SDSU’s President Stephen Weber Highlights

'Decade' of Transformation in Annual Address

to Campus Aug. 24

Outstanding Faculty also Honored with Montys Awards

Contact: Jason Foster
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Tel: (619) 594-2585 office, (619) 992-0772 cell
foster@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006) –San Diego State University has evolved into a premier urban research university over the last 10 years, and examining this “decade of transformation” will be the focus of SDSU President Stephen L. Weber’s annual address to faculty and staff at the All-University Convocation ceremony Thursday at Cox Arena.

The ceremony, which starts at 9 a.m., marks the traditional start of the academic year. The first day of classes for SDSU’s fall semester is Monday, Aug. 28.

“When you sum up 10 years of hard work by our faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters in the community, the achievements are impressive,” said Weber, who joined SDSU as president in 1996. “San Diego State has improved student performance, expanded research and community engagement, enhanced facilities and private support, and accomplished much more.”

SDSU’s highlights over the last decade include:

•The average GPAs for incoming first-time freshmen has improved from 3.1 to nearly 3.5; average SAT scores also have risen by nearly 90 points.

•The freshman retention rate has risen to more than 82 percent, its highest level since SDSU began tracking it in 1986. Four-, five- and six-year graduation rates also have increased steadily since 1996, with the six-year rate climbing nearly 13 percentage points.

•A $600 million construction and renovation drive has modernized the university. This has added high-tech classrooms, library and student facilities, housing, parking and sports complexes to the campus.

•Annual external grants and contracts awarded to faculty and staff have risen 77 percent, to more than $130 million in 2005-06. Since 2000, SDSU faculty and staff have received more than $880 million in research grants and contracts.

•Private giving to SDSU has grown from $18 million a year a decade ago to $55 million last year. Since 1996 SDSU has received more than $400 million in private gifts, 195 percent more than the total received during the SDSU’s previous 99-year history.

“These are just a few of the significant transitions at SDSU that add up to a remarkable transformation,” Weber said. “These have positioned us well to help serve the changing needs of our students and our community in the future.”

Outstanding faculty also will be honored at Thursday’s ceremony. Nine honorees – one from each of SDSU’s colleges, Library and Information Access, and the Imperial Valley Campus – will receive the 2006-2007 SDSU Alumni Association Awards for Outstanding Faculty Contributions, commonly known as the Faculty Montys.

This year’s honorees are, in alphabetical order:

Valerie Cook-Morales

--Valerie Cook-Morales, counseling and school psychology professor, College of Education

Cook-Morales is an untiring advocate for educational equity for all students. Serving as the director of the School Psychology graduate program, she focuses on preparing professionals to meet the education needs of diverse students. While at SDSU, she has brought $11.5 million in grant funding. Virtually all of her 40 professional publications and more than 80 professional conference papers address policy and practice related to equity in schools.

Ann de Peyster

--Ann de Peyster, Graduate School of Public Health interim director, College of Health and Human Services

Recognized as a tremendous teacher, researcher and faculty leader, De Peyster single-handedly built the Graduate School of Public Health's toxicology program. Her teaching efforts run from advising to curriculum development, and from the laboratory bench to lecturing. She has attracted research funds, has held leadership positions in various professional associations, and has published about 35 articles in a wide array of peer- reviewed publications.

David Ely

--David Ely, finance professor, College of Business Administration

Ely is recognized for his high level of production, university involvement and as a voice of reason. Colleagues are impressed by Ely's knowledge, innovation, thoughtfulness and ethical approach to his work, while students find him to be an outstanding teacher. He has published research in many areas, covering the stock market, banking, globalization and other issues for several prominent financial journals, including the Review of Financial Economics and International Finance.

Richard Hofstetter

--Richard Hofstetter, political science professor, College of Arts and Letters

Hofstetter, a scholar of political behavior, has published nearly 200 articles in top scholarly journals in political science, public health, public policy and economics. He has been associated with $13 million of funded research awards. While he is a gifted methodologist, having been cited in more than 250 times in various journals, he is also widely recognized for his efforts in mentoring graduate students.

Peter Larlham

--Peter Larlham, theatre professor, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

Larlham teaches acting, directing, improvisation and supervises graduate research. He has directed and performed in more than 30 SDSU productions. In spring 2006, he directed Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," which toured San Diego County schools. Before coming to SDSU, he taught theater for 17 years in South Africa, where he researched African theatre. His book "Black Theatre, Dance and Ritual in South Africa” documented African performance during the apartheid years.

Francis Medeiros

--Francis Medeiros, teacher education professor, Imperial Valley Campus

Medeiros began his career with the California State University System in 1969. He served in various positions at San Francisco State University and SDSU before becoming associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs in the CSU chancellor's office. In 1995, he joined the SDSU - Imperial Valley Campus faculty, where he teaches educational leadership and teacher education. He has served as coordinator for the Educational Leadership Program and the Freshman Scholars Program.

Iraj Noorany

--Iraj Noorany, Civil and Environmental Engineering professor emeritus, College of Engineering

Noorany has been lauded by his former students for maintaining the highest standards of excellence in teaching and for preparing them for the real-world challenges of engineering. His research and publications in geotechnical and ocean engineering are well recognized by the profession. Among his many honors are the San Diego Engineering Council's Outstanding Engineering Educator Award and the American Society of Civil Engineers' Middlebrooks Award.

Roger Sabbadini

--Roger Sabbadini, biology professor, College of Sciences

Sabbadini, well-known for his research, received the California State University's top bioscience research award earlier this year. Additionally, he has participated in numerous programs for stimulating high school and college students to pursue careers in biomedical research, is an active member of a number of socially responsible community groups, and helped establish the SDSU Institute for International Security and Conflict Resolution.

Mark Stover

--Mark Stover, SDSU Library head of Reference Services

Stover teaches classes and provides research consultation to several SDSU departments. He developed and maintains the SDSU Test Finder electronic database for psychosocial tests and measures. Stover, president of the Association of Mental Health Librarians, is also a member of the California Academic and Research Librarians and the Association of Jewish Libraries. In addition, he is current editor of the Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s nearly 33,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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