English Department Alumni Take Interdisciplinary Approach to Branding Toyota Financial Services

Although Tatsumi Paredes (Class of '98, B.A., English, magna cum laude) and Maria Tirado (Class of ’86, B.A. English lit/communications) attended California State University, Dominguez Hills nearly a decade apart, they both agreed that the education they received was instrumental in propelling them to their current positions at Toyota Financial Services (TFS). Tirado, who serves as TFS’s brand manager, recently welcomed Paredes to her department as the new brand administrator.

“The best thing about Cal State Dominguez Hills is that the class sizes were pretty small, so we were able to get individual attention in terms of what we were learning,” says Paredes. “It was a good opportunity to work with other students and professors directly. It’s pretty amazing how closely that translates to the real world.

“If you go to any large university, I don’t think you’ll get that intimate interaction. You’re in a crowd... listening to a lecture. But we all know that in the real world, we’ve got to participate in meetings. We don’t just sit there and listen, for the most part. So I think that’s a great advantage that Dominguez Hills has.”

Tirado says that the opportunities that CSU Dominguez Hills gives its students was instrumental in helping her achieve her career goal as a writer, which led to her current position.

“What I liked was how small and intimate [the campus] was,” says the former Bull’s Eye (now The Bulletin) reporter. “It was such an honor to interview Sally Ride for the school newspaper. I felt that’s what Dominguez afforded me – access to things that maybe a larger university could not give me.”

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California State University, Dominguez Hills is among the top 100 universities in the nation to confer the most degrees, both undergraduate and graduate, on students of color.

The magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education recently released its annual “Top 100 Undergraduate Degree Producers” and “Top 100 Graduate Degree Producers” rankings, and CSU Dominguez Hills ranked as high as 17th in the nation in one of the undergraduate discipline categories. Using graduation data reported by two- and four-year institutions to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics for the 2008–09 academic year, the magazine ranked universities not only on how many degrees were granted overall to minority students, specifically African American, Asian American, Hispanic and Native American, but also gave separate rankings by ethnicity for specific fields of study.

The university saw its highest undergraduate ranking—17 out of 100—in the number of Hispanic students earning bachelor’s degrees in math. It was ninth in the number of Asian American students earning master’s degrees in health sciences. In the overall ranking combining all disciplines and minority groups, CSU Dominguez Hills ranked 52nd in granting bachelor’s degrees and 53rd in granting master’s degrees.

Other highlights in the undergraduate ranking include a 36th place for Hispanics in all disciplines, a 37th for Asian Americans earning health science degrees, a 40th for total minorities who were math majors, and 56th in degrees earned in all disciplines by African American students.

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CSU Dominguez Hills Names New AVP for Development

(Carson, CA) – California State University, Dominguez Hills has hired Andrea Sala as the university’s new associate vice president of development. Her first day was July 6.

Sala previously had been executive director of the Peninsula Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money to support the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. In her nine years as its director, the Peninsula Education Foundation more than doubled its annual giving and launched several successful fundraising campaigns for programs and activities to serve the 11,900 students attending schools in Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates.

“We are thrilled to have Andrea join the CSU Dominguez Hills team as our associate vice president for development,” said Greg Saks, vice president of University Advancement. “Her knowledge of the South Bay, extensive fundraising experience, and commitment to the mission of our university make her a great fit. I am excited to have her on board.”

The Office of Development at CSU Dominguez Hills works to facilitate partnerships between corporations, individual, private foundations and other organizations within the community to help grow scholarship, research and academic programs at the university. 

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Alumni Notes

Shonni Albritton (BA ’04) was honored with the best supporting actress award for her role in “Jitney” by the 2010 NAACP Theatre Awards, hosted at the Director's Guild of America, in Hollywood. Each year, the awards committee views well over 50 shows, and the event is held to celebrate some of the best work in African-American theatre in California.

Mike Paulson (BA ’93) was recently appointed manager of MovinCool’s Heat Management Group. MovinCool, a brand of DENSO Corporation, is the world's largest manufacturer of spot air conditioners. Paulson’s responsibilities will include managing sales, customer services, and engineering.

Tammy Tumbling (BS ’90 and MPA ’94) was recently appointed the director of philanthropy and community involvement for Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison International. Her responsibilities include managing the company’s $16.6 million philanthropic budget, and providing strategic direction on funding programs. She oversees the company’s grant making focused on community building, employee giving, in-kind donations, and volunteer and scholarship programs.

We’d like to hear from you! Your friends at CSU Dominguez Hills want to know what you're up to! Email the Office of Alumni Programs at alumniprograms@csudh.edu.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of California State University, Dominguez Hills, we invite you to share with us your stories about campus life and what comes to mind when you reflect on your experience here.

From our alumni, we’d like fond memories of fellow students or professors, reminiscences of student life and academic progress, or how your experiences at CSU Dominguez Hills have shaped your lives and careers.

Please send all submissions, either in written (not to exceed 200 words) or photographic form, to jharmon@csudh.edu. We will accept submissions throughout the 50th Anniversary celebration, which ends at Commencement 2011.

Please include your name, major and graduation year; if you are also CSUDH staff or faculty please include your title and department, and the year you began your employment here.

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories on the 50th Anniversary website.

Thursday, Sept. 30
6:30-9:00pm
President’s Lecture Series, Henry Cisneros
Location: University Theatre
*RSVP to tbushee@csudh.edu or (310) 243-2666

Friday, Oct. 22
6-8pm
Reception for alumni, theatre staff and the cast of Shakespeare's Macbeth
Location: Club 1910
Showtime: 8pm, University Theatre
*RSVP for reception by Friday, Oct. 15, 2010 to fhernandez@csudh.edu or (310) 243-2237.

For tickets, click here or call (310) 243-3588.

Thursday, Nov. 18
6-8pm
SAVE THE DATE! Long Beach Alumni & Friends Reception Hosted by Keesal, Young & Logan and CSU Dominguez Hills Alumni Association
Location: Union Bank Building, 400 Oceangate, Long Beach, CA 90801

*RSVP by Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 to fhernandez@csudh.edu or (310) 243-2237. Limited space available

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU Dominguez Hills (OLLI), a program of educational, cultural and social opportunities for retired an semi-retired individuals age 50 and above.

Upcoming events below:

Sunday, Oct. 10
1-2:30pm
“Songs for the Second Half,” a concert reading of a musical
Admission: $15 OLLI members and $20 non-members
Location: EE-1213

Tuesday, Oct. 19
1:30pm
Open House: learn about becoming a member of OLLI
Location: EE-1213

Wednesday, Nov. 10 1:30pm
50th Anniversary Alumni Event. Presentation by Dr. Judson Grenier, Emeritus Faculty, History Department
Location: EE-1213

For more information about OLLI contact Jim Bouchard at 310-243-3729 or jbouchard@csudh.edu

Click below to view more Alumni Events and Alumni Photos.

Stay Connected! Help us keep your contact information current so you don't miss out on invitations to events, your alumni e-newsletter, and more! Update your information online here.

Did you know you can make a gift that provides a fixed income for life? More information can be found on our Planned Giving website or by calling 310-243-2182.

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