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April 22, 2004
DH-04 TK 032
Contact: Thomas Knox
(310) 243-3367
Email: tknox@csudh.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Talk Show Host Rolonda Watts to Preside Over
President’s Dinner Benefiting
Scholarships at CSU Dominguez Hills

Ossur North America to receive Katherine B. Loker Friend of Education award

Carson, CA – Talk show host Rolonda Watts will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies during the 6th Annual President’s Dinner Benefiting Scholarships at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). The dinner will be held on Friday, April 30, in the International Ballroom of the Hilton Long Beach, 701 West Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Watts is a longtime supporter of community-based programs and higher education and brings a rich career ranging from broadcast journalism to motion picture production to the ceremony that showcases high-achieving college transfer and high school students.

Watts, who received her master’s from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, has worked for NBC and CBS affiliates in North Carolina and New York. She was a reporter and local news anchor for “The Today Show.” Watts has served as a senior correspondent, weekend anchor and producer for “Inside Edition.” After appearing in many TV shows including, “The West Wing” and “New York Undercover,” she opened her own production company, Watts Works Productions.

Presidential scholarships are awarded annually for the outstanding academic achievements of graduating high school students and community college transfer students planning to attend CSU Dominguez Hills. Initiated in 1985 as a means of encouraging these students to continue their education and attend Cal State Dominguez Hills, the full scholarships contribute to the climate of academic excellence on campus. The scholarships also provide the financial support required by many deserving students, not only during their freshman year, but also throughout the student’s undergraduate education (if they maintain renewal eligibility). Please visit the Web site, http://www.csudh.edu/InvestInUs/ to read personal accounts of past scholarship winners.

The university’s Katherine B. Loker Friend of Education award will be presented to Ossur North America for its continued support for the CSUDH Orthotics & Prosthetics Program. Located on Ossur North America’s campus in Aliso Viejo, the 6,000-square-foot teaching facility provides state-of-the-art lecture rooms, patient interaction and rooms for the creation of prostheses. Ossur donated $750,000 in equipment, customized space and rent that saved the facility from shutting its doors and positioned it as the best in the country.

Tickets for the President’s Dinner cost $250 per person or $2,500 per table. The evening’s activities begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 7:30 p.m. and dancing at 9:00 p.m. Dance music is being provided by, “A Touch Of Memories,” which includes a disc jockey. The CSU Dominguez Hills University Jazz Ensemble will provide background music for the evening. Valet and self parking is available at $9 and $5 respectively.

Reservations can be made through Monday, April 26, by the close of the business day. For more information and to place reservations, please call the university’s Office of Ceremonies & Events at (310) 243-2666 or e-mail csudhevents@csudh.edu.

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