December 16, 2002

Deck the halls with a CSUS diploma

The mall won't be the only place drawing a crowd this weekend. Nearly 3,200 California State University, Sacramento students are eligible to cross the stage at Arco Arena during commencement ceremonies Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21.

During the College of Education commencement at 1 p.m. on Friday, CSUS President Donald R. Gerth will present the President's Award to two long-time education advocates: W. Bernard Bowler and Roy T. Brophy. The President's Award is given to individuals who provide outstanding service to the University, to higher education or to the public and common good.

In 1992, as IBM's Sacramento general manager, Bowler led a business-education coalition to create LEED, Linking Education and Economic Development. The community-based organization develops partnerships among business, education community and government to strengthen the Sacramento regional economy by improving education and training. The school-to-career collaborative boosts the career skills of high school graduates by integrating "real world" environments into the curriculum. Bowler served on the CSUS Trust Foundation from 1995-2001 and chaired the board for the past two years.

Brophy, a Sacramento Valley builder and developer, has served as a trustee for all three public higher education systems in the state - California State University, University of California and California Community Colleges. He also served on the governing board for the San Juan Unified School District. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the CSU system in 1986. In 1998 he received the Distinguished Service Award in College and Trusteeship from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

Commencement speakers include Dale Carlsen, president of Sleep Train, at the College of Business Administration ceremony; Terry Pearson, director of quality assurance for Aerojet, at the College of Engineering and Computer Science ceremony; and Paula Gardner, professor and Outstanding Teaching Award recipient for the College of Education, at the College of Education ceremony.

The complete commencement schedule is as follows:

Friday, Dec. 20

• 1 p.m., College of Education. Doors open and candidates assemble at 12:30 p.m.
  
• 3:30 p.m., College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies. Doors open and candidates assemble at 3 p.m.
  
• 6:30 p.m., College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Doors open and candidates assemble at 6 p.m.
  

Saturday, Dec. 21

• 8:30 a.m., College of Health and Human Services. Doors open and candidates assemble at 8 a.m.
  
• 11:30 a.m., College of Business Administration. Doors open and candidates assemble at 11 a.m.
  
• 3 p.m., College of Arts and Letters. Doors open and candidates assemble at 2:30 p.m.
  
• 6 p.m., College of Engineering and Computer Science. Doors open and candidates assemble at 5:30 p.m.
  

For more call (916) 278-4723 or visit www.csus.edu/ commence. Media assistance is available by calling (916) 278-6156.

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