Capital University News, California State University, Sacramento
March 15, 2004
Alums augment CSUS workforce
They liked it so
much, they either never left or eventually found their way back.
More than 700 people who work at CSUS also earned their degrees here, according
to a recent analysis of the university affairs alumni database. That's an astounding
26 percent of the University workforce.
Many start right after graduation, while some have never worked professionally
anyplace else. They include long-time staffers, lecturers, full-time faculty
and administrators.
"As an alum, I think I have a better feel for what the students here are going
through, some of the stresses involved and also some of the payoffs," says Jerry
Blake, a program advisor in student activities. "As a student, I learned a lot
about the campus that I wouldn't have known, how things work at a practical
level."
Blake has worked at the University for 11 years. He started and finished his
master's degree in bilingual/multicultural education after being hired at CSUS.
In the ranks of top campus leadership, CSUS alumni include Ed Del Biaggio, vice
president of administration and business affairs; Marilyn Hopkins, dean of the
College of Health and Human Services; Elroy Littlefield, executive director
of the CSUS Foundation; Joseph Sheley, dean of the College of Social Science
and Interdisciplinary Studies; and Alice Tom, dean of the College of Continuing
Education.
The current University catalog also lists 85 full-time faculty who hold degrees
from CSUS.
Among them are such senior faculty members such as Richard Bay in theatre and
dance, Olivia Castellano in ethnic studies and English, Jay Crain in anthropology,
Bill Dorman in government, Charles Hagopian in mathematics, Art Jensen in management,
Virginia Kidd in communication studies and Otis Scott in ethnic studies.
(CSUS alums also make up almost one-third of the staff of the public affairs
office, which produces the CSUS Bulletin.)
Suzy Lunstead was hired at the University while working on her degree in liberal
studies, and has worked at the University for 16 years. "Because I've been here
so long, I really do have a lot of answers," says Lunstead, an administrative
support coordinator in the College of Education.
"I like all the people, and I love my job," she says. "I've often said that
when someone comes to get an answer to a question, I act like they're my daughter,
and I answer that way."
The University is likely to remain an employment destination for its alums,
according to David Wagner, vice president for human resources.
"The pipeline for future alums working at CSUS is already established," Wagner
says. "A number of former graduate students who are very promising 'faculty
to be' are completing doctoral studies. In addition, approximately 200 employees
are also students taking advantage of the fee waiver program to pursue a university
undergraduate or graduate degree."
