President García Witnesses Signing of White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Dr. Mildred García, president of California State University, Dominguez Hills, was in Washington D.C. in October to participate the two-day National Education Summit and Call to Action hosted by the U.S. Department of Education. On Tuesday, Oct 16, she was one of only 10 Hispanic education leaders and students on stage with President Barack Obama as he signed the executive order renewing and revising the 20-year-old White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

The summit brought together administration officials with experts in education and Hispanic community leaders to discuss issues ranging from early childhood learning to higher education. The revised executive order places a high priority on actions meant to expand educational opportunities, improve educational outcomes, and ensure competitiveness in a global economy.

“I was extremely honored to be invited to join President Barack Obama at the White House signing ceremony to renew and expand our country’s commitment to educational excellence for Hispanics,” said García. “It was also a great privilege to represent CSU Dominguez Hills at the national education summit held this week, where we examined how to strengthen public education in the United States.

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When Brandilynn Villarreal (Class of ’09, M.A., clinical psychology) took a job as a grad assistant for the McNair Scholars Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills, she had thought the responsibility of helping underrepresented, first-generation college students prepare for advanced degrees was interesting. So much so, that as a doctoral candidate in social and personality psychology at the University of California, Irvine she decided to analyze how that same student population copes with graduate school.

“I had to come here and see that I was really interested in doing that,” says Villarreal, who had earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at UCLA with a focus on social stigma and devalued identities.

In her work as a graduate student at CSU Dominguez Hills, Villarreal branched out into research on preventions of sexual risk taking behavior among underrepresented populations at CSU Dominguez Hills, working with her professors Dr. Karen Mason and Dr. Keisha Paxton, associate professors of psychology. Michelle Waiters, director of the McNair Program, says that Villarreal’s reputation as “a research star” was instrumental in supporting McNair Scholars in their research as undergraduates.

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John Tracy: Senior Vice President Gives Boeing Technology its Wings

The 50th anniversary of California State University, Dominguez Hills also coincides with the centennial of the 1910 Air Meet, the first aviation exhibition to take place on the West Coast. Among the attendees of that historic event was William Boeing, who went on to create his own aviation company six years later. Today, a CSU Dominguez Hills alumnus is leading the technology efforts at The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace manufacturer.

As senior vice president of engineering, operations and technology and the chief technology officer for Boeing, John Tracy (Class of ’76, B.S., physics) is responsible for the strategic direction of more than 100,000 employees internationally. Within the corporation, he is responsible for a multitude of organizations that include engineering, operations, supplier management, quality assurance functions, information technology, intellectual property management, and environment, health and safety.

Tracy joined McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing, as a stress analyst in 1981. Since then, he's held a wide variety of leadership roles at the company, including vice president of engineering and mission assurance for Boeing's defense and space business unit and vice president of structural technologies, prototyping and quality for the company's advanced research and development organization.

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Alumni Notes

Kent Bullard (M.S. ’03) was recently appointment to Lee Enterprises Biodiesel Consulting Group of Little Rock, Ark., as their new Quality Assurance Specialist. He is the longest serving auditor with the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission and since 2005 has audited biodiesel production, marketing and laboratory facilities across the U.S. and in Canada.

Luis M. Campos, Ph.D. (B.S. ’01) was announced professor of chemistry at Columbia University in New York, NY.

Steve Moreau (M.S. ’80) has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. Over the past five years Mr. Moreau has served as President and CEO at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, Calif. Prior to leading San Antonio Community Hospital, Mr. Moreau served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach for 14 years.

Fatima Rivas, Ph.D. (B.S. ’01) was announced faculty research associate in the department of chemical biology & therapeutics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

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 California State University, Dominguez Hills, we invite you to share your stories about campus life.

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 submissions, either in written (not to exceed 200 words) or photographic form, to jharmon@csudh.edu.

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.

Wednesday, Nov. 10
5:30pm -7:30pm
Opening reception for “Winston Hewitt: Retrospective Exhibit”
Location: University Art Gallery, LaCorte Hall
Exhibit runs Mon-Thurs through Dec. 8

Tuesday, Nov. 9
7:30pm
Faculty Recital, “The Golden Age of the Oboe,” with Music Professor Richard Kravchak.
Location: University Theatre
$10 general admission; $5 for students/senior citizens. Tickets at the door.

For tickets call (310) 243-3588.

Thursday, Nov. 18
6:00pm-8:00pm
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 Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 to fhernandez@csudh.edu or (310) 243-2237. Limited space available

Thursday, Nov. 19-20
8:00pm
Dances With Out Borders Dance Concert
Location: University Theatre
$12 general admission; $10 for students/senior citizens. Tickets: 310-243-3589

For tickets call (310) 243-3588.

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 OLLI events below:

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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Dateline: Dominguez Hills