August 27, 1997
Contact: Rick Moore, Louise Snider, or Shirley Hulett (619) 594-5204
Check out What’s Happening, What’s New for Fall ‘97 at SDSU
Tuesday, September 2, is the first day of classes at San Diego State University for the 1997-’98 academic year. There is a lot of energy in the air on opening day, but there are also exciting events happening the week of August 25. And whenever you’re on campus, make it a "twofer" by checking out some of the new developments we’ve listed. Contact names and phone numbers follow each listing.
EVENTS
Wednesday, August 27. All day. Residence Halls Move-In. About 2,600 students will begin moving into the residence halls. (Contact Susanna Morgan, 594-2943)
Thursday, August 28, 1:30 p.m., Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl. Inauguration of SDSU’s Second Century and Installation of Stephen L. Weber as the Seventh President of the University. Pageantry of presidential installation and presentation of honorary doctoral degrees to Nobel Laureate and former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and American educator Dr. D. Bruce Johnstone. (Media must clear credentials in advance. Contact Rick Moore, 594-5204.)
Friday, August 29, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m., various campus locations. CONTACT, a full day of entertainment, college tips, tours, and special events for new students. Some highlights: 9:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Big Red and Black Welcome with workshops and campus tours, Montezuma Hall; 12-2:30 p.m., Club and Information Faire, Aztec Center and Aztec Green; 4:30-6 p.m., "Traditions" Barbeque, alumni meet with new students, Aztec Green; 7-9 p.m., Sex Acts and More, series of skits dealing with dating, relationships, sexuality,and alcohol use, Aztec Recreation Center -- Center will be open for use by Contact and residence hall students following the program. (Call Elise Miller for complete schedule, 594-5221.)
ENROLLMENT
The enrollment for Fall ‘97 is projected to be slightly higher, around 29,331 students. (University Communications, 594-5204)
FEES PER SEMESTER
A student-approved $15 Health Service fee increase has been added to the basic fees which have remained the same for the past two years. Current fees are:
$633.00 for students taking 6.0 units or less
$966.00 for students taking 6.1 units or more
(University Communications, 594-5204)
FACILITIES AND CONSTRUCTION
The Student Activity Center. Now complete, the SAC consists of the 12,000+ seat Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl, for basketball, concerts, and other events; and the Aztec Recreation Center,a 76,000 sq.ft. building with state-of-the-art recreational and fitness training facilities. (John Kolek, 594-0234)
Creative Juices. Located in a remodeled Peiffer Lounge in Aztec Center, this cybercafe offers juices, coffees and computer terminals with Internet and Web connections. (Associated Students, 594-6555)
East Commons. This heavily used cafeteria is undergoing an extensive renovation and will reopen in Spring ‘98 with increased seating, a full-service bakery, new food court options, air conditioning, and other improvements. Aztec Shops is providing a variety of temporary facilities during construction. (Contact Laura Gropen, 594-7583)
Science Laboratory Building. Groundbreaking will take place this fall on this five-story, 100,000 sq.ft. structure at the northeast corner of campus. It will house chemistry and geology laboratories and some offices and provide an attractive entrance to the campus, as well as a state-of-the-art facility. (Contact Anthony Fulton, 594-5224)
FACULTY AND PROGRAMS
Environmental Engineering Expert Joins Faculty. Dr. Mirat D. Gurol becomes the first woman in the country to hold a full professorship in environmental engineering. Appointed to the newly endowed Blasker Chair in Environmental Science and Engineering, she is a specialist in ground water treatment and hazardous waste disposal. Gurol is a member of the review panels of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a strong advocate for women in engineering. (Contact Dean Pieter Frick, 594-6061)
Soap Star Undertakes New Role. Soap opera viewers may recognize Randy Reinholtz who joins the SDSU drama department as head of the acting emphasis area. In the late ‘80s, Reinholtz played "Adam Scott" in the long-running daytime drama, "Days of Our Lives." In addition to acting courses, he will teach an upper division course on auditioning. (Contact Randy Reinholtz, 594-0229)
New Director, Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Kenneth J. Bart has been named Director of the Graduate School of Public Health and will assume his new post in November. Dr. Bart is a pediatrician and epidemiologist trained in health policy and management and board certified in preventive medicine and public health. He has been involved in public health programs at local, state, national and international levels since 1967. (Contact GSPH Office, 594-1255)
New Law/MSW Dual-Degree Program. SDSU and the California Western School of Law are offering a new dual-degree program which allows participants to earn a law degree and master of social work degree concurrently. The program stresses an interdisciplinary approach and emphasizes complex issues affecting children, such as child abuse and foster care. (Contact Dr. Dan Finnegan, SDSU, 594-6850 or Dr. Janet Weinstein, CWSL, 525-1463)
New Certificate Program in Geographic Information Systems. Listed as one of the "Top 10 Jobs" (Los Angeles Times), Geographic Information Systems specialists find they’re in a major growth industry in the U.S. with employment opportunities in a startling variety of fields--insurance, marketing, real estate, health care, epidemiology, transportation, environmental monitoring, military, and more. SDSU’s geography department, which has been offering a GIS curriculum for more than 15 years, is working with the University’s Defense Conversion Center to offer the GIS certificate for technical professionals interested in retraining or upgrading their current skills. (Contact Dr. Richard Wright, 594-5466)
SDSU Classes for Oil Exploration Will Be Delivered Electronically to Master’s Degree Students in Indonesia. The geological sciences department will initiate a distance learning program to oil scientists in Indonesia which, if successful, will serve as a template for delivery of this and other programs ( public health, business, computer science, etc.) to as many as 20 other sites in third world countries. The direct, world-wide training is made possible through cooperation with SDSU’s Global Telecommunications Center in the College of Extended Studies. The initial class is composed of geologists with Caltex Pacific Indonesia, which is providing the expensive infrastructure necessary for receiving the coursework. SDSU will use virtual reality, true 3-D stereoscopic imaging, animation, and other high-end tools and software programs to deliver the information. (Contact Dr. Eric Frost, 594-5003)