May 15, 2002

Spring Commencement set for May 24-25;
Kevin Johnson, Phil Isenberg to be recognized

Commencement returns to campus this spring, as California State University, Sacramento honors more than 3,000 graduates May 24 and 25. The University will also present a president's award to basketball great Kevin Johnson and an honorary doctorate to former Sacramento mayor and assembly member Phil Isenberg.

There will be seven ceremonies over the two days, one for each of the University's Colleges. Ceremonies will be held at Hornet Stadium and at the Outdoor Theatre on the west side of the University Library (full schedule below).

More than 5,000 students will graduate from CSUS this academic year, including about 2,000 who already took part in fall commencement ceremonies. The 2001-02 graduating class also has 895 students graduating with some sort of honors, including 42 who were chosen for top Academic Achievement Awards in their major and seven chosen as the top graduating students in their Colleges.

Commencement speakers will include Shekhar Khandekar of Intel at the College of Engineering and Computer Science ceremony; Jan Scully, Sacramento County District Attorney, at the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies ceremony; Madeleine P. Fish, CSUS professor and MESA director, at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics ceremony; and Carla Vasquez, president and CEO of CV Logistics, at the College of Business Administration ceremony.

Kevin Johnson will receive the President's Award - given periodically for outstanding service to the University, higher education or the public and common good - at the College of Business Administration ceremony, 11 a.m., Saturday, May 25 at Hornet Stadium. At 12:30 p.m., Friday, he will give the commencement address at the College of Education ceremony.

Johnson is a Sacramento native, a former National Basketball Association all-star and a dedicated community leader. He played for the Phoenix Suns for more than 10 years, but never forgot his roots in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood. In 1991, he founded the St. Hope Academy to provide "at-risk" children with a structured and positive environment, and he continues to work for the betterment of Oak Park. He has partnered with CSUS to establish a charter school in the neighborhood.

Phil Isenberg will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the CSU system at the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies ceremony, 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 24 at Hornet Stadium.

Isenberg was a Sacramento city council member and its mayor, and spent 14 years in the State Legislature, where he held numerous leadership roles. Since retiring from the Legislature in 1996, he has continued to work in the public policy arena. He lectures widely, and has served as an instructor in the CSUS department of public policy and UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Public Policy.

Spring Commencement 2002

Friday, May 24
12:30 p.m. College of Education (Stadium)

6 p.m. College of Engineering and Computer Science (Outdoor Theatre)

7:30 p.m. College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (Stadium)

Satuday, May 25
8 a.m. College of Health and Human Services (Stadium)

9:30 a.m. College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (Outdoor Theatre)

11 a.m. College of Business Administration (Hornet Stadium)

6 p.m. College of Arts and Letters (Hornet Stadium)

Parking on campus will be free during both days of commencement. Candidates will assemble one-half hour prior to each ceremony.

More information is available by calling (916) 278-4724 or visiting www.csus.edu/commence. Additional media assistance is available by contacting CSUS public affairs at (916) 278-6156.

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For further information, send an e-mail to infodesk@csus.edu or contact
public affairs at (916) 278-6156. For ticketed events, call the CSUS Ticket Office at (916) 278-4323.   
 
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