Susan McKillop Awarded $20,000 for
Extraordinary Contributions to Teaching

Susan McKillop, SSU professor of art history, has been named as the 2004 recipient of the prestigious California State University Wang Family Excellence Award in the Visual and Performing Arts and Letters. Each year, four faculty and one administrator from throughout the CSU system each receive $20,000 awards. This is the sixth year the awards have been given.

A 27-year veteran of Sonoma State, McKillop has compiled an outstanding record in teaching and research. She received SSU's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1999 and its Faculty Research Award in 1992.

McKillop has been a caring mentor to students, an active faculty member who served for eight years on the CSU Statewide Academic Senate, where she was head of its task force on Master Plan Strategy. She has served her campus as chair of the art department and as a long-standing member of the campus academic senate and its executive committee. Full Story

Memorial Service for Tom Wagner on Thursday

A brief memorial service to honor Tom Wagner, who served as Administrative Manager for the Division of Student Affairs, is set for noon on Thursday, April 15, at the Alumni Grove by the campus lakes. He passed away on March 18 due to a cardiac incident. "Tom was truly a gentle soul," says Rand Link, Vice-president for Student Affairs. He had been a member of the staff at SSU since 1991 and was well-known to those in Student Affairs and many others around campus. He earned two degrees from Sonoma State University: a bachelor's degree in management in 1989 and a second bachelor's degree in 1999 in psychology. Wagner was in the process of completing his master's degree in psychology from the Institute for Imaginal Studies. A brick will be placed at the Alumni Grove honoring Wagner and his accomplishments. Additionally, a tree will be planted in the same area honoring his work for the students and staff of SSU. His family requests donations to the American Heart Association.

Workshop Outlines Travel Guidelines

Customer Services hosts its annual Travel Workshop on Thursday, April 22 from 10 a.m -noon in Schulz 1121. Guidelines and updates for SSU employees who travel will be explained. To sign up for the workshop, contact Karen Pennrich at 4-4298, Elizabeth O'Brien 4-4299, or Tracy Goodman 4-4248 no later than Friday, April 16.

Nominations Open for Annual Diversity Award

The Campus Climate Committee and the InterCultural Center are sponsoring the fourth annual Diversity Award for Outstanding Contribution Toward Campus Climate.

The award seeks to acknowledge those students who have made significant contributions to the campus climate toward diversity, through their involvement on committees, student activities, and in the classroom. Nominations are due on Wednesday, April 21. Because of the lengthy selection process, late entries cannot be accepted.

An applicant for the award must fit the following criteria:

• Has made a significant contribution to the celebration of campus diversity in a leadership position;
• Has a 2.5 or better overall GPA based on Fall 2003 transcripts; and
• Completes and returns the application form to the InterCultural Center on the first floor of the Student Union, or the ICC mailbox at the Student Union Receptionist Desk, by Monday, May 3.

The award will be given at the fourth annual Multicultural Graduation Celebration in May. For further information, contact the InterCultural Center at 4-2710 or e-mail spearman@sonoma.edu

Save the Date...

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS - Multi-talented actor, producer, director, and community activist, Edward James Olmos will speak at Sonoma State University on Friday, April 30, at 7:30 pm in the Cooperage. His lecture is called "We're All in the Same Gang." Admission is free for SSU students, $10 for SSU faculty and staff and $15 for the general public. Advance tickets are available at the Sonoma Student Union, 4-2382.

DANIEL ELLSBERG - "Vietnam and Iraq: Speaking Truth to Power" is the topic of Ellsberg's lecture sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at 1 p.m. on May 19 in Evert B. Person Theatre. No charge to LLI or SSU students. $8 general admission.

This Week...

SHONA SCULPTING - Master Zimbabwean stone sculptor Passmore Mashaya performs a sculpting demonstration every afternoon this week in the Stevenson Quad. Because the process typically takes several months, Mashaya will be working on three different stones at varying stages of works in the Shona tradition so that viewers can get a sense of the full process of creating these original stone sculptures.

CAMPUS AUTHOR READINGS - Faculty will present their written works in a series of lectures and author readings from April 13-29 to be held in Schulz 3001. For more information and a schedule of dates and times, visit bookstore.sonoma.edu or phone 4-2259.

BFA SHOW - The University Art Gallery is holding the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition through Sunday, April 18. Faculty and staff are welcome to drop by. The gallery is open Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; weekends, noon-4 p.m. For more information, phone 4-2295.

THE FORGOTTEN CRISIS - Mark Hertsgaard discusses the "global environmental predicament," which he argues is as much a danger to Americans as terrorism, in a Lifelong Learning Institute lecture at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in the Cooperage.