Contact: Jason Foster
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-2585, (619) 620-1184 pager
foster@mail.sdsu.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

More than 9,100 Students to Participate in SDSU Commencement
Ceremonies Scheduled for May 16, 18, 19

SAN DIEGO, Friday, May 10, 2002 — San Diego State University will graduate the largest single class in California State University history on May 16, May 18 and May 19, 2002.

Approximately 9,165 students (this figure is adjusted for double majors), including 6,975 bachelor's degree candidates, 2,148 master's degree candidates and 42 doctoral candidates, are expected to participate in commencement ceremonies at the Imperial Valley campus or at Cox Arena. The ceremony schedule is as follows:

Thursday, May 16
7 p.m., Rollie Carrillo Quad, Imperial Valley Campus, Calexico

Saturday, May 18
8 a.m., College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
12 noon, College of Health and Human Services
4 p.m., College of Business Administration

Sunday May 19
8 a.m., College of Arts and Letters
12 noon, College of Education and Undergraduate Studies
4 p.m., College of Sciences and College of Engineering

"This is an academically distinguished class, which has impressed me with its resolve in coping with a world that has changed dramatically over the last nine months," said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber. "These students are ready and eager to use their skills and knowledge to contribute in positive ways to this region, the nation and the world as teachers, scientists, health-care professionals and in many other disciplines."

Commencement 2002 Story Ideas

(For more information on any of these ideas contact Jason Foster at (619) 594-2585 or foster@mail.sdsu.edu.)

• Outstanding Student Profiles: SDSU students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds have incredible stories of inspiration or overcoming challenge behind their degrees.



• ROTC Students Among Graduates: Graduating SDSU students enrolled in ROTC programs for the Army, Navy or Air Force will receive their commissions and begin their service this summer. Some will become pilots; others will be intelligence officers or will work with rocket systems. Nearly all, however, share a reinforced desire to defend America in the wake of 9/11.



• SDSU Among Top Universities for Hispanic Graduates: According to the May 6, 2002, issue of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, SDSU ranks No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 2 in California for bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics.



• Graduating Students Include Entrepreneurs With Start-up Gene Therapy Business: Four SDSU students graduating this semester are executives for Novaphage, a start-up company developing technology to improve the gene therapy process. The technology will be used to treat patients prone to abnormally high levels of cholesterol and shortened life spans because of it. The students (including one who lives in Tijuana) are eager to continue Novaphage's development after commencement.



• Employment Survey Shows Where Grads Are Finding Jobs: SDSU's Career Services department's annual employment survey of 2000/2001 registrants for career placement shows where and in what fields SDSU graduates find employment.



• Honorary Degree Recipients: SDSU is conferring four honorary doctorates in 2002 to extraordinary individuals who have made great contributions to scholarship, civic service and the arts - Dr. Miguel León-Portilla, the Rev. George Walker Smith, Dwight E. Stanford and Claire Van Vliet.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since its founding in 1897, SDSU has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 78 areas, master's degrees in 61 areas and doctorates in 13. SDSU's more than 34,000 students participate in academic curricula distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information log on to www.sdsu.edu.

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Media Parking and Cox Arena Access information
Parking is free both days. Media parking is available in L Lot, on the north side of Cox Arena off of Aztec Circle Drive. Media will have access to the rear of the Cox Arena floor through the ground floor entrance next to L Lot. For directions or to inquire about other arrangements, contact Jason Foster at (619) 594-2585 (office) or (619) 620-1184 (pager).