News and Information for California State University Leaders
Vol. 4, No. 19, April 12, 2005

Wang Award Winners Announced

The California State University this week named the five recipients of the 2005 Wang Family Excellence Award. The winners, and the categories in which they will each receive the $20,000 awards, are:

· Rudy Carvajal, Cal State Bakersfield, University Administrator;

· Raphael J. Sonenshein, Cal State Fullerton, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service;

· Richard L. Wiseman, Cal State Fullerton, Visual and Performing Arts and Letters;

· Laura P. Stowell, Cal State San Marcos, Education and Professional and Applied Sciences;

· Viji K. Sundar, CSU Stanislaus, Natural Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Sciences, and Engineering.

The Wang award was established in 1998 when then-CSU Trustee Stanley T. Wang provided $1 million to reward outstanding faculty and administrators over a period of ten years. The award is designed to honor CSU faculty and administrators who have distinguished themselves by exemplary contributions and achievements. This is the seventh year the awards have been given.

Carvajal, who has served as athletic director at Cal State Bakersfield since 1971, has built a small university program into one of the best Division II programs in the nation. His teams have won an unprecedented 30 national championships in seven different sports, and the program earned the national Sears Directors' Cup for overall excellence.

Sonenshein, a professor in the division of political science and criminal justice, has a national reputation in urban politics. As one of the top scholars on the politics of Los Angeles, he served as executive director of a commission to create the city's first new charter in 75 years - a charter later approved by an overwhelming majority of voters.

Wiseman specializes in intercultural, interpersonal, and nonverbal communication as well as persuasion and research methodology. He is known as an entertaining and animated teacher as well as a productive scholar whose articles in communication have been considered groundbreaking.

Stowell brought together a team of colleagues to launch a new middle school credential program for teacher candidates, one that was unique in the state and a model for the nation. She later helped create the new Gateway Center in the local school district where university faculty and teacher candidates explore better ways to work with middle school students.

Sundar is a dedicated teacher who has aimed to help reform mathematics education, assisting those deterred by "math anxiety," dismissive stereotypes, and social barriers. She is especially noted for her pioneering work in building math skills and confidence through programs for middle and high school students and teachers.

"The selection committee had a challenging task in choosing just one in each category, but these individuals are all extraordinarily impressive," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. "We are all grateful to Trustee Wang for providing a way to recognize these individuals."

Wang, who served as a CSU trustee from 1994 to 2002, is founder, president, and chief executive officer of Pantronix Corp., based in Fremont, CA.

The Wang Family Excellence Award is administered through the CSU Foundation. The recipients will receive the awards at the May CSU Board of Trustees meeting.

More information.

  

CSU Championed at Legislative Day

Nearly 250 alumni and supporters of the CSU converged on Sacramento yesterday to hear a briefing on CSU issues and to meet with legislators in support of the university.

"Every day we are making a difference by strengthening California's communities and making its workforce more competitive," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed in his annual State of the CSU address. "The CSU has a great story to tell and I hope you can all help us tell that story."

The lunchtime keynote speaker was Sacramento State alumnus Roger J. Valine, president and chief executive officer of Vision Service Plan, the nation's largest provider of eyecare wellness benefits. "The CSU has a huge responsibility in making other people's dreams come true, like Sacramento State did for me," he said.

Continuing its "Working for California" theme, the CSU has produced fact sheets detailing its impact on California's major industries, and the impact that each campus has on its respective region. The fact sheets are available on the Impact Report section of the CSU's Budget Central web page.

A new report from Cal State Long Beach's Office of Economic Research demonstrates the major impact of the university: During the 2003/04 fiscal year, Cal State Long Beach generated an annual economic impact of $1.034 billion in the Southern California area. More Cal State Long Beach news.

 

At Sacramento State, students and faculty are helping to shape California's future through their work with state government. Through the nationally known Capital Fellows Program, more than 60 graduate students take classes while working as fully paid staff members in legislative, executive, or judicial offices. Roughly half the offices of the California Legislature are staffed by alumni of the program. More Sacramento State news.

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