Volume II Issue 4
Commencement 2004 Edition
Welcome to PSFA E-Connect, an electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA). We hope you enjoy this summary of SDSU and PSFA news. For detailed information, please click on the links provided or copy and paste into your web browser.
Commencement 2004
Congratulations all PSFA Graduates!
Commencement is upon us once again. This year, approximately 9,627 students are eligible to participate in Commencement 2004 at San Diego State University. That number includes 7,418 bachelor's degree candidates and 2,321 master's and doctoral degree candidates, with 112 of those students who are double majors. The College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA) will present the most candidates for graduation with 2,420 students.
The PSFA graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 15, at 1:00
p.m., in Cox Arena on the SDSU campus. SDSU Commencement ceremonies will
be broadcast live on Cox Cable, Channel 23; Cox North, Channel 18 (excluding
Oceanside); and Time Warner Cable, Channel 19 beginning at 8:00 a.m.
on Saturday, May 15. All ceremonies may be seen on the internet at http://www.sdsu.edu/commencementvideo.
(This link will become active on May 14). For more information about
Commencement 2004, please click on the following link: http://bfa.sdsu.edu/commencement
FILMMAKER KATHLEEN KENNEDY TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTORATE OF FINE ARTS AT PSFA CEREMONY
PSFA
takes great pride in announcing that Kathleen Kennedy will receive an honorary
Doctorate of Fine Arts during the College's Commencement ceremony on May
15th at 1pm. A graduate of SDSU in 1979 with a degree in telecommunications
and film, Kathleen Kennedy's impressive list of film credits rival few
producers. She currently serves as president of the Producers Guild of
America and sits on the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute.
Her record of achievement has made her one of the most successful executives in the film industry today. Among her credits are three of the highest grossing films in motion picture history: "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," "Jurassic Park," and "The Sixth Sense," which she produced with Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen and Frank Marshall. She currently heads The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she founded alongside director/producer Frank Marshall in 1992. The company's productions range from critically acclaimed blockbusters such as "Signs" and "The Sixth Sense," which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture to "Snow Falling on Cedars" and "A Map of the World" to the recent sensation "Seabiscuit," also nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.
HONORING PSFA's BEST AND BRIGHTEST
Each
Commencement, special recognition is given to a select group of accomplished
graduates. Each of the degree programs in the College has chosen its outstanding
graduate, and each of these graduates has named a faculty member who was
most influential in the academic career of the graduate. From among these
students the Dean selects one outstanding graduate who is recognized for
his/her contribution to the College as well as the University. This year's
outstanding PSFA graduate is Christopher Angel Garcia, who is earning a
degree in Kinesiology (Pre-Physical Therapy). He has selected professor
Greg Voigt as his most influential faculty member. The following are the
Class of 2004 student and faculty honorees.
School or Department |
Student |
Influential Faculty |
Art, Design and Art History |
Vonna Lisa Luleff |
Ida K. Rigby |
| Child and Family Development | Sharon Lynne Tharp | Bonnie Mello |
| Communication | Cheryl Beth Kitowski | Edwin R. McDaniel |
| Journalism | Rachel Loretta Montague | Anne Saita |
| Foods and Nutrition | Amy Elizabeth Johnson | Audrey Spindler |
| Kinesiology | Christopher Angel Garcia | Greg Voigt |
| Hospitality & Tourism Management | Crystal Lea Wilke | Lori J. Sipe |
| Dance | Tamara Mary Saari | Patricia Sandback |
| Music | Michelle Rose Campos | Marian Liebowitz |
| Criminal Justice Administration | Lara-Lee Easton | Dana M. Nurge |
| Public Administration | Tyler Kerns | Susan Baer |
| Recreation, Parks and Tourism | Laura Joann Egge | Janis Gabay |
| Television, Film & New Media | Daniel Benjamin Mach | Lee Marshall |
| Theatre | Jennifer Michelle Ruygt | Jay Sheehan |
FAREWELL
TO RETIRING FACULTY
The following PSFA faculty members are retiring at the end of this academic year. We thank them for their many years of exceptional service and wish them the very best in their future endeavors. Feel free to send them a note or e-mail with your best wishes.
Professor Nico Calavita,
School of Public Administration &
Urban Studies
Professor Margaret McKerrow,
School of Theatre, Television & Film
 |
2004 MASTER OF FINE ARTS
GRADUATES We are pleased to announce the following graduates who have attained their terminal degrees with the Master of Fine Arts in Art and Theatre. |
| Master of Fine Arts in Art |
| Timothy Stuart Benson |
| Nathan Joseph Betschart |
| Gary Silveira Carlos |
| Will A. Gustwiller |
| Nicole Irene Keiser |
| Michiyo M. Kirkpatrick |
| Norihiko Seto |
| Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts (With
an emphasis in Design & Technical Theatre or Musical Theatre) |
|
| Alison Kathleen Bretches | Kristen Amber Mengelkoch |
| Marc Reed Ciemiewicz | Megan Ann Richardson |
| Karen Ann Daniels | Travis Clark Richardson |
| Craig Patrick Dettman | Jeffrey Ryan Stander |
| Larry Michael Elliott | Amanda Marie Stephens |
| Tiffany Fenderson | Ivy Vela |
| Jeanine Angelique Gilvaher | Eric Blake Vest |
| Caleb Yuen-Hsien Goh | Matthew Richard Weeden |
| Cynthia Marie Kinnard | |
| Ryan David McKinney | |
President Stephen Weber, MaryLee Sachs,
and Dean Joyce Gattas at the Montys Award Gala
PSFA OUTSTANDING ALUMNA 2003-04
MaryLee Sachs, President and CEO of Hill and Knowlton USA, was named PSFA Outstanding Alumna of the Year for 2003-04 in recognition of her outstanding achievements. She graduated from SDSU in 1981 with a degree in Journalism (public relations).
SDSU Advertising Students Win District Championship
A team of San Diego State University students won the District 15 National
Student Advertising Competition held recently at Pepperdine University
in Malibu. District 15 includes universities located throughout Southern
California. In this year's competition, UCLA took second place, and Cal
State, Fullerton, came in third. As District champion, the SDSU team will
compete in Dallas, Texas, for the national title on June 12 and 13, as
part of the American Advertising Federations annual meeting.
Each year, a competition sponsor presents student teams from throughout
the US with a challenge. Student teams conduct primary research, lay out
a campaign strategy, develop paid and free media plans, and produce examples
of the print, audio, and video elements of the campaign. Then, at the competition
site, each team makes a 20-minute presentation and responds to questions
from a panel of expert judges, including one representative of the client.
SDSU's team included students from the School of Communication, the School
of Art, Design, and Art History, and the School of Theatre, Television
and Film. The team's adviser is Howard Oleff, a School of Communication
lecturer. The Ad Club of San Diego, the local chapter of the American Advertising
Federation, provided support for the SDSU team, as well as for a team from
the Art Institute of California, San Diego.
Congratulations to all the students!
Enrich Your Life... .Own A Fine Piano
Would you like to own a fine piano? The School of Music and Dance has many fine pianos available for purchase. These "nearly new" instruments include full grands, baby grands, studios, consoles, spinets as well as digital pianos.
For more than four years, the School has been in partnership with Piano Exchange of San Diego. Each year, the company provides over a half-million dollars worth of the latest state of the art instruments to the School including digital pianos, and acoustic grand pianos, directly benefiting students and faculty by allowing them to stay atop of their field. "Partnerships like this are not uncommon," says Martin Chambers, director of the School. "Most major schools cannot afford to purchase such fine instruments, so many have begun institutional programs such as this."
The pianos available for purchase have all been professionally maintained and carry full manufacturers' warranties. Brands include new and used Baldwin, Yamaha, Steinway, Schimmel, Petrof, Kawai, Young Chang, Chickering, Wurlitzer and Roland digitals among others. All pianos utilized in this program will be offered to faculty, staff, alumni, students and friends at reduced prices before being sold to the general public. Friday and Saturday, June 4th & 5th has been set-aside for you to schedule an appointment to preview and purchase your new piano prior to the general public showing. You may schedule your appointment by calling: 800-510-7426 or 619-298-0084. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to benefit the School of Music and Dance as well as to enrich your own life.
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Dorothy Hewes, Department
of Child and Family Development, will receive the Barbara Chernofsky Lifetime
Achievement Award for Leadership and Excellence in the field of Early Care
and Education at a luncheon in her honor at the Marriott Courtyard in San
Diego on June 2, 2004.
Thom McKenzie, Department
of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, received the "2004 Distinguished
Scholar Award" from the National Association for Physical Education
in Higher Education (NAPEHE) at their annual meeting in Tampa in January.
Larry Herzog, School of Public
Administration and Urban Studies, was a keynote speaker and workshop organizer
at the National Conference of Mexican Architects, in Puebla, Mexico, in
April 2004.
David Ward-Steinman, School
of Music and Dance, presented a concert of original music at the Indiana
School of Music in March 2004, where he is a visiting professor of music
this semester. The program included Ward Steinman's
"Sonata for Piano Fortified," "Elegy for Martin Luther King," "Prisms
and Reflections," and "Flight for Two Pianos."
David Kahan, Department of
Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, was inducted as a Fellow in the Research
Consortium of the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation
and Dance on April 1, 2004. He has also published,
"Relationships among religiosity, physical activity, and sedentary
behavior in Jewish adolescents" in Pediatric Exercise Science, 16
(1), 54-63.
ALUMNI NEWS
Adelle Gomelsky (Communication,
2003) has been hired as the youngest Press Coordinator for NBC Entertainment
Publicity in Burbank, California, where she works on popular shows such
as "Scrubs," "Miss Match,"
Good Morning Miami," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,"
American Dreams," and "Will & Grace." During her senior
year at SDSU, Adelle served as President of the PSFA College Council and
was also an Associated Students representative.
Emily Mitchell (MFA Musical
Theatre, 2002) was recently cast in the European tour of HAIR,
which begins in May. She will perform in France, Germany, Italy and Austria
for four months. Emily is known to local theatre-goers from her role as
Diana Ross in BEEHIVE! at The Theatre in Old Town.
Brian Kays (Physical Education,
2003) is currently teaching Physics and Chemistry at a high school for
girls in Glendora, California, and beginning his third year as Assistant
Basketball Coach at Bishop Amat High School looking to win another CIF
Championship. Brian is also in his first semester at Mount Saint Mary's
College seeking a master's degree in Education with a Physics emphasis.
Dorrie Board (Theatre, 1991)
relocated to Arizona after graduation and became Art Director for a small
theatre company. She has made a career switch and now teaches middle school
and alternative high school children.
Bryan Day (Recreation Administration/Systems
Management, 1998) graduated from New York University in May 2003 with a
Master of Public Administration and Nonprofit Management and Policy degree.
He is now in Washington, D.C. working as a Faculty Research Associate for
the George Mason University School of Public Policy. Bryan works with Frank
Sesno, former Washington Bureau Chief and now professor of Public Policy
and Communication at GMU. During Mr. Sesno's recent town hall meeting in
San Diego with Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Ridge, it was Bryan's connection
with SDSU that resulted in the invitation of SDSU's Chief of Police to
the meeting where SDSU's emergency preparedness plan was used as an example
of good preparation.
CLASS NOTES
We love to hear from you. Did you get a promotion? Recently relocated? Personal news to share? Send us your news and/or updated contact information to Class Notes at econnect@mail.sdsu.edu.
GIVING BACK
Thank you to all our wonderful donors who are giving back to SDSU. Your gifts to PSFA and its Fund for Excellence greatly benefit our College and its programs. For those who prefer the convenience of on-line giving, the University's Web page is www.sdsu.edu/giving. Each gift will be recognized by on-line confirmation, plus a follow-up email message that can be retained for tax purposes. Also, if you are interested in estate planned giving, please visit our website at www.sdsugift.org. These sites are secured to protect personal information, including credit card numbers.