November 2008

The Wave

Fall 2008 | A quarterly online newsletter for Alumni & Friends of California State University Channel Islands.

NEWS

New Student Union Breaks Ground
Camarillo, Calif., Nov. 6, 2008-California State University Channel Islands held the ground-breaking ceremony for the new University Student Union from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. The event took place on the CSUCI campus at the site of the former University Library adjacent to the Bell Tower. "The students of CI are so excited to have a place of our very own on campus. This building is truly a tangible representation of students being placed at the center of the educational experience, and we look forward to the positive effects the student union is sure to have on our campus culture and student life," said student body president and senior Alexandra Mitchell. The new 23,000-square-foot University Student Union will include a large programmable area for student gathering, food service, lounges, game room, and student organization offices. It also includes renovating the "tree house" courtyard for outdoor events and gathering for the entire campus community.

Governor Announces CSUCI in Solar Initiative
Camarillo, Calif., Oct. 21, 2008 - California State University Channel Islands is one of the 15 California State University campuses that will soon generate its own photovoltaic (solar) power as part of a public-private partnership agreement announced today by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The entire project will bring eight megawatts of green power online at the 15 campuses as well as at the CSU executive office. "When this project is operational, CSUCI will generate about seven percent of its current annual power consumption," explained Gary Corlett, Manager, Operations, Planning & Construction at CSUCI. "Generating that amount of sustainable energy reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 429 metric tons or the equivalent to taking about 79 cars off the road each year permanently."

Manny Steals the Show at 5th Alumni Dodger Night
Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 20, 2008 - Tickets flew off the shelf for this year's Annual Alumni Dodger Night sponsored by the CSUCI Alumni & Friends. The largest ever, the 5th Annual event hosted alumni, students, faculty, staff, and community members alike with 120 in attendance. The Dodgers managed a 10-7 win over the San Francisco Giants led by an amazing appearance by Manny Ramirez. Manny's two homers and five RBIs led the Dodgers to a 10-7 victory and a stadium full of happy fans! This year's Dodger Night included Preferred Seating for the first time with great seats at field level. "My family and I had such a wonderful time. Thanks for making this happen. And the best thing is that the Dodgers won!" said CSUCI alumna Guadalupe Aguilera, BA '08 Liberal Studies. And though the Dodgers didn't succeed as champs this year, perhaps next year will be the one.

Alumni Announcements

Jennifer Newhard - BA '07 Psychology
Graduate Jenni Newhard married Hugh Davidson, son of Ian Davidson of Montrose, Scotland and Rosalind and Robert McNally of Camarillo. Jennifer and Hugh exchanged vows in the rose garden at the McCormick Ranch House in Camarillo on October 20, 2007 in traditional Scottish wedding style. Jenni currently works as a Behavioral Specialist at Casa Pacifica. She is also enrolled in CLU's Master's Degree program in Clinical Psychology.

Jose Garcia - BA '06 Psychology/Spanish
CSUCI Cum Laude graduate Jose Alberto Garcia was recently hired on at Ventura County Credit Union in the Ventura branch location. Jose also volunteers for the Oxnard College and Santa Clara High School cross country teams. As an avid runner, Jose qualified for the State Championships twice at Oxnard College. He hopes to pursue an MBA degree and return to CSUCI.

Emily Wood - BA '05 Art
Emily Wood will be participating in a women-led fair trade co-op in downtown Ventura. The women gathered fair trade and eco-friendly gifts from local artists as well as international non-profit organizations to provide holiday shoppers with compassionate choices. The Consider the Source storefront is located at 83 S. Palm in downtown Ventura and is open Wednesdays & Thursday from 12-6pm, Friday from 11-6pm, Sat 9-5pm and Sun 12-5pm. Emily has also recently had her artwork displayed in the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery located adjacent to the Borchard Library. She participated in this year's Thousand Oaks Arts Festival and was featured in a special family section article in the Camarillo Acorn this past March. Emily's works can be viewed at www.meltedartglass.com.

Patrick Laughlin - BA '05 Liberal Studies
Since graduating from CSUCI Patrick has become an Assistant Store Director at Albertsons and plans to move up the company ladder very soon. Patrick is currently working on his MBA and plans to be finished in a little over a year. He is living in Ventura with his wife, and two children.

How are Alumni Dealing with the Tight Economy?
"Right now it's hard, but I'm trying to find new options. My advice is that there is still financial resources out there, you just have to be persistent and they will come. And seriously, find a jar and start putting pennies in it. You'd be surprised how soon it ads up." Lupita Gutierrez, BA '05 Art

"Just don't spend money on frivolous stuff. We're eating out a lot less. And I don't drive my dogs places to take them for walks as much. It's called restrictive chauffeuring." - Tom Froelich, BS '05 Business

Career Posting Corner

The Camarillo Chamber of Commerce is looking for a few good men and women for openings in their downtown Camarillo office:

Membership Manager - Primary responsibility is for recruiting new and retaining current members. Also responsible for ad sales to members for publications outlined below. Daily activities should be devoted to membership sales and marketing activities including generating leads, direct sales, phone sales, appointments, "cold and warm" calls and good will calls. Coordinates new member introductions (ribbon cuttings) and assists with other committees and events as required.

For full job description details, contact Sandra Walker, Director of Operations at the Camarillo Chamber at 805-484-4383 x4.

Parents and Community Friends

Welcome, community friends, parents, faculty and staff! As President of the Alumni & Friends Association and Chair of the Alumni & Friends Association Membership Committee, we would personally like to thank you for joining our organization and for making CSUCI alumni and students a priority. In these difficult economic times, your membership dollars are even more important and appreciated. Please join me in celebrating our Friends members listed below, whose dollars help support alumni and student activities. We wish you a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Annual Friend Members

Jay R. Anderson
Charles Austin
Christopher W. Bingham
Marianne E. Blitsch
Stephen P. Blum
Barbara A. Boester-Quaid
Richard D. Bowers
Pattie Braga
Adrea Broughton
David N. Catrone
Renny Christopher
Valerie L. Cirino-Paez
Stephen J. Clark
Gary Clarke
Maureen Clarke
Laurie Curtis-Abbe
Richard M. DeLaO
Monica A. D'Errico
Leonard I. Dryer
Garda Falt
Sherie K. Frame
Judith V. Frazier
James Freeman
Julie Freeman
Cris A. Fulwider
Glenda Gallagher
Susan H. Gary
Lydia Geissman
Adrian Gutierrez
Gerald D. Hamor
Elizabeth Hartung-Mendiguren
Dallas Ipach
Carol Jones
N. J. Kilpatrick
Peter B. Kim
Lizabeth A. King
Julia C. Landstrom
Vince Landstrom
Leslie A. Lazo
Judith F. Lucas
Larry A. Martin
Kate D. McLean
Linda C. Means
Margaret M. Meehan
Michael F. Miller
Sheryl D. Miller
Arlene Miro
Dianne L. Molnar
Alex E. Moser
Elizabeth M. Musal
Thomas E. Neuhaus
Linda K. Neumann
Nicole S. Newman
Jason C. Newman
Jane Niehaus-Tull
Mary E. Pallant
Krista Palmer
Michael S. Panesis
Susan A. Part
Lisa Pitts
Christine D. Popok
Ramon Porras
Louis J. Rakoczy
John M. Reid
Anthony W. Restivo
Colleen Riedell
Janice S. Roberts
Tom R. Rouse
Michele Rouse
Janice D. Ryno
Greg Sabin
Charles E. Sandlin
Kimberly Sandlin
Shane Saunders
Sue E. Saunders
Dante L. Serafini
John P. Sinek
James D. Smith
Nancy C. Smith
Jill M. Sommer
William C. Sommer
Steven J. Stone
Donald Sylvester
Penelope S. Sylvester
Maria L. Tauber
Donald H. Tillquist
Kathy Travis
Ron Travis
Ralph A. Volpi
Justin Voyce
Gary L. Wartik
Dianne F. Wei
Michele J. Weller
Ernest T. Whitaker
Liz Williams

Lifetime Friend Members
Daniel P. Anderson
Terry L. Ballman
Todd Barnes
Gary W. Barsley
Robert A. Bianchi
Cynthia L. Borchard
Robert Cabral
Joanne M. Coville
Mario J. de los Cobos
Marti M. DeLaO
William Ferrell
Sharon Ferrell
Tania R. Garcia
Ginger Gherardi
Joe Gibson
Philip D. Hampton
Junji Hodnett
Nichole Ipach
Jacqueline V. Irwin
Henry L. Lacayo
Leah C. Lacayo
Nanette Larrecq-Pessano
Edwin A. Lebioda
Margaret A. Lopez
Armando J. Lopez
Lourdes Lopez
Warren H. Lortie
Pauline G. Malysko
Deanne Martin-Soares
Dennis Muraoka
Joanna K. Murphy
Dawn S. Neuman
Laura J. Newton
Anna K. Runnion
Mary L. Schwabauer
Mark G. Sellers
Michael L. Silacci
Jane Sweetland
Jeffrey M. Walker
Sandra M. Walker
Julia C. Wilson
Celina L. Zacarias
John C. Zaragoza

Friends Event Highlight: Energy Lecture
The Political Science Program at CSUCI will host a discussion featuring Jay Hakes, Director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The discussion, entitled, "Energy Policy, Sustainability, and Energy Independence," will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Bell Tower room 1302 on the CSUCI campus.

This event is free and open to the campus community and public. Limited parking is available on campus and is $6 for a daily permit. Follow signs to designated event parking areas. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station /Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with shuttle service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI VISTA Bus and the fare is $1 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org. For more information about this event contact Sean Kelly, Associate Professor of Political Science, at 805-437-3309 or sean.kelly@csuci.edu.

Friends Event Highlight: Globalization
A panel discussion titled "Globalization: Its Impact on You," will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 in the Petite Salon on the California State University Channel Islands campus. There is no RSVP required and this event is sponsored by the Dean's Leadership Council, IRA Committee, and the Center for International Affairs.

This event will feature brief presentations from George Ritzer, University of Maryland Sociologist and author of "The McDonaldization of Society"; Ted Bagley, Vice President of Human Resources-World Wide Manufacturing for Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks; and Laura Robin, BMW Group DesignworksUSA Director of Strategy and Design Research. Following their presentations there will be a question and answer session. This discussion will address cultural globalization and how globalization will impact the careers of future college graduates.

This event is free and open to the campus community and public. Limited parking is available on campus and is complimentary. Follow signs to designated event parking areas. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station /Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with complimentary shuttle service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI VISTA Bus. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org. For more information contact Callie Juarez, Executive Assistant to the Dean, at callie.juarez@csuci.edu.

Upcoming Events

B & TP Holiday Mixer
Don't delay! Register for the 3rd Annual Alumni Mentorship & Networking Night on Thursday, December 4, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This unique event pairs young professionals (students and alumni) with a community mentor within their field for one-on-one career advice. This year's event includes a special panel designed to discuss networking, leadership and civic engagement. Mel Sheeler of Sheeler Moving & Storage will emcee the special guest panelists:

• Dan Anderson, Senior Vice President & Wealth Managing Director, Wells Fargo Bank
• Sandra Walker, Director of Operations, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce
• Pedro Chavez, Campaign Division Director, United Way of Ventura County

Resume Writing Workshops are Back
Learn how to write a professional resume regardless of your work experience and level of education. Find out how to best market your skills and abilities. The workshop takes place on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the John Spoor Broome Library, Room 1730. The guest presenter for this event will be Karina Zaldana with the YMCA of Los Angeles. For more information or to RSVP, please call Career Development Services at 805-437-2745.

Early Life on the Ancient Earth... and Mars?
The Biology Program at California State University Channel Islands is hosting a symposium entitled, "Early Life on the Ancient Earth?and Mars?" on Friday, Nov. 21. The event will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Alison Hall Auditorium on the CSUCI campus. This symposium will feature the following speakers: Donald Lowe, Ph.D., Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University; Fabia U. Battistuzzi, Ph.D., Center for Evolutionary Functional Genomics, Arizona Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University; Rachel Haymon, Ph.D., Department of Earth Sciences, University of California-Santa Barbara; Dawn Y. Sumner, Ph.D., Department of Geology, University of California-Davis; and John P. Grotzinger, Ph.D., Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This event is complimentary and open to the public. RSVPs are requested and can be made at http://biology.csuci.edu/mars.

Limited parking is available on campus and is $6 for a daily permit. Follow signs to designated event parking areas. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station /Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with shuttle service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI VISTA Bus and the fare is $1 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org. For more information contact Christopher Wheeler, Geology Lecturer, 805-437-2799 or Christopher.wheeler@csuci.edu.

Seventh Annual Poverty Conference
The Seventh Annual Poverty Conference will be hosted at California State University Channel Islands on Friday, Nov. 21 and Saturday, Nov. 22. This event will showcase ideas and projects of young people who are engaged in poverty alleviation endeavors. It is sponsored by Rotaract and Rotary. The event is complimentary for members of the campus community. There is a registration cost for members of the public. More information and registration can be accessed at www.povertyconference.com.

Limited parking is available on campus and is $6 for a daily permit. Follow signs to designated event parking areas. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station /Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with shuttle service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI VISTA Bus and the fare is $1 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org. For more information contact Pilar Pacheco, Assistant Director of the Center for Community Engagement, 805-437-8851 or pilar.pacheco@csuci.edu.

Meet Your Board

Bert Partida, BA '05 Liberal Studies
The term "hard-working" is definitely in Guillermo Partida's vernacular. This 2005 CSUCI graduate in Liberal Studies only knew how to achieve the greatest success. An Oxnard native and a graduate of Santa Clara High School, Guillermo, known also as Bert, married his wife Bridget in 2001. He has two wonderful children, son Tyler and daughter Reese. But besides being a wonderful father, Bert also had dreams of becoming an attorney. His career path began at Ventura Community College where he obtained his Associates Degree. He then entered CSUCI to obtain a bachelor's degree while simultaneously attending the Ventura College of Law where he was able to receive his Juris Doctorate in 2006. And shortly after, Bert passed the California State Bar Exam and was admitted to practice in California Superior Court and in Federal Court. Currently he is a practicing attorney in civil litigation with the Law Offices of Geordan Goebel in Camarillo

Bert became involved with the Alumni & Friends first as a volunteer for alumni activities during freshmen orientations. It was there that he was noticed as a real champion of CSUCI. He joined the Alumni & Friends Association Board in July of 2007 and has been a member of the Membership and Finance Committees and is a strong advocate for building relationships. This year Bert, a Lifetime Member of the Association, was elected to serve on the Executive Committee as Secretary and has demonstrated that he is a strong alumni representative.

Bert's other volunteer work includes board membership on the Citizen's Oversight Committee of Ventura Community College District and he is the Treasurer for the newly formed Ventura County Teen Legal Clinic, an organization providing legal services and education to teens.

Spotlight on Academics

Meet Dr. Sung Won Sohn
Dr. Sung Won Sohn was appointed the MVS Professor of Economics in the MVS School of Business & Economics at California State University Channel Islands in 2008. Weekly, Dr. Sohn is quoted in prominent national media services, including the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. In 2006, The Wall Street Journal featured a story naming Dr. Sohn as the most accurate economist in the United States, which is considered the most prestigious honor in the economics profession. In 2007, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce recognized him as "The Executive of the Year". The commendation reads, "Dr. Sung Won Sohn's outstanding management and leadership skills have set exemplary standards for the community." Moreover, in 2002, he was appointed as a member of Time Magazine's Board of Economists and Blue Chip Publications picked him as the most accurate forecaster for the Western States. Dr. Sohn was chosen as one of the 100 most influential Minnesotans of the 20th century by Minnesota's largest daily newspaper, The Star Tribune. Others on the list included Charles Lindberg, Sinclair Lewis, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Charles Schultz.

Previously, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hanmi Financial Corporation, a commercial bank in Los Angeles, with $4 billion in assets. Before joining Hanmi in 2005, Dr. Sohn was an Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Officer of Wells Fargo Banks. Prior to his tenure at Wells Fargo, Dr. Sohn was a senior economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisors in The White House. He was responsible for economic and legislative matters pertaining to The Federal Reserve and financial markets.

Dr. Sohn has served on the boards of Ministers Mutual Life Insurance Company, Park Nicollet Health Services, The Blake School, the American Refugee Committee, the Bethel University Foundation, Minnesota Wellspring, Minnesota Community College System, North Memorial Medical Center, Harvard Business School Association, Crystal Evangelical Free Church, Children's Theater Company and School, Minnesota State Council on Economic Education, Girl Scouts and the American Heart Association. Dr. Sohn was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Business School.

What's Happening in Your Department

• Applied Physics
• Art
• Biology   *More Alumni News BIOSCOPE [PDF]
• Business
• Chemistry
• Communication
• Computer Science
• Early Childhood Studies
• Economics
• English: Literature and Writing
• Environmental Science and Resource Management
• History
• Liberal Studies
• Mathematics
• Nursing
• Performing Arts
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Spanish

Featured November Benefit

Time to Hit the Slopes!
Save up to 50% on ski lift tickets nationwide! Discounts include locations such as Mammoth Mountain and Heavenly in California, Park City in Utah, and Mount Snow in Vermont. Plan your holiday ski trip now and save some cash! See the attached Recreation Connection flyer for further discount information.

Tchaikovsky Anyone?
Don't forget all Alumni & Friends members receive a general ticket discount of 20% off single ticket purchases at the New West Symphony. Upcoming performances include the Movie Medley collection and the String Extravaganza. For further details on performances, please visit www.NewWestSymphony.org.

2008 Commencement DVDs for Sale
Class of 2008, your Commencement DVD is now available! Copies may be purchased through the Cove Bookstore. For further details, please call the Cove at 805-482-5456.

Join Membership