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

SAN DIEGO, Tuesday, May 4, 2004 -- For 21-year-old Edward Steven Jimenez, time as an undergraduate at San Diego State University is coming to an end. But the opportunities for this Mathematics major, who was named Outstanding Student of the Year in the College of Sciences, are just beginning.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came here out of high school, but my experience has been above and beyond anything I could have dreamed about,” said Jimenez, whose research on “diabatic distillation columns” has the potential to help save energy and money during the petroleum refining process. “The administration, the faculty, everyone else on campus felt strongly about putting student needs first.”

Jimenez, whose work has earned him awards, international conference presentations, and now admission to a five-year Ph.D. program in Biological Mathematics at the University of Arizona, is just one of approximately 9,627 students who have been approved to participate in commencement ceremonies this month at the Imperial Valley campus or at Cox Arena. The total (adjusted for double majors) includes 7,418 bachelor’s degree candidates, 2,321 master's degree candidates, and 60 doctoral candidates. The ceremony schedule is as follows:

Thursday, May 13:
• 7 p.m., Rollie Carrillo Quad, Imperial Valley Campus, Calexico

Friday, May 14:
• 11 a.m., College of Health and Human Services (Cox Arena)
• 4 p.m., College of Business Administration (Cox Arena)

Saturday, May 15:
• 8 a.m., College of Arts and Letters (Cox Arena)
• 1 p.m., College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (Cox Arena)

Sunday, May 16:
• 8 a.m., College of Education and Division of Undergraduate Studies (Cox Arena)
• 1 p.m., College of Sciences and College of Engineering (Cox Arena)

The commencement weekend will also include awarding an honorary degree to 1979 Television, Film and New Media alumna Kathleen Kennedy during the Professional Studies and Fine Arts ceremony. Kennedy is now one of the most influential executives in Hollywood, and her achievements include producing films such as “E.T.” and “Jurassic Park” and co-founding the Amblin Entertainment production company along with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall.
Commencement ceremonies beginning 4 p.m., May 14 though May 16 will be broadcast live on:

• Cox Cable, Channel 23
• Cox North, Channel 18 (excluding Oceanside)
• Time Warner Cable, Channel 19

Due to a scheduling conflict, the College of Health and Human Services ceremony (11 a.m., Friday, May 14) will not be broadcast live. It will instead be broadcast at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 15. The ceremonies may also be viewed on the Internet at www.sdsu.edu/commencementvideo. (Note: This link will become active on May 14.)

More information about commencement is available at http://bfa.sdsu.edu/commencement/.

SDSU is the oldest and largest institution of higher education in the San Diego region. Founded in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor's degrees in 79 areas, master's degrees in 67 and doctorates in 14. SDSU's more than 33,000 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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INFORMATION FOR EDITORS

Other commencement 2004 Story Ideas:

• Outstanding Students: SDSU students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds have incredible stories of inspiration and achievement as they prepare to pursue careers in areas ranging from teaching to civil service to the sciences. (Contact Jason Foster at above number for a list of students available to interview.)

• Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) Graduates: This year marks the graduation of the first full class of HTM students, and just in time to meet a burst in the needs of San Diego’s tourism industry, sparked in particular by the opening of Petco Park and nearby hotels and restaurants. Of the 32 students set to participate in commencement, 27 already have secured employment in the industry.

• Educational Doctorate (Ed.D.) Graduates: This year will see the first graduates from the SDSU-USD joint doctoral program in education. The first seven graduates next month (with another seven set to graduate this summer) are professional educators seeking enhanced specialization and skills in education technology or literacy. The literacy students, for example, may go on to become consultants and designers, developing literacy programs for different segments of the community, such as alternative schools, juvenile hall programs, and charter schools, or become involved in preparing K-12 teachers to help their students achieve a higher level of literacy in the language arts. The education technology specialists can go on to design educational software for use in the classroom, or for business and industry training programs, or serve as employee development specialists who can analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate training programs.

• SDSU Ranks Among Top Schools for Hispanic Graduates: The magazine The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education on Monday ranked SDSU No. 7 in the nation for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics, and No. 16 in the nation for master’s degrees awarded to Hispanics. SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin says this is significant because it means “SDSU is an institution that values ethnic diversity in the academic success of our students, as evidenced in their graduation, and not simply diversity in our enrollment.”

Media Parking and Cox Arena Access:

Parking is free each day. Media parking (for non-satellite trucks) will be reserved on Level 2 of Parking Structure 4, located off Aztec Circle Drive across the street from L Lot. Media will have access to the rear of the Cox Arena floor through the ground floor entrance next to L Lot, off of Aztec Circle Drive. Media must provide name in advance or show media ID for entry. For directions or to inquire about other arrangements, contact Jason Foster at (619) 594-2585 (office) or (619) 620-1184 (pager).

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