HIGHLIGHTS:
- Jeanne Woodford is Graduation Speaker
- Honorary Degree to Technology Pioneer Les Vadasz
- Excellence in Teaching Awards to Stauffer, Toczyski
- Re-entry Student Earns Math Degree While Living
in Residence Halls.
- 83-Year Old Picks Up a Master's in History
- Sculpture Students Display Public Art Works
ROHNERT PARK - Sonoma State University holds its 45th annual commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 27 in an event that historically draws more than 10,000 people to Commencement Lawn on the Rohnert Park campus.
Of the approximately 2,100 SSU students eligible to graduate, more than 1,500 are expected to participate with their families and friends in attendance
The ceremonies are scheduled at 9 a.m. for the School of Science and Technology and the School of Social Sciences and 3 p.m. for the School of Arts and Humanities, School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education.
For the first time, sculpture students will display 13 large public art works on the campus in a project that can also be viewed from the University Web site using Google Earth.
Keynote speaker for both the morning and afternoon ceremony is Jeanne Woodford, the first female warden of San Quentin and now the undersecretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
SSU will also honor Leslie L. Vadasz of Sonoma with a honorary Doctor of Science degree. Vadasz was a member of Intel Corporation's' founding team in 1968. He led design teams that developed some of the semiconductor industry's most significant products.
Excellence in Teaching Awards will go to Computer Science professor Lynn Stauffer and Modern Languages professor Suzanne Toczyski. The awards are funded by a grant from the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund and by Dr. Bernard and Estelle Goldstein.
Student speakers at the commencement include Kathy Kiely, a 43-year old re-entry student who lived in the residence halls with students half her age so she could earn a math degree to teach middle schoolers and Alfredo Coria, a communications major, who hopes to work in Hispanic media.
Wallace Sommers, 83, of Santa Rosa will pick up a master's degree in history after having earned his bachelor's degree from SSU at age 76.
Special graduation celebrations will be held on Friday, May 26:
The 14th annual African-American Graduation Celebration takes place at 6 p.m. on Friday in the Cooperage. Graduating students receive their bachelor's or master's degrees the next day, May 27. The African-American Graduation Celebration is an opportunity for the University to acknowledge the achievements of African-American students and allow the students to thank their families, friends, faculty and mentors.
This year's Raza Graduation takes place at 5 p.m. on Friday in the Everet B. Person Theatre. The ceremony includes cultural music, keynote speakers, and a unique opportunity for the graduates to thank the individuals who have assisted them in obtaining their degree.
The commencement ceremonies will also be available through a live Web cast. For further information, visit the Commencement 2006 Web site located at www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/commencement/.
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE EXHIBIT USING GOOGLE EARTH
A collection of large-scale, outdoor artwork by sculpture students will be displayed on the Sonoma State University campus from May 16-28 in conjunction with the May 27 graduation ceremonies. Students from professor Jann Nunn's class will feature 13 pieces all over campus for the thousands of visitors to the University to enjoy as they attend graduation ceremonies.
Some sculptures recall myth and legends in their content. June Li's "Circle of Life" features the Chinese zodiac cut from steel. Greg Flood's "Maraude's Labyrinth" is constructed of cut-out images on black plywood on eight-foot high walls.
Joey Castor's "Hearth" features an seven-foot high black dome constructed from bricks. Lauren Okon's "Modify" incorporates colored lengths of cloth suspended from the eves of buildings. Portia Sanborn's "Choices" includes molds of pink drills and yellow steam irons spread out along a Stevenson Hall walkway.
The sculpture department hosts a reception for the artists on Thursday, May 25 at 4 p.m. in the Art Building Sculpture Courtyard, followed by a tour of the sculpture projects led by sculpture professor Jann Nunn and the participating artists. The public is invited.
For more information this exhibit, please contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator, at (707) 664-2057.
NOTE: Digital photos of the students at work on their sculptures, as well as the finished works, are available upon request.
ABOVE: June Li's "Circle of Life" will be displayed in front of the University library on Commencement Day as part of a public sculpture project being coordinated by art professor Jann Nunn. (Photo by Jean Wasp)
A ten-year old drama program that is at the heart of the rural school community it serves won the 19th annual Jack London Excellence in Education award from Sonoma State University on May 10.
First grade teacher Noelle Huberty and her husband Paul teach theater skills - singing, acting, and dancing - to fifth through eighth graders at Forestville School in west Sonoma County.
The program provides art to the community and promotes parent and community involvement with the school. The production each year is a major Broadway musical and this year's was "Beauty and the Beast."
The Forestville School Drama project was judged to be exceptional on all eight criteria by all judges and reviewers, said School of Education Dean Mary Gendernalik-Cooper. One judge noted "You have to see it to believe it. The teamwork among teachers, staff, administration, parent volunteers, students, alumni, and other committed members of the community is amazing."
Another judge reported: "Even the superintendent participates by playing in the band."
The program's selection procedure is highly inclusive and democratic, with every child who tries out being assured a part. It also makes sure that no child will fall into the "diva" trap, because the lead roles are double or triple cast.
"The essence of the Jack London Award is exceptionality, replicability, broadly participatory--the Forestville Drama project is all of that and more," the Dean said.
The awards are given on an annual basis to a K-12 teacher who has made an exemplary contribution to education through development of an innovative educational program in a Sonoma County school.
Other finalists included a math lesson study at Kawana School Bellevue School District; an outdoor education program at Cali Calmcac Charter School, Windsor Unified School District; and problem solving through chess at Meadow/Corona Creek Schools, Waugh School District.
The awards program is co-sponsored by the California Faculty Association, the Sonoma County Educators Council CTA/NEA, the California Reading and Literacy Project, the Sonoma County Office of Education, and the SSU School of Education, and Sonoma State University.
ABOVE, the Forestville School theatre company presented "Beauty and the Beast" this year.
UNDER THE SAND - Charlotte Rampling plays Marie, whose husband disappears from a beach; everyone but Marie believes him dead. Sonoma Film Institute. 4 p.m., Sunday, May 14, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
REMEMBERING THE KINDERTRANSPORTS - Lecture by Santa Rosa residents Hans Cohn, Alfred Batzdorff and Hilde Catz tell about on their escape from the Nazis as young children during World War II. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, Warren Auditorium, (707)664-4076.
WHAT'S NEXT? PREPARING FOR A CAREER AS AN ARTIST - Discussion designed to answer questions about a career as a working artist. Panelists include Ray Beldner, Catharine Clark, and Bob Nugent. Arts and Conversation Discussion Series. 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 16, Commons, (707) 664-2295.
THE CHANGING ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN SONOMA COUNTY - Lecture by Greig Guthey. Sonoma County in the Balance Lecture Series. 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 17, The Cooperage, (707) 664-2691.
KAFFEESTUNDE - Weekly informal get-together in German. Everyone is invited. Noon, Thursday, May 18, Charlie Brown's Cafe, (707) 664-2637.
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM - Dr. Daniel Huberli of UC Berkeley will present his lecture, "Umbellularia californica (California Bay Laurel)/Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak) and Phytophtora ramorum Interactions." Noon, Thursday, May 18, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
MARSHALL MATTERS: READING EMINEM AND THE POLITICS OF AUTHENTICITY - Lecture by Kim Hester-Williams of the SSU English Department. Arts and Humanities Research Forum. Noon, Thursday, May 18, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2146.
NOTRE MUSIQUE - Director Jean-Luc Godard, has modelled the structure of this new film - part drama, part documentary, though not a drama-documentary - on Dante. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m., Thursday, May 18, Stevenson 1002, 7 p.m. Friday, May 19, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
IN THE GALLERIES:
THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE: SONOMA STORIES - Photographs, documents and objects that capture the North Bay impact of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. April 7 to June 2. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday Noon-5 p.m., University Library Art Gallery, (707) 664-4240.
Santa Rosa residents Al Batzdorff, Hilde Catz and Hans Cohn will tell their personal stories from the Holocaust in "Remembering the Kindertransport" at 4 p.m., May 16, in Warren Auditorium at Sonoma State University. The free public lecture is the final event of the 23rd annual Holocaust Lecture Series. The theme for this year's series is "Living with Genocide: Past, Present, Future."
Batzdorff and Catz were part of the British Refugee effort which transported 10,000 Jewish children under 17 from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to England by train. Catz was only 14 when she left her hometown in Bavaria. She never saw her parents again. Batzdorff was 16 on Kristallnacht, the Night of the Broken Glass, which started the Nazi genocide. With help from others, he was able to rescue his entire family.
Cohn was 10 and his brother, Bert, 8 when they left their hometown in Stalsund, Germany and spent two years in France. In 1941, a group of Quakers rescued 200 Jews, including Cohn and Batzdorff. They were sent to Minneapolis, and moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, two years later.
Hilde Catz is a grandmother and former teacher who has lived in Sonoma County for 50 years. Al Batzdorff is a retired mechanical engineer. He and his wife, Susanne - a retired librarian and writer - have lived in Santa Rosa for 23 years. Cohn spent most of the last 30 years in Southern California before moving to Santa Rosa four years ago.
The Holocaust Lecture Series is the only one of its kind in the Western United States. It is a collaboration between the University's School of Social Sciences, Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide, and Department of Sociology and a community group, The Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust.
The series is presented in conjunction with a course in which students study the nature of hate through a rigorous syllabus designed to educate them about the consequences of allowing the escalation of prejudice to mutate into genocide.
It is the aim of the faculty and ASH to illuminate genocide around the world and to examine the root causes of group and government sponsored hatred.
The speakers in the series comment on an historical litany of genocides; from the Native American experience in California to Armenia in 1915, to the killing fields of Cambodia, from Nazi-dominated Europe to the atrocities committed in Asia during the Second World War, to Rwanda in 1994 and currently, Darfur.
For further information on this event, contact Larry Carr, (707) 569-8879.
Drama, math, outdoor education and chess are the themes of special programs in Sonoma County schools that have made the finals in competition for the 19th annual Jack London Excellence in Education awards from Sonoma State University. This year's awards ceremony will be held in the Cooperage from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10 and one progam will be selected to bring home the coveted trophy.
The awards are given on an annual basis to a K-12 teacher who has made an exemplary contribution to education through development of an innovative educational program in a Sonoma County school.
The finalists for the Nineteenth Jack London Award for Excellence In Education are:
Forestville School Drama Program, Forestville School
Forestville Union School District
Coordinator: Noelle Huberty and Paul Huberty
Program Goal: To teach theater skills (singing, acting, and dancing) to 5th-8th graders, to provide art to the community, and promote parent and community involvement with the school.
Math Lesson Study, Kawana School
Bellevue School District
Coordinator: Nancy Rogers-Zegarra
Program Goal: To improve student achievement, the use of academic language and understanding of mathematical reasoning, through teacher collaboration.
Outdoor Education Program, Cali Calmecac Charter School
Windsor Unified School District
Coordinator: Richard Meza
Program Goal: To foster students respect and responsibility for the environment. Students participate in an annual restoration project through which they study the California State Standards in English Language Arts and Science.
Problem Solving Through Chess, Meadow/Corona Creek Schools
Waugh School District
Coordinators: Catherine Handford and Ann Frisch
Program Goal: To improve problem solving abilities of interested fourth-sixth graders by teaching them the game of chess, and challenging them to improve their strategic thinking capabilities
The awards program is co-sponsored by the California Faculty Association, the Sonoma County Educators Council CTA/NEA, the California Reading and Literacy Project, the Sonoma County Office of Education, and School of Education, and Sonoma State University.
The Women's Varsity Team from Sonoma State reached a milestone recently by placing first at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.
The third-ranked women's crew finished first ahead of the first-ranked UC San Diego Tritons and second ranked Humbolt State Lumberjacks. This was the first entry for the Seawolf women's rowing team, a group that is less than three years old, in the prestigious Varsity 8 person Division II/III event.
"After the heats on Saturday we knew that UC San Diego was going to be a tough team to beat," said Coach Mark Niemann.
When the time came for the Grand Final the Seawolf women came off the line first and never looked back. They held the lead throughout the race and fought off a last-minute push by the Tritons in the final 500m of the 2000m race to get their best time of the season - 7:00.9 minutes.
The Men's Varsity as well as the men's and women's Novice teams also finished in notable positions. The first year as a full varsity squad, the men's team out did their rankings and knocked off the Loggers from the University of Puget Sound and the Hornets of Sacramento State to get fifth place in the second final event for the Varsity Men's 8 person event with a time of 6:11.1 minutes.
The Seawolf Novice Women finished eight out of 20 crews with a time of 7:10.8 minutes. The Novice Men finished eighth out of 15 crews with a time of 6:21.6 minutes. "I could not be prouder of the entire team. It is wonderful to see all of the hard work these student athletes have put in this year produce these great results," said coach Niemann.
The team has its sights on traveling to Philadelphia to compete in the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta in two weeks.
More information can be found at the team website at http://www.sonoma.edu/clubs/crew/
ABOVE, SSU Women's crew include (left to right) Susi Brunamonti, Amanda Judy, Rachel Beardsley, Jenny Chodola, Chelsea Campbell, Chrissy Towner, Jennifer Huss, Ariane Benito, Audra Anderson and Vicki Denison.
SPIN ELECTRONICS: MAGNETS AND SEMICONDUCTORS - Dr. Frances Hellman of the UC Berkeley will discuss the science and technology of using both the spin and charge of the electron in modern solid-state electronics, focusing particularly on how to make a magnetic semiconductor. What Physicists Do Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Monday, May 8, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2119.
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE - Shannon Minter, attorney and Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights looks at the evolving relationship of transgender people to the larger gay rights movement and the emergence of transgender law. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, May 9, Carson 68, (707) 664-2840.
THE HISTORY OF DOLLS, PART II - Lecture by Geri Olsen of the SSU Psychology Department. Social Science Brown Bag Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, May 9, Stevenson 2011, (707) 664-2112.
HOLLYWOOD'S HOLOCAUST: "SCHINDLER'S LIST" AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEMORY - Lecture by Dr. Lynne Rappaport of Pomona College. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
WRITERS ON WRITING LECTURE SERIES - Author and poet Aaron Shurin will lecture. 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 9, SSU Art Gallery, (707) 664-2140.
JACK LONDON AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE - Drama, math, outdoor education and chess are the themes of special programs in Sonoma County schools that have made the finals in competition for the 19th annual Jack London Excellence in Education awards from the School of Education. The awards are given on an annual basis to a K-12 teacher who has made an exemplary contribution to education through development of an innovative educational program in a Sonoma County school. 4-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 10, Cooperage. (707) 664-2057.
THE GREENING OF THE NORTH BAY - Lecture by Richard Walker. Sonoma County in the Balance Lecture Series. 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 10, The Cooperage, (707) 664-2691.
GERMAN FILM SERIES - This week, the film "Fitzcarraldo" will be screened. Admission is free. 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 10, Multi-Purpose Room, SSU Student Union, (707) 664-2411.
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM - Dr. Carol Vines of both SSU and the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory will present "Reproductive Impairment in Gillichthys mirabillia: Linking Biomarkers with Sediment and Tissue Chemistry." Biology Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, May 11, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
COMPUTER SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM - Short presentations of research carried out by Sonoma State students. Noon, Thursday, May 11, Salazar 2016, (707) 664-2667.
KAFFEESTUNDE - Weekly informal get-together in German. All are invited. Practice German over lunch or a cup of coffee. Noon, Thursday, May 4, Charlie Brown's Cafe, (707) 664-2637.
SONOMA FILM INSTITUTE:
UNDER THE SAND - Charlotte Rampling plays Marie, whose husband disappears from a beach; everyone but Marie believes him dead. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, Stevenson 1002 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
IN THE GALLERIES:
THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE: SONOMA STORIES - Photographs, documents and objects that capture the North Bay impact of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The exhibit runs from April 7 to June 2. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., University Library Art Gallery, (707) 664-4240.
More than 150 colleges and universities from across the United States will be represented at the North Bay College Fair at Sonoma State University from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2 in the main gymnasium.
The fair is free of charge for students, parents and others interested in learning more about colleges and universities across the nation. Representatives from such institutions as the Academy of Art College, Hawaii Pacific, Peperdine, and UC Berkeley will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on financial aid and the admissions process.
The fair is broken up into two sections in order to accommodate as many students as possible. Over 1,500 students within SSU's six-county service area will be bused to the campus for the morning session. It is anticipated that more than 1,000 students and parents will be attending the evening session.
This event is sponsored by the Western Association of College Admission Counselors and Sonoma State University. For further information, please visit the SSU Prospective Students Web site at www.sonoma.edu/ar/prospective or call the Sonoma State Student Outreach Office at (707) 664-3029.
