PSFA E-CONNECT - October 2008

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

These days, it seems as if everywhere we turn we are bombarded with bad news! While SDSU is certainly not immune to the turmoil of the world, a college campus is a place to focus on the possibilities of the future, and to celebrate the successes of all disciplines. PSFA is fortunate to have lots of good news to share, as our students, faculty, staff and alumni continue to make their mark on this world in a positive way. We hope you enjoy this issue of E-Connect and find it a welcome respite in the midst of challenging times.

Joyce M. Gattas, Dean
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

In the News

Dedicated PSFA Staff Honored for Years of Service

When you think of the people found on a college campus, students and professors are what usually come to mind – the staff members tend to be the behind-the-scenes employees whose work is often unrecognized. On Tuesday, October 7 PSFA recognized six of its staff members for their many years of dedicated service in this “unseen” role – a total of 110 years, in fact!

Those honored were: Peter Nordyke, School of Television, Theatre and Film, 30 years; Mark Anderson, School of Television, Theatre and Film, 25 years; Bessie Watson, School of Communication, 25 years, Paula Pierce, Aerospace Studies, 10 years; Eric Logan, PSFA Dean’s Office, 10 years; and Jo Ramos, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, 10 years. Thank you for your service. Here’s to another 100 + years!

Dean Gattas Sambas to Victory for Malashock’s Youth Programs

On September 13 Dean Joyce Gattas joined 10 other local celebrities on the dance floor for the 2nd Annual “Malashock Thinks You Can Dance” competition, which raises money for the dance company’s youth education and outreach programs. Contestants were given a professional partner and several months to prepare before taking the stage at Irwin M. Jacobs QUALCOMM Hall.

Celebrity judges Christopher Ashley, La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director; Dea Hurston, Commissioner on the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture; and philanthropist Darlene Shiley provided lively critiques of each number, but the real power was in the hands of the audience, who selected the winner.

Despite some tough competition from other contestants like Ruben Galven of San Diego 6, U.S. Bank Portfolio Manager Osborn Hurston and retired physician Alan Spector, Dean Gattas managed to capture the hearts and votes of the audience with her lively samba, and took away the top prize. Congratulations!

Alumni Highlights

School of Public Affairs Recognizes Outstanding Alumni

The School of Public Affairs at SDSU celebrated its 40-50-60 Anniversary on September 22, and in honor of this special occasion presented four alumni with the Donald B. Lieffer Outstanding Alumni Award for service to the criminal justice, city planning, and/or public administration fields.

The honorees included Mark Ochenduszko (Public Administration, ’77, MPA, ’87), current City Manager of the City of Coronado; Henry Romero (MPA ’81), former Director of Personnel, U.S. Department of Justice; Veronica Baeza, (MPA, ’99), Executive Director of the San Diego-Tijuana Border Initiative, and Maggie Fenn (Criminal Justice, ’02, MPA, ’05), Major Gifts Coordinator for SDSU.

Journalism alum leads Daily Aztec to 12 SPJ awards

This past summer the Daily Aztec, San Diego State University’s campus newspaper, took home 12 Excellence in Journalism Awards at the annual banquet of the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Giselle Domdom (Journalism, ’08), editor of last year’s Daily Aztec, along with this year’s editor Amanda Strouse, accepted the awards for the newspaper. The awards included: Best College Newspaper, honorable mention; Best Sports Story or Series, Joe Giovanetti (journalism major); Best Arts and Entertainment Story or Series, Brad Haering (advertising major); Best Layout and Design, Sean Bacon (graphic design major); Best Column, Devin Kunysz (marketing major); Best Photo, Andrew Huse (political science major); Best of Show Story, Devin Kunysz (marketing major). The newspaper also received an honorable mention for Best Photo and second-place awards for Best News Story or Series, Best Review or Criticism, and Best Sports Story or Series.

Student Spotlight

MFA Student Mural Given to Three Cups of Tea Author

As part of SDSU’s Common Experience, a program designed to foster conversation and community on campus, author and humanitarian Greg Mortensen spoke to over 2,000 students and community members at the Open Air Theatre on Friday, September 26.

Featured prominently during the speech was the work of MFA Set Design Student Andrew Hull, who created a 10 X 20 mural inspired by the book’s description of the schools built in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan. Andrew worked on the piece over the summer, and after the lecture, SDSU presented the mural to Greg Mortensen as a token of gratitude. The work will become a part of Mortensen’s collection and will be used across the country as he tells his inspiring story.

SDSU Forensics Starts Season with a Victory

SDSU’s Speech and Debate program has almost 50 students involved this year, and with 15 returning team members the skill and motivation level of the team is strong. At the year’s first tournament, the PSCFA Warm-Up Tournament in Torrance, California, rookie team members Evan Ware and Lawrence Cicneros captured First Place in Rookie Parliamentary Debate, beating 20 other teams.

Faculty to Watch

We are pleased to present this ongoing spotlight on our faculty members and their exciting research.

David Kahan

David Kahan is a Professor of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences. Prior to coming to SDSU in 2000, he earned a B.S. in kinesiology and a master’s of education in teacher education from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in health, physical education and recreation from Ohio State University. Dr. Kahan’s research focuses on the relationship between the pursuit of physical activity and religiosity in children. In a series of studies, his work examines factors that facilitate and inhibit physical activity in adolescents from religions with clerical/scriptural pr(e/o)scriptions for/against exercise (e.g., Judaism, Islam). Dr. Kahan’s recent publication titled Supersized PE: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Teaching Overweight Students, with co-author Josh Trout, has received national recognition.

Kurt Lindemann

Kurt Lindemann, Assistant Professor in the School of Communication, received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 2006. After earning a B.A. in Communication and Theatre Arts and Written Communication from Eastern Michigan University, he received a M.S. in Communication from Illinois State University in 1995 and a M.A. in English Language and Literature from Eastern Michigan University in 1997.

Dr. Lindemann’s research examines communicative performances of identity in organizational and mediated contexts, with a specific focus on gender in sport. His teaching interests include organizational communication, ethnography, and performance studies. Dr. Lindemann is the recipient of the 2008 Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Research Award for his article, “Cleaning Up My (Father’s) Mess: Narrative Containments of ‘Leaky’ Masculinities,” sponsored by the Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research (at http://www.cccsir.org/).