
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: RESEARCH
Partnering to better understandclimate change
Cal State L.A. students and faculty will be participating in a collaborative study on climate change and its impacton Pacific Ocean communities as partners in a new NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration research institute,the Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystems and Climate.
The Cal State L.A. team, comprised of biology and geo-graphy faculty Carlos Robles, Patrick Krug and HengchunYe and student research fellows, will explore how changesin climate, rainfall, and watershed discharge might affect coastal marine ecosystems. Their interest, in particular, isin investigating how changes in sea surface salinity mightaffect latitudinal species distributions and alter the behaviorof key predators in coastal communities.
Changes in the environment for some of the species could result in a “potential restructuring of the ocean web,” Robles said, noting that he began his research in this area with support from an environmental science endowment from Morton La Kretz. La Kretz’ gift helped set the stage for greater research, he said.
Reinvesting in higher education, discoveryThe University was awarded more than $3.5 million in
federal funding to support 14 science, technology, engineer-ing and mathematics (STEM) projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The primary focus of the Cal State L.A. projects are out-reach, teaching and research, with funding for everything from a student research partnership with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to a program for teaching algebra in high schools.
Powering up ‘green’ researchA $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foun-
dation has been awarded to the University to create a core research facility to support the efforts of the Center for Energy and Sustainability. The multidisciplinary center encompasses four areas of study: fuel cells, photovoltaic cells, combustion, and carbon sequestration.
7. Listen, participate and see top performers and artists during regular shows and exhibits at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex. For details, call the box office at (323) 343-6600 or visit www.luckmanarts.org.
8. Join the conversation. Keep current on the political, social and economic issues affecting your community by participating in the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs seminars and conferences. In December,
participants will discuss gang intervention, prevention, and suppression. For details,
visit www.patbrowninstitute.org/events.
9. Be a Part of It! Support your passion by giving
back and investing in Cal State L.A.—a University that provides opportunity to all. You can start your involvement today by joining groups like the Friends of
Music or President’s Associates. To learn more, visit www.calstatela.edu/philanthropy.
10. Stop by and say hello. Plan a visit to campus to see up close and personal how it has changed. Call the Alumni Association at
(323) 343-2586 or University Development at (323) 343-3075 to schedule a tour.
STAY INFORMED For the most up-to-date news around
campus, visit the University’s newsroom at www.calstatela.edu/univ/ppa/release.
In his 30-year entertainment career, Tommy “Tiny” Lister has played many roles.
He was Hollywood’s first black president (following in the footsteps of President James M. Rosser), as Lister likes to say. He was Hulk Hogan’s wrestling opponent, Zeus. And he has been one of the premier go-to-guys for carrying out the roughest-toughest bad guy roles in more than 140 TV and film productions.
But the starring “role”—of which Lister is most proud—was his three-year stretch as a Cal State L.A. track and field student-athlete and 1982 NCAA Division II shot put champion, he said.
“Everyone knows that my track and field career, my time at Cal State L.A., is more important to me than my movie career, than working on multimillion dollar films or working with famous actors,” Lister said, proudly displaying his NCAA championship ring during a recent visit to campus. “It’s here that it all started for me.”
Lister, a Cal State L.A. Hall of Famer, performed with the University’s track and field team from 1981 to 1983. He was recruited to Cal State L.A. by Hall of Fame track and field coach Walt Williamson after being part of a championship track team at Long Beach City College. “(Williamson) told me that he was bringing me here to win the conference and break the school record,” Lister said.
Well, Lister did that. He also brought home the NCAA Championship in the shot put in his second season. His record, still No. 2 on the CSULA all-time list, was for a distance of 61 feet 8 inches. Lister held the school’s top spot for the sport until 1997, when Tambj Wenj set a new record of 65 feet 1.25 inches.
“It was at Cal State L.A. that I first figured out that I could step into my purpose and destiny, and do great things,” Lister said.
Growing up in the racially divided city of Compton, wheremany of the people around him struggled with drugs and gangs, shaped Lister’s view of the world, he said. While he stayed clear of many bad influences by devoting his time totrack and Western movies, Lister says he didn’t learn his mostimportant lessons on life until he arrived at Cal State L.A.
“I learned how to be strong from a white man in a wheelchair (strength and conditioning coach Bob Wieland). I learned that I could be a champion,” he added.
Also sticking with Lister from his Golden Eagle days is the nickname: “Tiny.” At 6 feet 5 inches and 300 pounds, Lister is anything but tiny. Coach Williamson, however, found it useful in raising a reaction out of Lister as well as laughter from a group of kids with disabilities being coached that summer. It was a hit, and the name has stuck.
“To be great, you need to have a humble name,” he said. It has also helped him to keep life in perspective
when working alongside renowned actors, such as Marlon Brando, Samuel L. Jackson, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger and Peter O’Toole.
Since leaving Cal State L.A. in 1983, Lister has continued to champion the University, raising awareness and funding for its athletic programs and students. In the 1990s, he organized a celebrity basketball game that drew greats like Magic Johnson. Every year, the Athletics Department also hosts an annual track and field meet in his honor.
“Cal State L.A. was the match that sparked the fire in my life. My Hollywood career,” Lister said.
He is currently working on a book and a number of animation, TV and film projects, including his first horror movie, “The Trap Door,” in which he has the leading role. The film is set to release later this year.
“Everyone at Cal State L.A. has got to come out,” he said.
4 www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/lister.php
‘The match’ that lit Tommy Lister’s careerTOMMY “TINY” LISTER
Sparking TommyLister’s career
HALL OF FAME ATHLETE, ACTOR gIVES THANkS FOR OPPORTUNITIES AT CAL STATE L.A.
TINY LISTER WAS INDUCTED INTO THE 1995 CAL STATE L.A. HALL OF FAME.
www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/soldate.php 5
Studying ceramics under Art Emeritus Professor Joe Soldate was like learning rhythm and
blues from a 1960s rock star. He ranks as one of the art world’s superstars, his former students say.
Fearless, innovative and well-grounded in the basic elements of materials, structure and shape, Soldate molded ceramic artwork that bucked the trend and inspired a groundswell of students to carry forward in their own creative endeavors.
“He was not just a teacher, he was a true mentor,” said Soldate’s former student and the retired chair of the Art Department at Cypress College, Charlene Felos ’67. “The thing that really stuck with me over the years is he encouraged experimentation, for us to take chances—and there was never any punishment for doing that.”
Soldate’s first job as a professor was at Cal State L.A., where he stayed for 36 years, retiring in 2002. During that time, he helped build an arts program said by many to be one of the best in the region.
“I got as many people as I could involved in what we were doing here,” Soldate explained. “I had a really good relationship with my students.…I learned early on that if I was going to be in the classroom, I was going to be there for the kids—not for me. And I think that is how people still see me.”
Recently, two of Soldate’s alumni—Felos and classmate, John Kovac ’67 ’68 MA—made independent donations to the University, creating two endowed
scholarships to honor their professor and help support art students.
“It was an honor to have been Professor Soldate’s early master’s degree student, he was without a doubt the finest art professor in the state university system and all of his ex-students wish him the best,” said Kovac, chair of the art department at El Monte High School.
Felos added that she wanted Soldate’s name to be “remembered for what he contributed.”
Soldate taught them both how to become effective art educators and artists, while also providing a direct connection to the state’s historic ceramic arts movement, they said.
As a master’s student at Claremont Graduate University, Soldate studied under Paul Soldner, who along with Peter Voulkos, is credited with creating and defining the California school of ceramics. (Soldate earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach and a Master of Fine Arts from Claremont.)
“I was part of what was happening in the 60s,” Soldate said, and he brought the energy, momentum and creativity of the movement with him to Cal State L.A.
Among the things his former students recall was a willingness to do whatever was needed to get the job done. He built kilns to fire his and students’ work, and developed the clay formula Soldate 60, still widely used today, when he needed something more durable for teaching. As classroom clay, Soldate 60 is a special mixture, durable enough that it doesn’t break when you move it, he said.
“I was somewhat of a revolutionary,” Soldate said. “And with every revolution, comes some resistance…but I also found that the students responded to it.”
For more pictures of Soldate’s work, see a slideshow online.
Honoring a ‘revolutionary’ art educatorJOE SOLDATE
The art ofinspiration
ALUMS CREDIT SOLDATE WITH INSPIRINg CREATIVITY, INNOVATION
JOHN KOVAC
Crossing cultures, time
6 Cal State L.A. TODAY
T he study and exploration of ancient cultures thrives at Cal State L.A. in the investigation of Maya languages, in the discussion of the political and cultural perspectives
of a Nobel laureate, and the study of a Colonial Mexico era poet and playwright’s musings.
Each May, hundreds of students, community members, and educators from around the world converge for a con-ference that not only pays homage to the past, but also reinforces history’s relevance and uncovers lessons for the future. The series has drawn a diverse group of leading scholars from as far as Japan—and expectations are that interest will blossom and flourish well into the future.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Chicano Studies and English Professor Roberto Cantú, the series director. “The role of a university, the role of CSULA, is to prepare students to be part of a larger world, to know where they have come from and understand how we are all connected. And we are doing that; we are exposing our students to what Los Angeles represents—a city tied to the rest of the world.”
This deeper understanding of cultures has been made possible, in part, through the Morales Family Lecture Series Endowment. Crafted by Emeritus Professor of Spanish Alfredo Morales, the endowment helped create the Gigi Gaucher-Morales Memorial Lecture Series in memory of Morales’ wife, the late Gaucher-Morales. She was a French
ROBERTO CANTÚ
and Spanish professor at Cal State L.A. from 1965 to 2005,who taught the literature and culture of France, of the Anglo-phone world, and of Latin America, including the Caribbean. With her husband, Gaucher-Morales also co-founded, directed and served as the adviser of Cal State L.A.’s Teatro Universitario en Español for more than 20 years.
“Gigi loved—so much—her students and Teatro,” said Morales, who sought to create a tribute that would also serve the University and its students. “And now, Gigi belongs to the University. …In doing this, the Morales family shares Gigi and her dreams for students for years to come. I feel like I’m in heaven.”
The Gaucher-Morales lecture series began at a 2009 conference that explored Mesoamerica through music, literature, language, landmarks and cultural references. Cantú and his colleagues organized the conference in aneffort to promote a newly established minor in MesoamericanStudies and to draw critical discussion about ancient codes,cultures and clashes.
“It was one of the most exciting things that I’ve had the pleasure to work on,” said Assistant Professor of English Aaron Sonnenschein. “It made a lot of people who don’t know what’s going on at Cal State L.A. aware. It was an incredible way of showing that we can be a part of the community, and a cultural center for the community.”
Among those to participate was Harvard University Professor and Mesoamerica archive founder David Carrasco.
Of his experience at the conference, Carrasco said: “[Cal State L.A.] was both architecturally remarkable and intellectually on fire due to Roberto Cantú’s intellectual leadership at linking top notch scholars working on sociallysignificant issues and problems in order to give the studentsvivid and profound learning experiences. Too often, contem-porary scholarship obsesses itself with…the latest fad or icon,ignoring the genealogy of thought, the diversity of philosophicorientations and human inventions.”
The 2010 spring conference was rooted around the legacyof Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz, one of the world’s foremost poets and essayists. With ties throughout the world, Paz served as Mexico’s ambassador to India in the 1960s, trans-lated Chinese poetry, edited literary journals, and promoted literate culture in Latin America, France, England and the United States. The 2011 conference, to run May 13-14, will delve into the work of author and colonial nun, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648–1695) and the contradictory cultural currents in 17th century New Spain.
Cantú said that he is also using some of the funding from the Morales Family Endowment to coordinate and sponsor aFebruary 2011 conference on modernity, critique and humanism.
“This lecture series represents what Gigi was to all of
us—she was very cosmopolitan, international, and she devoted her life to being a good professor, a good educator to all of her students,” Cantú said.
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GIGI AND ALFREDO MORALES
With a gift to the University, EmeritusProfessor of Spanish Alfredo Morales created two endowments: The Morales Family Lecture Series Endowment and The Morales Family Endowed Scholarship. In establishing the gifts to the University, Morales and his family wanted to recognize the University at which he and his wife worked most of their professional careers, and
also honor his late wife, French and Spanish Professor Jeanine (Gigi) Gaucher-Morales. One endowment helps support the annual memorial lecture series and conference, and the second funds scholarships for students interested in Mesoamerican Studies.
Together, the couple dedicated several decades of service to the University and its students and are credited with founding and running a Spanish theater program for more than 20 years.
Following his wife’s 2007 death, Morales decided he wanted to celebrate her passion for teaching, and support students’ on-going exposure to new cultures and the arts. The couple had previously committed themselves to giving to the University jointly,but it was with the help of the University’s development staff that Morales was able to see his new vision through, he said.
“My dad knew that students loved her,” said Morales’ son, Renee Morales. “She was dedicated to the Teatro and he wanted to make sure that her contribution to the University would never be forgotten, and that even 20 years from now people would benefit from her contributions.”
MAKING A DIFFER ENCE, ONE VILLAGE AT
A TIME
organization since it was launched in 1961. Counted among them are more than 100 Cal State L.A. alumni—such as Sadler—and a dozen or so faculty who helped to shape the organization and its approach to international peace and development through training in the early, formative years.
Volunteers with Cal State L.A. ties have served in 65 countries, across five continents. Nine Cal State L.A. alumni and former students have traveled overseas through the organization in the past year. Their interests vary from biology and psychology, to criminal justice and public administration, and have taken them Guyana to Zambia. (Visit Cal State L.A. TODAY online at www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/peaceCorps.php for an interactive map with information on alumni and faculty involvement in the Peace Corps around the globe.)
“It was an invaluable experience,” Sadler said. During her two-year stint in Kenya and Botswana she taught preschool and high school, led sewing and jewelry making exercises, developed marketing strategies and provided health coun-seling. This fall, she enrolled in the Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and was awarded a Peace Corps scholarship to help cover the expense.
“It was life-changing, and after all the frustrations, I think I was able to do some things and touch some people in a way that might change their lives.”
Camped out in a lush, wet forest in the northwest corner of Botswana, with nothing more than a tent to shield Jillian Sadler ’06 from foot-long stinging millipedes,
giant scorpions, and sand-colored spiders—among other creepy crawlers—sleep was a relative term.
After a 17-hour trip to the remote Shakawe village, Sadler, a Peace Corps volunteer, joined two other colleagues and a group of at-risk Botswana girls for a retreat aimed at improving communication and confidence. The bugs—no matter the number—were not going to deter the volunteers from their goal of educating the girls, who were largely poor, and prone to early pregnancies and dropping out of school.
“I didn’t love the wilderness, but I did love working with the girls,” Sadler wrote in a “Camp Wilderness” blog entry for friends and family.
“It was wonderful to see the awe and appreciation in their eyes; not so much at or for us, but for themselves,” Sadler added in an interview later, recounting the girls’ response to a self-esteem exercise. “It was emotional for all of us.”
Experiences like these—the opportunities to travel, impartgoodwill, share resources and build relationships through personal interactions in the remote corners of the world—have attracted more than 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers throughout the last 50 years.
College students, retirees, engineers, nurses, economists,scientists and educators, alike, have joined the ranks of the
8 Cal State L.A. TODAY
LINDA ERSKIAN ’69 AND HER HUSBAND, STEVE NEWBERT.
JILLIAN SADLER ’06.
HH
MAKING A DIFFER ENCE, ONE VILLAGE AT
A TIME
‘Part of history’Nearly five decades after Professor Emerita of Nursing
Barbara Peterson Sinclair found herself swept up in the Peace Corps, she can still visibly recount experiences with volunteers in the states and abroad, as well as the faces and names of the myriad people she met in her travels—among them were Carmen Miranda’s sister and a singing sensation, who was “Brazil’s equivalent to Frank Sinatra.”
Like Sadler, Sinclair says the Peace Corps leaves a lastingimpression. “It was a very important part of my history,” shesaid. “I think it did a lot for the University; we were a young school, and it provided a positive push, allowing people in other parts of the country to know us. Mostly, I think it did a lot for the USA at the time.”
Sinclair, along with other emeriti colleagues—including Political Science’s Robert H. Simmons (who taught from 1962-1985), History’s Louis C. DeArmond (1950-1979) and Eugene Fingerhut (1962-1997), Nursing’s Marlene Farrell (1963-1998), and Physical Education’s William E. Wilgus (1963-1992)—had the unique opportunity to take part in the Peace Corps’ founding years. CSULA professors were called upon throughout the 1960s to train volunteers before they reported to their countries. Sinclair started by leading the health care component of training, and eventually, directed all training on campus while taking a leave from her regular teaching schedule.
Cal State L.A. faculty and former volunteers say that scores
www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/peaceCorps.php 9
were prepared on campus for posts in Central America, Columbia, Uruguay, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela, among other locations. As one 1965 Columbia volunteer, Jim Zellars, described: “Cal State L.A. proved to be an outstanding setting—we were provided with everything we needed and more. Plus, the locations seemed a little remote in those days, so we found the time was best spent interacting among ourselves.”
Farrell added: “It was a fun time. The Peace Corps was new, still feeling its way—and I think, because of that, we were able to take part in shaping it.
“We used the community for experiences for our trainees, took them to Mexico … and Puerto Rico,” she continued. “You had to be somewhat flexible and somewhat able to accept a nontraditional environment.”
That’s still very true today, more recent alumni volunteers note, saying that a lot of emphasis is placed on being able to adjust to varying circumstances and “going with the flow.”
One alumna, Linda Erskian ’69, waited until retirement to chase down her “foreign adventure” and give thanks for life’s fortunes by volunteering with her husband in the South American country of Guyana. Just a few months into their stay, Erskian said she couldn’t be more pleased or feel more fulfilled by the opportunity.
“We continue to meet new friends and have yet to meet anyone who has not been genuinely friendly and grateful for our presence here as volunteers,” she said.
ALUMNUS JOEL GANEPY-SAPER.
JILLIAN SADLER ’06 AND FRIENDS.
H
H
MENTOR TEACHER ISMAEL ROSANO ’97 MA REVIEWS A LESSON PLAN WITH RESIDENT TEACHER TIFFANY HEE.
DIANE HAAGER
A ll eyes in education will be focused on Cal State L.A.this year as the University rolls out into the classroom its first cohort of 20 educators trained in a pioneering
education model that draws inspiration from medical residency programs.
Propelled by a five-year $8.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the University’s Charter College of Education launched the Los Angeles Urban Teacher Residency Program in summer 2010 to strengthen teacher preparation and student academic achievement. In a departure from traditional teacher training programs, the 15-month graduate-level program couples an intensive training and community support program with a complete school year of working as resident-teachers.
“We knew going into this that it was a big endeavor,” saidDiane Haager, professor of special education and counseling,and the co-principal investigator for the grant. “But we reallywanted to reconceptualize our approach to teacher educationand we thought that this would give us an opportunity to take our understanding of teacher preparation and meld it with a new direction.”
Students in the residency program have been placed in six middle and high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district is one partner in the grant, which also brings together the Center for Collaborative Education, the Mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and three community organizations. While in the classroom, resident-teachers receive a $20,000 stipend for their work.
The goal is to prepare teachers who are ready to enter high-needs Los Angeles public schools and teach math, science and special education. Upon completion of the program, students are asked to commit to teaching for three years in the district.
“This is really a different approach because they are learning in-residence,” said Professor of Curriculum and Instruction A. Dee Williams, who is also curr-iculum director for the grant. Williams explained that while working in the classroom, students will also report to classes and sessions on campus two nights a week, and work with community organizations to better understand their students and families, and the environment in which they are teaching.
Lessons inlearning
10 Cal State L.A. TODAY
Future teachers are schooled in quality,community in new grant-funded program
DIANE HAAGER AND RESIDENT-TEACHER SU HYUN CHO
AT STERN MASS HIGH SCHOOL.
RESIDENT-TEACHER DANIEL SHALK (FRONT RIGHT) AND MENTOR TEACHER JASON DIODATI TEACH CHEMISTRY PRINCIPLES WITH KUNG FU.
TITUS UME-EZCOKE ANSWERS STUDENTS’ PHYSICS QUESTIONS
“They are surrounded by more support, for a longer period of time…and that will help to make them well-versed in the community and the tools needed to access a community even if they go elsewhere,” he said.
At the end of the five-year grant, program officials said they hope to have cumulatively enrolled and trained 250 teachers—all of whom will graduate having earned a teaching credential and a master’s degree in education. Students admitted through the rigorous candidate selection process are expected to already have bachelor’s degrees in their teaching disciplines.
The University’s Urban Teacher Residency Program was developed from the residency model in medical training because research supports the benefits of learning in practical and tangible ways, program officials said. Research also shows that teacher quality is a key factor in improving student achievement.
“It’s been really great because we are working in tandem,” said Daniel Shalk, a teacher-resident at Stern Math and Science School. “I’m not just a glorified TA. You want the students to see you as a teacher—and they do.”
Shalk’s classmate and colleague at Stern, resident-teacherSu Hyun Cho added: “The most wonderful thing about thisprogram is the community that comes with it. It’s not just thecommunity of the school, the students and the organizations,but among the resident-teachers. It’s a rare thing, but I am sure that even after we become teachers in the future, we will still share notes, lesson plans and experiences from the classroom. And that’s a great resource for a new teacher.”
Cal State L.A. was one of only five Teacher Quality Partner-ship grantees selected from a pool of 17 California applicants.
Three of the four other successful proposals came from California State University campuses—Chico; Dominguez Hills; and a joint effort by Bakersfield, Monterey Bay and SanLuis Obispo. Nationally, only 28 of 172 proposals were funded.
“Both at the federal and local level, they are taking a good hard look at this model to see if this could be a more effective approach to teacher education,” Haager said.
get to know some of the resident-teachers online in the “Meet our Teachers” section.
www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/urbanTeacher.php 11
RENTOR TEACHER ISMAEL ROSANO ’97 MA REVIEWS A LESSON PLAN WITH RESIDENT-TEACHER TIFFANY HEE.
Future teachers are schooled in quality,community in new grant-funded program
RESIDENT-TEACHER TITUS UME-EZEOKE ANSWERS STUDENTS’ PHYSICS QUESTIONS.
GRETCHEN PETERSON
For the loveof the game?
It’s not all ‘fun and games’
By definition, adult recreational softball is meant to be fun. It is an activity that brings adults together to “refresh their strength and spirit,” socialize, exercise,
and compete in an enjoyable environment. Research by Cal State L.A. Sociology Professor Gretchen
Peterson, however, indicates that this American pastime maynot be all “fun and games.” Peterson discovered that players in many leagues—especially in California—cheat during slow-pitch softball games and tournaments.
The most common form of cheating is through the use ofaltered bats. Advanced technology, the emergence of titanium and composite bats and more common-place know-how have led to a greater number of individuals tampering or shaving down the inside of their bats so that the ball will fly farther and faster when hit, she said.
“The idea of sport as recreation is a dying idea,” Peterson said.
“It’s not just about going out and having fun, but really about demonstrating your own abilities. People are going to great lengthsto win, and they are doing it all fora softball tournament where the prize is a t-shirt.”
Through personal observation, interviews and a national online survey, Peterson attempts to answer questions about the pervasiveness of cheating, ways in which people cheat, why they do so and how they feel about the act. A culture of “playing to win”—even when there is serious risk of injury to pitchers and players because of faster flying balls—has really developed and intensified in the last five to six years, said Peterson, who is also a regular participant in adult softball leagues. She has played softball all of her life.
In her survey of more than 1,700 adult recreational softballplayers, Peterson found that more than a quarter of the respon-dents said they purposely used an altered bat in play. Nearlyhalf of the respondents also agreed that players who do not use an altered bat are at a disadvantage.
“The perception of cheating is high,” she said, adding that the most common reasons people cited for cheating were to “level the playing field” or to respond to a
“teammate’s recommendation to do so.”
In her paper, Is it cheating if everyone is doing it?, Petersonwrote: “Given the prevalence of teammates recommending cheating, it is apparent that a social context is created where cheating is not viewed as unacceptable as it might be in the absence of such a social context.” Peterson herself admitted that she’s gotten “caught up” in the moment and knowingly used an altered bat in play.
Peterson continues to study the phenomenon and seek out its roots and implications in further research. She has also studied other issues in slow-pitch softball, including gendered rules and the
act of “going middle,” where players purposely hit at the opposing team’s pitcher.
“I don’t know which would come first,” she said. “People are doing it, so we are hearing about types of cheating moreoften, or they are hearing about it and because of that more people are motivated to cheat.”
But, what plays out on the field and in the dugout, she said, could be emblematic of larger issues of cheating and the idea of fairness in society.
12 www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/cheating.php
A CSULA SOCIOLOgY PROFESSOR ANALYzES CHEATINg IN SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL
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A ‘Schindler’sList’ child
With many new faces—and one of the strongest recruiting
classes in recent years—Cal State L.A.’s men’s and women’s basketball programs are gearing up for a com-petitive 2010-11 season.
The men’s program, led by sixth-year head coach Stephen Thompson, hasits sights set on a run to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 2000, while also maintaining a streak of strong finishes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Golden Eagles qualified for the CCAAChampionship Tournament for the second time in three seasonslast year and had a notable road victory at Cal Poly Pomona, which went on to win the 2010 national championship.
Thompson welcomes back a strong core of players, includingfour starters: sophomore center Carl Hoffman, junior forward Leland Jones, junior guard Chris Robinson and sophomore guard Trevor Hopkins. Jones, now in his third season with theprogram, had the most significant shot of the season, agame-winning put-back at the buzzer to beat Cal Poly Pomona.
But even with the strength and skill of the Golden Eagles returning team, what coaches and fans are most excited to see is a class of six new recruits in action. Bolstering the squad are: Franklin Session, a guard from Weber State; David Norris, a guard/forward from Sacramento State; Ryan Wetherell, aguard from USC; Bussey Ellis, a guard from Chaminade; Ozzie Morrison, a forward/center from Barstow Junior College; and Aj Kapanoske, a center from Sacramento State.
“I’m very excited about this incoming class,” Thompson said.“They are a very talented group. We look for great contributionsfrom all of them.”
The women’s program, meanwhile, has a much different look and approach from the top down. At the head coaching position is Janell Jones, who comes to CSULA after success-ful stints at Mercer University, UC San Diego and Oklahoma City. Jones spent three years at Division I Mercer after achiev-ing great success at UC San Diego, where she was 50-10 over two seasons. She brings a career record of 260-80.
The women’s program also has nine newcomers on the
court: Gretchen Tiernan, a guard from University of the Pacific; Erika Ruiz, a guard from St. Mary’s College; Lorin Hammer, a guard from Mercer; Lacy Ramon, a forward from Mercer; Amber Coleman, a forward from Mercer; freshman Lindsey Hammer from Sequoia High School; Karmen Gunn from Luella High School; Paris Lamar from Saint Anthony High School; and Angeline Jefferson from Maranatha Christian High School.
Jazzi Johnson, the leading scorer on last year’s team and Shatori Dearman, who was fourth on the squad in scoring and second in rebounding, are among eight returning players.
“I am excited to be back in the CCAA and I look forward to the opportunity to build the Cal State L.A. women’s basketball team into a championship program,” Jones said.
www.calstatela.edu/today/archives/fall2010/sportsFeature.php 13
GOLDEn EAGLE SPORTS
Reserve your seat
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, 5 p.m. CSULA (women) @ CSULA (men) @ CSU Dominguez Hills CSU Dominguez Hills
Friday, Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. CSULA San Bernardino CSULA San Bernardino @ CSULA (women) @ CSULA (men)
For more details, or tickets, visit
www.csulaathletics.com
14 Cal State L.A. Alumni Association
Celebrating the achievements of 12 alumni, students and faculty, the Cal State L.A. Alumni Association hosted the 36thAnnual Alumni Awards Gala in October. Through their professionaland personal endeavors in the arts, business, health care, education, science and innovation, this year’s honorees have brought much honor to themselves and the University.
We thank all of them for their great work and commitment to their communities and Cal State L.A.!
Richard D. Cordova ’72, Alumnus of the YearPresident, Chief Executive Officer, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Widely recognized as being one of America’s leaders in the field, and a prominent executive, Richard Cordova has dedicated his life’s work to improving health care access, delivery and quality. In his climb to the top as a hospital administrator, he has not only been an innovator, but a role model and a leading proponent of increasing diversity and representation throughout his profession.
Susan De Pietro ’71, University Service AwardNurse, Attorney, Educator
With professional roots in nursing and law, Susan De Pietro brings a unique combination of skills and knowledge to both hospitals and academic settings. Through leadership and administrative roles, she has helped develop legal nursing practices, broaden community awareness and mold the future of the industry, educating young nurses on law, ethics and decision-making in the field. She is a part-time faculty member in the University’s School of Nursing and served as the CSULA Alumni Association President 2009-10.
Marlene Zepeda ’72, Distinguished Faculty AlumnaProfessor, College of Health and Human Services
A recognized scholar in the area of child development andfamily studies, Professor Marlene Zepeda has completed extensive research on Spanish-speaking children and families,and early childhood education. Her findings have contributed to the structuring of curriculum and training of personnel in the field.
As an Association member, you have access to many benefitsand services, including:
• A 15 percent discount on service, parts and accessories, as well as special alumni pricing on new and pre-owned inventory at Longo Toyota/Scion/Lexus.
• Up to 60 percent off most office supplies at Office Depot.
• Up to 30 percent off Dell computers, software and accessories.
• Up to 20 percent off regular performances at the Luckman Theatre on the CSULA campus.
For details, visit alumni.calstatela.edu/membership/benefits.htm.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBER BENEFITS UPDATE
The University’s Distinguished AlumniAwardees were:
(Top, l-r) Benjamin Caron ’10, Outstanding Senior Student; Noelia Rodriguez ’86 (College of Business and Economics); Susan De Pietro ’ 71, University Service Award; Stephen E. Pickett ’75 (College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology); Anne Hiroe Rodriguez ’09, Outstanding Graduate Student; James Wilson Davis ’76 (Charter Collegeof Education). (Bottom, l-r) Richard D. Cordova ’72, Alumnusof the year; Marlene zepeda ’72, Distinguished Faculty Alumna; Jeffrey S. Silverman ’77 (College of Natural and Social Sciences); Deborah A. Proctor ’76 (College of Health and Human Services); and Eric ’73 and Bill ’77 Teitelbaum (College of Arts and Letters).
For more details on the event and honorees, visitalumni.calstatela.edu/awardsgala.
A lumni honored for accomplishments, commitment, and giving back
MENTOR ALEx VARGAS ’91 AND MENTEEGUADALUPE ZAMBRANO ’12.
IN MEMORIAM
CLASS NOTES
1960S
Frank g. Robitaille (’69), the president and founding member of one of the top insurance brokerages in the nation, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, received an honorary alumni award during Cal State Fullerton’s Vision and Visionaries gala.
Diane Watson (’67) was awarded three lifetime achievement honors this summer from Special Needs Network, Educating Young Minds, and the Stonewall Young Democrats.
1970S
Duane M. Carter (’79), a jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger, has been recognized along with his band as being one of the top jazz musicians in the Austin area.
Rose Marie Joyce (’76 MA), a longtime college administrator, was named the interim president of West Los Angeles College.
Darline P. Robles (’72) retired as superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
1980S
Norlin Evans (’81) retired as partner at Ernst & Young.
Linda Wah (’85, ’89 MBA), a former president andboard of director of Cal State L.A.’s Alumni Asso-ciation, was selected to serve on the Pasadena AreaCommunity College District Board of Trustees. 1990S
Sergio Diaz (’94), a former deputy chief of operations in the Central Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department, was named chief of the Riverside Police Department.
Christopher greco (’93, ’95 MA), an assistant professor of music at Benedictine College in Kansas, is directing the Kansas Jazz Collective concert series.
Steven Harris (’91 MS), the former director of the Global AIDS Program for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Haiti, was appointed as the medical director-health authority for Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Mohamad Saatara (’97) is the assistant coach for the University of Michigan’s men’s track and field team. The former CSULA All-American will oversee all field events for Michigan.
2000S
Carlos Morales Illingworth (’04) was elected president of the Cal State L.A. Alumni Association, and is the youngest person to hold the position of leadership in the organizations’ 56-year history.
Harold C. Brown (’58, ’61 MA), a professor emeritus of educa-tion, specializing in elementary education, began his University career after a decade of teaching in Los Angeles Unified School District. He returned to secondary schools after retirement.
Samuel M. Caplin, a professor emeritus of botany, taught a variety of science courses, including inorganic chemistry, biology, fungi, plant tissue culture and radiation biology. He was active in his community and professional organizations, and had a lifelong interest in nutrition and nutritional supplementation.
Edward Skvarna (’66 MA) was a decorated military veteran whoserved in Japan as a member of the Army Corps during World War II, and a beloved educator with 35 years in the El Monte City School District. Skvarna received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal after taking aerial shots just minutes after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima.
Marie-Antoinette zrimc, a professor emeritus of French, taughtat Cal State L.A. for nearly 30 years. She helped refine the master’sdegree in foreign language program and initiate an interdisciplinarymajor in comparative literature.
Log on to www.calstatela.edu/today/classnotes.php for more news.
alumni.calstatela.edu/ 15
The CSULA Alumni Mentoring ProgramBuild partnerships, develop your career and be inspired by fellow
alumni and students by participating in the Alumni Mentoring Program.Through the thoughtful pairing of student
and alumni mentees with alumni mentors, participants create lasting professional relationships and further their career goals, while also “giving back” to their alma mater. Since its inception in 2008, the program has successfully matched and engaged dozens of alumni leaders, students and recent graduates.
Join us for the next Alumni Mentoring event on Wed., Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.in the University-Student Union (Los Angeles C Room).
To sign up as a mentee or mentor, or register for this event, visit alumni.calstatela.edu, call (323) 343-ALUM (2586) or e-mail the Association at [email protected].
Paul Gomez ’88
Drawing upon more than 20 years of experience in public relations, including his current post in the Public Affairs Department for the City of Los Angeles Public Works, Paul Gomez ’88 mentors three alumni through the Alumni Mentoring Program. He is also a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and membership and communications committee.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed passing on my knowledge and experience in the professional working world, while assisting my mentees with establishing strategies to reach their career goals. One of my mentees spent several months as an intern in our office, and another attended a networking event with me, so that I could teach her techniques involved with meeting business contacts.”
Mentor Corner
For more than four decades, Sal Castro ’61, has shown a commitment to educating youth in greater Los Angeles about the power of learning.
Education, he says, has the ability to reverse social inequitiesand pave a path for achieving unforeseen opportunities—and everyone has not only the right, but the obligation to pursue knowledge.
“Change is through education, and that’s what I have dedicatedmy life to,” Castro said on a recent evening, waiting outside a library auditorium where he would speak to several dozen high school students. “I try to motivate these kids, to help them see a brighter future, and to do my part to help mold successful, responsible leaders.”
Castro has carried his message fromthe playground, to the classroom, to an annual Chicano Youth Leadership Conference (CYLC) he organizes in Malibu, and put hundreds of students on the path toward higher education. The well-spoken and passionate educator, who received his bachelor’s degree in social studies from Cal State L.A. (then L.A. State College), however, is probably most well-known for his outspoken presence during the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts.
He had a history-making role in the walkouts, a series of protests—also referred to as the “Chicano blowouts”—led by high school and college students focusing on the quality of education for Mexican-American students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. At the time, Castro was a social studiesteacher at Lincoln High School, one of five East Los Angeles high schools leading the protests, and he offered support and guidance to the student activists.
ALUMni SPOTLIGHT
16 www.calstatela.edu/today/alumniSpotlight.php
“I was just doing my job,” he said, adding that he never imagined he would become well-known for his work.
In June, the Los Angeles Unified School District honored Castro’s legacy of educational leadership through the naming of the new Sal Castro Middle School, located on the existing Belmont High School campus—where Castro first taught and retired from teaching at in 2003. He taught social studies in LAUSD schools for 43 years.
“It’s been extremely humbling,” Castro said of the recognition.“This is actually an honor to the bravery of all the students who
walked out 42 years ago, protesting the conditions of the schools and wanting to improve education. It was unselfish on their part to make schools better for future generations. It was a historic moment—the largest address of grievances by high school students in the history of the United States—and a remarkable part of the American civil
rights movement.”For his efforts in changing the course of public education,
Castro was also honored by former President Bill Clinton at a White House ceremony in 1996. A decade later, the events of 1968 were recalled in the 2006 HBO film, Walkout, directed by CSULA alumnus Edward James Olmos.
“I personally benefited from Mr. Castro’s advocacy and support,” said CSULA Social Work Professor Rita Ledesma. “I attended the CYLC in spring 1968 and UCLA Upward Bound in summer 1968, when Mr. Castro served as the administrator in the program. Over the last several years, I had the great honor to be invited to CYLC to speak to high school students about the importance of higher education and community service.”
A tribute to a L.A. legend in leadership, activism
“Change is through education, and that’swhat I have dedicated
my life to.”
resident’s
ssociates
resident’s
ssociates
resident’s
ssociates
The following individuals have given annual gifts ofat least $1,000. We salute their investment and inviteyou to join in supporting Cal State L.A. by making a gift online or calling (323) 343-4866.
Anthony Phili Acosta ’74James A. Bell ’97Ruth M. Bell ’93
Ann Elizabeth Bradley ’76, ’78 & Dana Champion ’99Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bridenbecker ’66
Warren ’71 and Susan BryantSimon Burrow ’78
Kyle C. ButtonRicardo & Lisa Chavez
Monica Chew ’04William J. Dermody ’71, ’74
Jaffe DickersonVerdel la Cour Flores ’74
Ramon Garcia ’71Art M. ’80 & Lillian ’96 Gastelum
The Gillett FamilyEva Grant ’66, ’72
Ernest E. Guerra ’80Robert HoffmanHarry S. Hong
Lillian Y. Kawasaki ’72, ’80Victor KingDal H. Lee
Ethan B. Lipton ’76, ’83 & Janet LentWilliam ’82 & Kathy Lewis
Fred Lopez ’83Gary J. Matus ’69
Robert McBride ’63David ’67, ’76 & Rosemary ’70 McNutt
Louis R. Negrete ’57Nancy Nguyen ’97Sheryl Okuno ’87
Charles H. ’53, ’60 and Dorothy ’70 PalmerGeorge A. Pardon
Pamela Angerer Payne ’81, ’91, ’95Thomas N. Peterson
Marilyn E. Plummer ’71Peter Quan
Philip J. Quigley ’67Jorge Ramirez ’04
Chris Rapp ’76Collette Rocha
Timothy Wayne Rogers ’82Anthony R. Ross & Laverne White
A. Sami Siddiqui ’76Albert Tattoni ’60Linda Trevillian
Gilbert Vasquez ’64Geraldine Rene Webb ’73
Elizabeth Wheeler ’81Jacqueline Williams
Patricia Louise Wohlford ’68Wilbert Woo ’70, ’77
Zeus Xioco ’03William Jih-Shen Yang ’58
Edmond YeeDonald J. Zuk ’61
In his first years on campus, the late Leslie Cromwell sat on a wooden crate and worked off a desk made of a piece
of plywood across two trestles. It was the 1950s, that was what was
available in the fledgling engineeringprogram—and student advising had to get done, Cromwell recounted in the1987 book, Being Here: An Autobiography of California State University, Los Angeles. As colleagues, friends and family recounted, Cromwell was devoted to helping students achieve access to higher education and the professional opportunities that are born from learning. Cromwell, a dean and professor emeritus of electrical engineering—and the first assistant professor in the Department of Engineering—died in June after a brief illness.
“He was always a leader in everything he did,” said Cromwell’s wife, Irina.His leadership, she said, extended beyond campus to include founding a choral group, participating in theatrics and local politics. “And, of course, at Cal State L.A. he started all sorts of things. He spent his lifetime there, and it meant a lot to him.”
In his 30 years of working on campus, Cromwell not only helped to fatherthe University’s engineering program, but he forever changed the landscapeof the field—and the campus. He helped bring a new generation of engineers,who learned in an environment that emphasized mentoring and student-centered, hands-on education, into the conversation. He also published curri-culum biomedical and medical instrumentation textbooks still in use today.
“Our main achievement is that we have put professional engineering education within the grasp of many low-income and disadvantaged studentswho would not have had the chance otherwise,” Cromwell said in Being Here.
Cromwell came to Cal State L.A. by way of the University of California, Los Angeles. Within a year, he designed the new program’s curriculum and helped recruit colleagues to complete a founding quartet—including Bill Eggers, Bill Plumtree and Harold Storch—that laid the groundwork for the success of the nationally ranked and competitive college.
In Cromwell’s first decade, enrollment grew from 25 students to more than1,000. Today, the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Techno-logy enrolls close to 2,000 students and has one of the nation’s top under-graduate engineering programs.
“Dean Cromwell is the exception,” Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engi-neering Martin S. Roden wrote in an obituary for the Emeritimes. “He receivesuniversal praise for all of his contributions to the development of our programs.”
Even after retirement, Cromwell and his wife continued to support learningon campus, donating time, counsel and financial support when possible. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the College, the couple established a charitable gift annuity in support of the College.
To learn more about giving, visit www.calstatela.edu/philanthropy.
FOUNDINg ENgINEERINg PROFESSOR FORgED A PATH FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
www.calstatela.edu/today/giving.php 17
PrOFiLE in GIVING
IRINA AND THE LATE LESLIE CROMWELL
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