Nury Martinez

San Fernando Valley native Nury Martinez ’96 (Political Science) has always been dedicated to the community where she lives. From her time as a neighborhood watch captain and school board member to her position as an executive director at a local non profit, Martinez has always fought for the Valley, and specifically Van Nuys. Now, the California State University alumna has found her way onto her biggest stage yet—the Los Angeles City Council—to represent the area she has always called home.

Martinez won a special election to fill former Councilman Tony Cardenas’ seat, made vacant when Cardneas was elected to Congress. The former mayor of San Fernando will represent Van Nuys, Pacoima and Sun Valley. She will also be the only female council member on the 15-person board.

Martinez’s victory came to some as a surprise. In the primary election, she was behind her opponent Cindy Montañez by 19 percent.

“I feel like I just overcame an impossible mission,” Martinez told the Los Angeles Times after her win. “The people responded. I can’t wait to get to work.”

For more: Nury Martinez Wins L.A. City Council Race (Los Angeles Times)

Fantastic Planet

The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest-running and most respected music events in the country. Now in its 56th year, the Monterey, Calif.-based music gathering has hosted such luminaries as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, in addition to shining the spotlight on a new generation of jazz artists. In the 2013 edition, California State University, Northridge’s jazz combo Fantastic Planet will be part of that new wave.

Fantastic Planet—which is made up of CSUN students Shai Golan (saxophone), Tanner Dawson (saxophone), Michael Ragonese (piano), David Colon, (guitar
), Teresa Sanchez (double bass
) and Andres Salazar (drums)—was one of the few groups to emerge from Monterey’s yearly “Next Generation Festival” competition. The contest invites student musicians from across the country and around the world to submit entries via recorded auditions. Fantastic Planet captured top honors in the Open Combo division, giving them the chance to perform at the revered show in September.

“I simply cannot believe how fortunate we are to be associated with such a great group of talented young artists,” said Gary Pratt, CSUN jazz studies and improvisational music professor. “This group, Fantastic Planet, is very special—we will definitely hear of these folks in the years to come”.

Another group sponsored by CSUN, the Victor San Pedro Trio, captured second place in the Open Combo division. Members of the two groups also picked up solo awards, including Victor San Pedro for his guitar performance; Fantastic Planet’s Salazar for drums; and Fantastic Planet’s Dawson for saxophone.

This isn’t CSUN’s first foray into the world of the Monterey Jazz Festival. The school’s well-respected Jazz ‘A’ Band is invited to perform every other year, their last performance being in 2012.

CSUN kinesiology professor Paula Thomson accepts resolution from Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander. From left: Carole Oglesby, former chair of the Department of Kinesiology; Thomson’s husband, Maurice Godin; Thomson and Councilman Englander.

Paula Thomson has been a dedicated educator, psychologist, choreographer, dancer and movement coach for 25 years. The California State University, Northridge kinesiology professor has impacted her discipline through her research and changed her students’ lives.

That dedication was rewarded Aug. 20 by Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who honored Thomson with a resolution for being named one of the top female professors in California by StateStats.org.

“It is an honor to recognize not only a great educator, but a true community advocate,” said Englander, who presented the resolution to Thomson. “In addition to her academic achievements, she is a member of Give an Hour and has provided pro bono psychological services to veterans and homeless patients in Los Angeles since 1997.”

Thomson, who has been at CSUN for seven years, has taught and/or choreographed at the Julliard School of Music, Stratford Shakespearean Festival and Canadian Opera Company. She is an active researcher in the field of psychophysiology. Her research has focused on the field of creativity and the relationship to dissociation, trauma, attachment and psychophysiology in performing artists, athletes and patients.

“This (CSUN) is where my love for the arts converged with my scientific curiosity,” said Thomson, a resident of Studio City. Thomson said kinesiology professor Victoria Jaque, her research colleague, has guided her “into the world of scientific research.”

“Together we tackle the questions of stress and resilience, in particular, how do performing artists, athletes and individuals with functional disorders handle stress, both psychologically and physiologically,” Thomson said.

She said she was “deeply honored and grateful” to receive the recognition from the city council.

StateStats.org is a nonprofit organization that builds free, open source tools with the goal of increasing accessibility to education and information through the use of new technologies.

StateStats.org representatives said the list is designed to highlight post-secondary educators who have been recognized recently for excellence in the classroom, on campus, and/or in the community.

• To continue an unrelenting focus on student success through several initiatives that provide “access:” the creation of the Harrison Leadership Award to recognize and support an emerging student leader from the freshman class; the addition of three new GE Paths; the Matador Network mentoring program; the myCSUNtablet initiative; opening of the new Learning Commons in the Oviatt Library; construction of the second phase of student housing to support freshman success; and the creation of a new Wellness Center.
• To continue to focus on employees for success with the goal of making CSUN a “destination workplace.” Harrison said she has asked CSUN’s vice presidents to identify interested faculty and staff with leadership aspirations; the Office of Human Resources has planned a menu of professional development programs aligned with the university’s priorities; cross-divisional initiatives are underway to streamline work processes for the benefit of employees; and move CSUN forward as a sustainable work environment.
• To continue to grow the visibility and reputation of the university with the CSUN Shine positioning platform and unifying theme. The university will continue to improve its website by moving to the Web-One content management system; the CSUN Foundation Board’s Committee on University Engagement will help board members more fully engage; the Office of Government and Community Relations will launch the Matador Advocates program to strengthen awareness of CSUN’s role and contributions in the region; and the Office of Alumni Relations is establishing the CSUN Global Alumni Network.
• To continue to plan for a future less dependent on state funding by raising more money non-state resources. Last year, $14.79 million was raised, the most in five years.
• To continue to increase support for research activity and sponsored programs. Last year, an all-time high of $31 million in grant and sponsored programs was awarded. To help these efforts, the University Corporation’s ongoing PRO-PI initiative, the corporation’s account and human resources departments are being reorganized for a higher level of support and seamless services for principal investigators; the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences will partner with the National Autonomous University of Mexico to establish a Center for Mexican and Latin American Studies; and the Principal Investigators Recognition Celebration at the University House will continue annually.
• To continue efforts to support sustainability, Helen Cox, director of the Institute for Sustainability, and the Institute’s advisory group, completed a campus sustainability plan. Plans for the coming year include an upgrade of the central plant energy system; more energy-efficient exterior lighting; and collaborative efforts between the divisions of Administration and Finance and Information Technology to improve business processes to reduce paper use.
• To continue to use athletics as a tool for engagement with internal and external communities. One of the exciting projects in this area is the establishment of the Matador Achievement Center in Bayramian Hall, which was established with a grant from the NCAA. The center will provide more space for equipment, academic support, mentoring and tutoring. CSUN is also moving forward with many of the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Athletics Engagement, including a feasibility study on the possible construction of a multi-purpose event center that could host athletic events as well as commencement ceremonies, conferences and campus and community events. This fall, Matador student athletes and fans will enjoy improvements, including the new soccer entrance plaza and renovations of the Matadome and the athletics conference room.

Daphne Koller, a professor at Stanford University and an internationally known expert on massive open online courses (MOOCs), will serve as the opening speaker at a two-day symposium on the future of higher education at California State University, Northridge.

The event, scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in CSUN’s University Student Union’s Northridge Center, will serve as a forum for faculty, staff, legislators, community leaders, students and others to come together to discuss “Higher Education in the Brave New World: How Students Learn in the Context of How Professors Teach.” The symposium will go from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 1

“The dynamic, fast-changing times and current economic circumstances motivate us all to be proactive in embracing the necessary dialogue for determining a vision of a new model of higher education, particularly public higher education that can meet the needs of the state for the next 50 years,” said Michael Hoggan, cinema and television arts faculty member and event committee chair. “This effort will take all of us.”

Koller, co-founder of Coursera, an education company that partners with the top universities and organizations in the world to offer courses online for free, is one of several experts on education scheduled to speak during the symposium. The other speakers include William C. Allen, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.; Matthew Moen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Dakota; Debra Humphrey, vice president of policy and public engagement at the Association of American Colleges and Universities; and Clifford Nass, a professor at Stanford University.

CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison and Provost Harry Hellenbrand will also address attendees.

The symposium is part of a faculty initiative launched in 2011 in response to concerns about the future of public education. The event will include panel discussions and breakout groups.

The first day of the symposium, Sept. 30, will focus on “Models for Delivery: Online vs. Brick and Mortar.” On Oct. 1, the second day, attendees will explore, “The Future of Education: Functional Education vs. the Liberal Arts.”

Registration for the event is closed. For more information, call (818) 677-3263 or visit the CSU Future website for speaker biographies or event details.

President Dianne F. Harrison saluted faculty and staff researchers at the second annual Principal Investigators Recognition Celebration on Oct. 7. About 140 principal investigators attended the event at the University House. Photo by Lee Choo.

Faculty and staff who raise millions of dollars for research conducted at California State University, Northridge were honored at the second annual Principal Investigators Recognition Celebration on Monday, Oct. 7.

President Dianne F. Harrison hosted about 140 faculty and staff researchers at the University House. Each principal investigator, the lead researcher on a funded project, was individually honored and presented with a token of the university’s appreciation for their dedication to projects that range from research on the impact of global warming on coral reefs and wetlands mapping to improving support for Latino and low-income students and support for adoption services.

“These efforts bring critical resources needed to continue and expand the important work that we do at CSUN every day,” Harrison said. “Research and sponsored programs are vehicles through which we reach out and connect more closely with the community and the world. They excite and ignite the intellectual growth and development of our students, and open doors to a brighter future.”

Increasing CSUN’s research activity and sponsored programs is one of the president’s seven planning priorities. She launched the first Principal Investigators Recognition Ceremony last year as part of that effort.

Both Harry Hellenbrand, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and William Watkins ’74 (Urban Studies), vice president of student affairs and dean of students, thanked the researchers for their work.

President Harrison congratulates April Taylor, a professor in the Department of the Child and Adolescent Development. Photo by Lee Choo.

April Taylor, a professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development who received a $124,002 grant from the UC Regents to support a project titled “Psychosocial Benefits of Ethnic Diversity in Urban Middle Schools: Diversity Supplement,” said the event made her feel special.

“What I really appreciated about the ceremony was the opportunity to be with like-minded folks that are all encouraging,” Taylor said. “It was also nice to see how much is going on at CSUN. It makes me even more proud of our faculty.”

To read more about research at CSUN, visit our faculty and staff achievements webpage.

Talar Alexanian. Photo by Lee Choo.

Since Talar Alexanian was a teenager growing up in La Crescenta, she has been committed to making a difference in her community. So, when she enrolled at California State University, Northridge in 2010, it was natural for her to get involved in service activities on and off-campus.

Today, Alexanian is serving more than 400,000 students at 23 CSU campuses as the first CSUN student appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees.

“For me, involvement in my community has always been an important part of my life,” said the 20-year-old. “This appointment is like an extension of what I have always done in my community. I want to serve the students and make sure their voices and concerns are represented.”

Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Alexanian to the post in July. The appointment is a two-year term. She will serve as the non-voting student trustee in her first year and assume the voting student trustee position in her second year.

Her goals are to improve access and communications between the CSU board of trustees and students, and make sure underrepresented groups like veterans and the LBGTQ community are represented.

In addition to serving on the CSU board of trustees, Alexanian is vice president of CSUN’s Associated Students. She has been active on campus, serving as an upper-division senator from 2012 to 2013. She has been the student representative for the CSU Admission Advisory Council since 2012 and was an events assistant at the CSUN Matador Involvement Center from 2011 to 2013.

Alexanian said she learned a lot about the CSUN community through her work with Unified We Serve, the campus’ volunteer program.

“It really allowed me to recruit students and get them involved in the campus,” said Alexanian, applauding the impact the campus’ annual food and clothing and other programs have on the surrounding community.

An intern for Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian in 2010 and a public relations and media intern for the Armenian National Committee of America in 2010, Alexanian’s community experience goes beyond her work for CSUN.

But for now, CSUN is where her efforts are directed. “I want students to believe in themselves,” Alexanian said. “Students hold the power to make a difference.”

A basketball team, when it is moving right, is an exercise in harmony. It consists of five moving parts running and cutting up and down the court in unison. The main cog in that system is the team’s point guard, and for the 2013-14 California State University, Northridge women’s basketball team, that’s Ashlee Guay. In a great start for the upcoming season, Guay was named to the Big West preseason all-conference team.

“Being selected as preseason All-Big West is an honor,” Guay said. “It means I have to continually push myself and keep working hard, as well as do the best I can for my team.”

The Matador women’s team is looking to rise above its 16-16 record season last year and take the Big West title. For that to happen, Guay will have to continue the stellar work that started when she got to CSUN three years ago.

Since her Matador career began, Guay has been named to the 2012-13 All-Big West Second Team, took a 2011-12 All-Big West Honorable Mention and was part of the 2011-12 All-Big West Freshman team. For women’s basketball coach Jason Flowers, they are just rewards for what Guay brings to the team.

Ashlee Guay

“Ashlee is a great representative of our program on and off the court,” Flowers said. “I am happy that her hard work and sacrifices are being recognized by others. She is definitely one of the many stars on our campus that make CSUN shine.”

It’s that mix of hard work and sacrifice that make the San Diego-native a force to reckon with on the court.

Although the team’s goal is to win the Big West title and reach the NCAA tournament, Guay — a junior majoring in child development — understands that her time at CSUN won’t be a bust if that doesn’t happen. As far as she is concerned, simply being on and experiencing the campus makes her a winner.

“The biggest thing I have learned from coach Flowers is that it’s not just about basketball,” she said. “We are growing in college, which means making the right choices and defining who you are.

“I think the best thing about playing for the Matadors is the little community we create. Among all the athletes, we are like a little family. We all support one another and cheer each other on at games.”

It’s that kind of support — both giving and receiving — that has made Guay a perfect model for future leaders on the CSUN campus.

Oscar DeShields

The next generation of business leaders can be found in university classes all across the country. Unfortunately, in those ranks, there has traditionally been a dearth of African-American, Latino and Native-American students ready to take the next step into academia and teach the next generation.

That’s where The PhD Project comes in, an award-winning program to create a more diverse corporate America. This year, The PhD Project has given the Honored Guest Award from its Marketing Doctoral Students Association (MDSA) to California State University, Northridge’s marketing professor Oscar DeShields.

“Being recognized as the honored guest at the MDSA has been a significant and humbling experience for me,” said DeShields. “The MDSA has been a gateway program for more than 16 years to mentor and foster growth for minorities to obtain Ph.D.s to enter the marketing ranks in academia. I am happy to have been a part of this program from its inception 20 years ago, and I look forward to continuing my contributions to the program, in any way that I can, in the future.”

“We are thrilled that Dr. DeShields received the Honored Guest Award at this year’s MDSA conference,” said Bernard J. Milano, president of The PhD Project. “He has demonstrated dedication, hard work and intelligence and continues to influence the next generation of business leaders. The PhD Project takes great pride in his achievement.”

For the past 22 years, DeShields has been using that dedication and hard work to teach Matadors in undergraduate- and graduate-level marketing courses. He has also taken the reins in the department at different levels to improve CSUN’s standing in the field.

“When I was director of graduate studies and evening programs,” he said, “I revitalized the certificate program in business administration, which gave students an alternate way to enter the MBA program at CSUN. [Additionally] the M.S. in Taxation Program was approved and launched.” Under his watch, CSUN’s MBA program rated as one of the best part-time programs on the Princeton Review of Graduate Programs.

DeShields’ time at CSUN also dovetailed into one of the biggest developments in the marketing world, as well as the real world, in recent memory: the advent of the Internet. The professor immediately embraced it, realizing that his students needed to understand its implications on the career they had chosen.

“I think the biggest change to marketing has been the impact of the Internet on the discipline. As a professor of marketing, I tried to address that change by developing and introducing a course on Internet marketing in the marketing course curriculum.” This is just one example of how DeShields has been building and preparing students for the future for the past two-plus decades. He knows what they sacrifice to be in that classroom with him and wants to give it all he’s got, because they’ve given it to him.

“I look at CSUN as a blue collar school, in the sense that the majority of the CSUN students must work to pay for their education,” he said. “As a result, when I see the effort CSUN students put forth to obtain their education, it inspires me to go the extra mile for them.”

A collection of trophies was displayed at the memorial tribute for CSUN swimming coach Pete Accardy. Friends and former student swimmers and coaching colleagues came to campus on Nov. 5 in Accardy’s honor.

A crowd of more than 200 people gathered Saturday, Nov. 2 at California State University, Northridge to honor one of the greatest coaches in the 55-year history of Matador Athletics. Pete Accardy, who was 72-years-old, passed away on July 13 from cancer in Del Mar, Calif.

During his illustrious 24-year career as head coach of the CSUN men’s swim team, and 15 seasons as head coach of the CSUN women’s swim team, Accardy coached the Matadors to a record 13 NCAA team titles (nine for men, four for women), which is still a collegiate record.

Pete Accardy

An overflow crowd filed in to the campus pool area where coach Accardy enjoyed unparalleled success. The memorial tribute included former swimmers, former coaching colleagues and friends who had the upmost respect for Accardy for his abilities to teach student-athletes not only to be great swimmers but also great students, and more importantly, great contributors in the community.

The impressive list of attendees included former head coach and the Matadors’ first athletic director, Sam Winningham; former Matador men’s head basketball coach Pete Cassidy; Joel Barr (an assistant coach for Accardy for 23 seasons); Brandon Martin, Ed.D. (CSUN’s current director of intercollegiate athletics) and former Matador head baseball coach and athletic director Bob Hiegert.

“Pete lived his life to the fullest,” said Hiegert. “He enjoyed life. Swimming was a big part of his life. His swimmers were a part of his family. If he said at the beginning of the year the team was going to pretty good, that meant they were going to win the national championship. Pete was a great teacher, a great motivator. I think the genius of Pete was that he got every swimmer to (personal record) by the end of the season.”

Accardy coached more than 300 NCAA Division II All-Americana at CSUN. The list included Michele Hampton, a 14-time All-American and a 12-time NCAA champion. Hampton had originally planned on attending USC, but one day Accardy called Hampton with a scholarship offer.

“It turned out to be the best thing that could have ever happened,” said Hampton, who was inducted into the Matador Hall of Fame in 1990.

Accardy graduated from Cal State Northridge, competing on the first swim team and first basketball team in school history (1958-59).

“We were both guards,” remembers Cassidy. “He was a great player to work with and an outstanding person. We joined the same fraternity. We will always be great friends — forever, forever, forever.”

When Accardy retired from Cal State Northridge in 1993, his wife, Barbara, and the entire family moved to Del Mar, where Accardy owned more than 75 thoroughbred race horses. During this past summer, a couple races were named in his honor at the Del Mar Racetrack.

“Pete was the best,” said Barbara. “He was caring, considerate, loyal and honest as the day is long. Pete was somebody that people respected. He always viewed success as a swim coach as a team effort. The kids did the work. He just happened to be along for the ride. He could point out things that would bring out the best in the everybody.”

Four California State University, Northridge employees were honored for being great mentors at the 2013 Don Dorsey Excellence in Mentoring Awards.

The awardees are psychology professor Gabriela Chavira  ’94 (Psychology/Chicana/o Studies); biology professor Cindy Malone; Parthenia Hosch, administrative analyst in the Department of Biology; and Chicana/o Studies professor Everto “Veto” Ruiz ’71 (Sociology). The four were recognized at a campus reception on Nov. 20 for providing a range of support to students, from offering a safe haven for students in need of comfort to inspiring students disheartened by a bad grade to providing a friendly research lab.

“Our award recipients, and all who were nominated, are dedicated staff and faculty who creatively infuse mentoring into their teaching, research work and daily interactions with students,” said Glenn Omatsu, coordinator of CSUN’s Faculty Mentor Program. “They also embody the values of equity and social justice on our campus which are connect to the mission of mentoring students in state universities.”

The annual awards are presented by the Educational Opportunity Program’s Faculty Mentor Program. It recognizes faculty and staff who have made exceptional contributions to mentoring of past and present students; who take a holistic approach to mentoring, including academic and personal support; and who support the university’s commitment to the success of students of diverse backgrounds and communities.

Chavira is an alumna who has taught at CSUN for nine years. One of her current  research projects, Pathways to College, examines how families, schools and students contribute to academic achievement of Latino and other middle school students. She has mentored numerous students through her research lab and her association with National Institutes of Mental Health’s Career Opportunities in Research, NCMHD Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions, CSU Sally Casanova Predoctoral Scholars, the McNair Scholars programs and the Department of Psychology’s Teaching Intern Program.

“If it weren’t for my mentors, I wouldn’t be here,” said Chavira, who has a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Many times first-generation students don’t realize the important of their grades and other things. I don’t mind helping them if I see the passion and the commitment.”

Malone has taught at CSUN since 2005. She mentors students through her research lab and her grant project, the CSUN-UCLA Bridges to Stem Cell Research. She also mentors students — both biology majors and non-biology majors — through her creative and engaging approaches to teaching, which include singing songs with biology lyrics and dressing up as a clown and juggling for students that do well on exams.

“I have spent my entire life helping students who struggled academically,” said Malone, who always did well in school. “I goof around and try to be as open and unpretentious, so students feel welcomed.”

Hosch has worked at CSUN for 29 years. She has played a key role in two programs: Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC U-STAR) and Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS). These programs focus on first-generation college students and students from underrepresented communities to help them become involved in biomedical research and to pursue careers in these fields.

“Mentoring: I have accepted it as my moral responsibility,” Hosch said. “I listen and I show concern, and sometimes I have to advocate for the students. Sometimes all the student needs is for me to listen and not judge them.”

As a student in the 1960s, Ruiz formed the United Mexican American Students chapter with about 15 to 20 students. The group later became MEChA (Moviemento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan). He has been fighting for students, particularly students of color, since during his more than four decades at CSUN.

“I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by an institution and not feel like you belong,” said Ruiz, who helped form EOP and establish the Departments of Pan African Studies and Chicana/o Studies. “The students I have tried to help over the years have faced many challenges, having to leave their home and sometimes take multiple buses to get here.

“I wanted them to know they had family and a nurturing atmosphere to give them strength,” Ruiz said.

A talented Mariachi performer and teacher, he is a pioneer in using music and performance to raise consciousness. Now retired, Ruiz continues to mentor students through EOP’s bridge program in his popular “Chicanos and the Arts” class.

For more information about mentoring, visit the EOP website.

Professor Greg Knotts works with a group of his pre-service elementary teachers in the fall semester. Photo by Lee Choo.

Since the induction of the Fair Education Act, the debate over what should be incorporated in classrooms regarding lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender culture has been heated. California State University, Northridge queer studies and elementary education faculty member Gregory Knotts is altering the classroom paradigm in his study, “Elementary Pre-Service Teachers and Homophobia: Curricular Changes Making a Difference.”

His study addresses the ways teachers’ beliefs and experiences influence how they incorporate curriculum on topics related to diversity. Knotts’ work aims to break the mold and push the elementary curriculum towards a well-rounded course of study.

“My professional belief [is] that including LGBT history and culture in the social studies curriculum is now a matter of law in California — the first law of its kind,” said Knotts. “The FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Act asks social studies teachers to add contributions of LGBT Americans to the curriculum so that we have to be discussing LGBT history and culture.

“A continuation of my professional belief stems from the research that discusses educating anyone about a minority culture increases understanding regarding that culture,” he continued. “So if our K-12 students are left without direct instruction, then only anecdotal information, pop culture images and hearsay are often what gets communicated. This has the tendency to increase misunderstanding and disinformation, as opposed to understanding and new knowledge.”

His latest findings were published in the fall 2012 issue of the National Teacher Education Journal as an ongoing effort to incorporate LGBT curriculum into the public education system. Knotts is continuing his research on methods of opening the curriculum platform to multicultural issues. He is currently building his latest study from the results of his last publication by encouraging pre-service teachers to define multicultural education in order to explore new ways of incorporating major demographic issues in social studies curriculum.

Knotts’ study focused on a project begun by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles called A-Live Music Project (AMP), which attempts to address the disproportionate frequency of hate crimes (14 percent according to a 2009 FBI report cited by Knotts) enacted based on the victim’s sexuality. While there is legislation in place to prevent such harassment, including the Safe Place to Learn Act, Knotts claims that without a comprehensive education to dispel myths about LGBT culture and people, little enforcement against bullying can be implemented.

“Without gaining new information, a person is left with hazy conceptions, media representations and a general lack of personal discernment in being able to determine what they understand to be true,” said Knotts.

Knotts’ used two of his pre-service teacher classes in the elementary education department as focus groups. He brought in members of the Gay Men’s Chorus to present portions of their current program — usually given to students in grades seven to eleven — which highlighted the role gay jazz musician Billy Strayhorn played in American art and music history.

The study revealed an interesting aspect to teaching multicultural issues: “[Teachers] want to include LGBT issues in the elementary classroom only simply cannot conceive of how to do it,” said Knotts. “Teachers seem to believe that individuals who identify as LGBT belong under the multicultural umbrella but are uncertain of how to address this demographic issue.”

In addition to being an associate professor of elementary education, Knotts is the coordinator of CSUN’s Queer Studies Program, which “provides an academic home for those who wish to study the intellectual, cultural and material conditions that have shaped our current understandings of sexuality and gender variation.” His academic research interests include social construction, creating safe spaces to learn and conscious integration of gender and sexual orientation into social studies curriculum.

The 20th anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake — one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history — will be commemorated today, Jan. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at California State University, Northridge.

The event, titled “The Valley of the Stars: Reaching New Heights,” has been organized by the Valley Economic Alliance, an organization created in direct response to the 1994 earthquake. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is among the prominent Los Angeles and California dignitaries and elected officials from the past and present expected to attend.

“The devastation of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake produced many heroes who helped unite businesses and residents throughout the San Fernando Valley,” said Greg Krikorian, president and CEO of the Valley Economic Alliance. “On the occasion of the earthquake’s 20th anniversary, we honor many of them for their role in helping our region rebuild and endure.”

A luncheon at the University Student Union’s Northridge Center will honor “the magnificent seven,” a group of individuals and businesses that were critical to Southern California’s recovery from the earthquake. The honorees include former Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan; former California Gov. Pete Wilson; retired Los Angeles Public Safety Field Deputy Jim Dellinger and Catherine Dellinger; former Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Frank Borden; and Richard Andrews, former director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES).

CSUN will be among the seven companies or organizations recognized as well.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994, with the epicenter located 1.5 miles southeast of the campus. More than 8,000 people were injured and the earthquake claimed 72 lives, including two CSUN students who lived at the Northridge Meadows Apartments, only two blocks away from the campus. All 107 buildings on the 356-acre campus were damaged, some beyond repair.

“I know that for many of you, [Jan. 17] brings back sad memories of sorting through rubble and grieving and worrying for the people lost and seriously injured,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, who was appointed president in 2012, told those attending the event. “I am humbled to join with you in continuing to honor them by carrying on the work of building our community.”

Harrison expressed “gratitude and respect” for former CSUN President Blenda Wilson, who was president during that time. Under Wilson’s leadership, the campus reopened on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, only four weeks after the earthquake. CSUN will recognize Wilson on Jan. 31 with the dedication of the Blenda J. Wilson Courtyard.

“You can see from walking around campus that a lot has changed during the 20 years,” Harrison said. The campus has been rebuilt and has some of the most state-of-art facilities in the nation, including the Valley Performing Arts Center. With nearly 39,000 students, CSUN is one of the largest campuses in the country. CSUN awards more teaching credentials than any other public institution.

In addition to the luncheon, there will be free public exhibits and workshops including presentations by the California Small Business Development Center, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Microsoft.

California State University, Northridge is located at 18111 Nordhoff St. For more information, visit www.thevalley.net.

Blenda Wilson (center), CSUN’s third president, accepts a gift from CSUN’s current president, Dianne F. Harrison at the dedication of a courtyard in her honor. To Wilson’s left is her husband, Louis Fair Jr. Photo by Lee Choo.

Calling her a leader with “courage and vision,” California State University, Northridge President Dianne F. Harrison was joined on Friday, Jan. 31, by faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders in celebrating the legacy of former CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson.Wilson served as CSUN’s president from 1992 to 1999 and is credited with bringing the university back from the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake.

She also implemented a strategic plan that redefined the university’s mission and developed a new campus master plan that positioned the physical campus well into the new century. During her tenure, several public-service centers were launched, including the Center for Southern California Studies, community health initiatives and the Entertainment Industry Institute.

She also launched the Presidential Scholar’s program, which pairs academically high-performing students with faculty mentors. She reinstated the honors program and ensured that service learning was included in the curriculum and was an integral part of student life.

“We not only celebrate Dr. Wilson’s legacy of leadership and achievement as the third president of our university,” Harrison said. “We proudly recognize her as a nationally respected authority on education and as a trailblazer who has helped transform the landscape of higher education.”

Dozens packed the northeast university quad at the Jan. 31 ceremony to honor Wilson, who attended the tribute with her husband, Louis Fair Jr. The university unveiled the Blenda J. Wilson Courtyard, just a few feet from the earthquake monument Wilson erected in honor of the faculty and staff who responded in the days immediately following the 1994 earthquake. Those paying tribute to her last week included emeritus professor and associate vice president for faculty affairs Don Cameron, co-chair of CSUN’s 40th anniversary event; William Watkins ’74 (Urban Studies), vice president of student affairs and dean of students; David Honda, former CSUN Foundation board chairman; Joy Picus, former Los Angeles City Council member and former member of the CSUN Foundation; Alumni Association President Francine Oschin ’84 (Journalism), M.A. ’85 (Mass Communication); and Steven Parker ’94 (Political Science), Associated Students president from 1993 to 1994.

“I realized it was the person she was and her characteristics that got us through the crisis, the cataclysm, the thing that had never happened before in a university,” said Margaret Fieweger, former associate vice president of undergraduate studies. She said it was “President Wilson’s confidence, vision and ability to take in vast pieces of information from different kinds of people, process it and take action” that helped the university recover quickly.

Wilson, who became the nation’s first African-American woman to head a university with an enrollment of more than 25,000 students, thanked the speakers and all those in attendance.

“I have to believe that whatever you say about the buildings, the earthquake and work is far secondary to the human relationships and bonding that occurred among us when were here together,” Wilson said. “Where we are is a magnificent, stunning institution to serve the people of the Valley, the people who are in the Valley, the students who need an excellent university in the Valley.”

Each year, CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education presents the Blenda J. Wilson Diversity in Education Award to one of its full-time faculty members who exemplifies Wilson’s efforts to enhance “the community’s thinking on all matters, including those involving gender, race and ethnicity.”

Wilson, who earned her doctorate from Boston College, began her career in higher education administration at Rutgers University. She later served as the youngest senior associate dean at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and she was vice president of effective sector management at Independent Sector. When Wilson was named chancellor of the University of Michigan, Dearborn in 1988, she became the first woman to head a four-year university in that state.

Wilson now lives in Savannah, Ga., but she still serves on several local and national boards.

The Rev. James Lawson gives a special lecture to students from his class and two other courses in the Civil Discourse and Social Change Initiative. Photo by Lee Choo.

Acclaimed civil rights leader the Rev. James Lawson is spending this spring at California State University, Northridge hoping to inspire students to follow the words of author Robert Louis Stevenson: “To be what you are capable of becoming what you can become is the sole end of life!”

More than 40 students from a variety of disciplines are studying the uses of nonviolence in the 20th and 21st centuries around the globe in Lawson’s course, Nonviolent Struggles, Civil Rights and Social Change. Sponsored by CSUN’s Civil Discourse and Social Change Initiative, the course is being offered for the fourth year in a row as a 400-level communication studies class.

“I hope students will wrestle with their own concepts of who they are and their humanness,” said Lawson. “To see themselves as the zenith of creation as living creatures that stimulate the meaning of life itself and how they pursue — that is what I expect.”

The class focuses on various nonviolent movements around the globe, including the Russian Revolution, Mohandas Gandhi’s work in India, the Polish rebellion under the Nazi regime and the 1960s civil rights movement in the United States, which will be taught from Lawson’s own historical perspective. Students will be asked to reflect on the ways violence works as a source of oppression.

“This generation could become the generation that begins to help our nation de-escalate from the mythology of violence,” Lawson said.

Lawson’s class is one of several opportunities, including a campus-wide lecture by Lawson, CSUN’ s Civil Discourse and Social Change Initiative provides students to learn about activism.

“Following the CSU student protests against tuition increases in 2010, we organized the initiative to address activism and social change on campus,” said communication studies professor Kathryn Sorrells, co-director of the initiative. “Upon hearing the Rev. Lawson was returning to L.A. from a visiting scholar position at Vanderbilt University, we asked him if he would join us in our vision to create a campus committed to social justice. We were very pleased when he agreed.”

The initiative aims to create a culture where social justice is a permanent part of the institutional composition by engendering a community of consciousness, academic engagement and advocacy. Through research, action, collaboration and creative imagination, the Civil Discourse and Social Change Initiative is forging on-the-ground partnerships with CSUN colleges, departments, students and community organizations to realize their vision of education as a human right.

For Lawson, the need for such an initiative is imperative for higher education. His goal in teaching at CSUN is to implement an exemplary community that practices what it preaches, utilizing dialogue over daggers to analyze problems and create resolutions.

“I have learned so much through my association with the Rev. Lawson,” said Sorrells. “The vibrancy of his lived experience in such an important moment in history and his ability to transplant that into [students] lives today is a true benefit for all who enroll in his course and for those who attend his other lectures.”

By Jorge Martin

California State University, Northridge celebrated four of its most accomplished graduates at the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards on April 26 during a gala event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.

The annual event, now in its 16th year, commenced with CSUN Alumni Association President Francine Oschin ’84, M.A. ’85 introducing the honorees: IW Group Chairman Bill Imada ’84, Gardner Manzella, Inc. Co-Founder Diane Manzella ’72, and Philip ’68 and Gayle Tauber ’72, the founders of the Kashi Company.

In her keynote address, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison added some background about each of the honorees, as well as some amusing anecdotes. She also encouraged everyone in attendance to take a look around the room because surrounding them were CSUN alumni who were successful in a varied number of fields.

“Why is it that CSUN produces so many entrepreneurs, trailblazers and pioneers?” Harrison asked. “Perhaps it is because CSUN strives to develop leaders who are confident, resourceful and optimistic, and well prepared for professional and personal success.”

Each of the honorees expressed gratitude to the university for giving them the start to what would become very successful careers, and recognizing them for those successes. They also pointed out how important their CSUN educations were in giving them a well-rounded experience during such crucial years of their lives.

During his college days, Imada was the CSUN Associated Students president in 1979 and graduated with a degree in human resource management. He founded the IW Group, one of the foremost minority-owned and operated advertising, marketing and communications agencies. Imada pointed out that as thankful as he was to receive this honor, he was just as happy to give back.

“It gives me an opportunity to repay the university for all the great work they’ve allowed me to do here,” Imada said. “It also allows me to reinforce the importance of a quality, accessible and affordable education moving forward. I think it’s very important to come back to the university you attended and let people know that you’re doing OK, and that you want to inspire other students, faculty and administrators to continue what they’re doing.”

Imada also noted that he wants to join other distinguished alumni as examples for students today and in the future.

“I think it’s really important for the students to know that they’re getting a real-life education at the university,” Imada said. “They ought to take advantage of all the things that exist at the university: the faculty, administrators and extracurricular activities that they can incorporate into their plans for the future. It’s great to be able to come back and show students and faculty that they did a good job, that they worked really hard to help me get through, and I want to come back and pull a few other people with me.”

Manzella received her M.A. in speech communication from CSUN and returned to teach at the university for five years. She also met someone who would become a great friend and colleague: Julie Gardner.

Together the pair started the company Gardner Manzella, which was originally focused on treating children with speech and language disorders. The company quickly grew in size, stature and reach, in time expanding to 12 states with more than 350 employees, many of them CSUN graduates. In making Gardner Manzella so successful, the founders did not realize they were breaking down barriers.

“While we were going through the process of developing our business, and as we got bigger and bigger, I didn’t realize what anyone else really thought about it until Dr. Steve Sinclair came to our offices and said, ‘Did you know that you two are icons out there at Cal State Northridge? You’re paving a way. You’re not just running a business on a national level, but you’re two women running a business on a national level,’” Manzella recalled. “It was sort of this slow, daunting realization that we were being perceived and watched by a lot of people.”

Even with so many people keeping tabs on and celebrating their successes, Manzella remained extremely grateful to her alma mater for the continued association. Today, she is very active with CSUN, serving on the Dean’s Circle for the College of Health and Human Development.

“I could never have done what I did and have achieved what I’ve achieved had it not been for Cal State Northridge,” Manzella said. “I owe Cal State Northridge, and I owe them a lot.”

The Taubers may now live in San Diego, but they still proudly identify themselves as San Fernando Valley natives. The couple met during their years at then-San Fernando Valley State College, and a slide presentation during President Harrison’s remarks featured a photo of the bench on campus where Philip proposed to Gayle in 1967.

Displaying great entrepreneurial spirit, the Taubers launched several businesses. Avid fitness and nutritional practitioners, their most successful endeavor was the Kashi Company and its line of ready-to-eat cereals and cereal-based products. Kashi products became very popular with people trying to eat healthy, and the Taubers eventually sold the company to Kellogg’s in 2000. When they found out about the Distinguished Alumni Award honor, they were as humbled as anything else.

“It’s a great validation that Valley kids can make it on an international basis, based on a public education,” Gayle said. “And it’s full validation of the importance of public education, that the story of success can and should happen.

“We kind of didn’t believe it when we got the call. When we really examined it and looked at prior honorees, it was ‘Why us? We’re just the little Valley kids.’ It’s a great honor. We are just thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. We just wish our parents were here to see this. ”

“Truthfully, we have a bit of a deficit in self-esteem in terms of thinking we’re anything more than just normal humans on this planet,” Philip added. “And when we get an award like this, we just blush with humility. We don’t think of ourselves like this, so we appreciate it.”

With so many business accomplishments in their lives, the Taubers now find satisfaction in helping guide young people in their own respective careers.

“Mentorship and modeling are everything,” Gayle said. “This is the ultimate validation of that. That’s what makes it more thrilling and so much more an honor because this is really the point we’re at in our lives.”

“Building character is something that we want to do with young people and will continue to do,” Philip said. “Hopefully, we show that kind of character.”

In every way, the four honorees at this year’s CSUN Distinguished Alumni Awards show that kind of character and are fine examples for students today to emulate in the future.