More Than 9,600 SDSU Students Approved to Participate in Commencement Ceremonies May 17-20

SDSU's Class of 2007 Expected to Meet Welcoming Job Market

Contact:
Gina Speciale
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-4563 office
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

Lorena Nava
SDSU Marketing & Communications
(619) 594-3952 office
lnava@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, May 8, 2007) —When SDSU senior Erin Mun graduates next weekend, she won’t be wondering what to do next.  Mun, like many of the graduating class of 2007, already has a job in her field.  A hospitality and tourism management student, Mun actually had several job offers industry-wide before finally accepting a position at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C.

“I had interviewed with four companies and got multiple offers before the semester began,” Mun said.  “It was choosing the company that fit my culture and values that was the hardest part.” 

Mun said many of her classmates in the HTM program are facing the same decision.

According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to hire nearly 20 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than they did in 2005-06. 

“Generally speaking, the economy is strong right now and other things that are affecting it don’t seem to be affecting hiring,” said James Tarbox, director of SDSU’s Career Services.  “In our April career fair, we had 122 employers on campus recruiting; that is an increase from 71 employers last April.”

In addition, starting salary offers to new college graduates continue to rise, according to another report by the NACE.

It’s a good problem to have, but Mun said choosing one job over the other shouldn’t be based on money. 

“In the HTM program, I learned that it’s not the company you work for, but the people work with,” Mun said “You can’t take one job over another based solely on salary, that’s only a short term effect.  If you pick a company that fits you, I think you will go a lot further and make the money eventually.”

Mun is one of more than 9,600 students who have registered to participate in commencement ceremonies May 18-21.  In all, there are 7,285 bachelor’s degree candidates (figure adjusted for double-majors) and 2,361 master’s degree candidates, as well as 66 doctoral degree candidates. 

SDSU’s 2007 commencement ceremony schedule is as follows:         
 
Thursday, May 17:

• 7 p.m., Rollie Carrillo Quad, Imperial Valley Campus, Calexico
  • 235 bachelor's degrees, 12 master's degrees, 46 teaching credentials

Friday, May 18:

• 11 a.m., College of Health and Human Services (Cox Arena)
  • 316 bachelor's degrees, 366 master's degrees
• 4 p.m., College of Arts and Letters (Cox Arena)
  • 1765 bachelor's degrees, 297 master's degrees

Saturday, May 19:

• 8 a.m., College of Business Administration (Cox Arena)
  • 1230 bachelor's degrees, 390 master's degrees
• 1 p.m., College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (Cox Arena)
  • 2271 bachelor's degrees, 261 master's degrees

Sunday, May 20:

• 8 a.m., College of Education and Division of Undergraduate Studies (Cox Arena)
  • 431 bachelor's degrees, 479 master's degrees
• 1 p.m., College of Sciences and College of Engineering (Cox Arena)
  • 1391 bachelor's degrees, 527 master's degrees
  
  (Number of degrees based on March 30, 2007 final report of students eligible to participate in commencement.)

At the ceremonies this year, three distinguished individuals will also receive honorary doctorates from SDSU.  Leon L. Williams will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the College of Arts and Letters ceremony on Friday, May 18 at 4 p.m.  In 1968, Williams was the first African-American elected to the San Diego City Council.  He served on City Council until 1982.  In 1983, he was elected to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors where he served until 1995. Williams is also an alumnus of SDSU.

The second recipient is Martha Longenecker, founding director and president of Mingei International Museum.  Longenecker was a professor of art at SDSU for more than 35 years, developing the university’s ceramic program.  Longenecker will receive her honorary doctorate of fine arts at the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts ceremony on Saturday, May 19 at 1 p.m.

The third recipient, Deborah Szekely, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the College of Health and Human Services ceremony on Friday, May 18 at 11 a.m.  Szekely is the founder of two world-renowned destination spas, Rancho La Puerta in Baja California and The Golden Door in Escondido, Calif. She has also served on the board of numerous non-profit organizations and as president and CEO of the Inter-American Foundation, an independent governmental that supports self-help efforts of the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Commencement ceremonies May 19-20 will be broadcast live on:

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

Because of a scheduling conflict, the Health and Human Services ceremony (11 a.m., Friday, May 18) and the Arts and Letters ceremony (4 p.m., Friday, May 18) will not be broadcast live.  The Health and Human Services ceremony will be broadcast at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 19.  The Arts and Letters ceremony will be broadcast at 11 a.m., Sunday, May 20.

All ceremonies at Cox Arena may be seen on the Internet at http://www.sdsu.edu/Commencementvideo. (This link will become active on May 18.)

More information about commencement is available at the Graduation Media Resources web page.

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 73 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's more than 34,000 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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EDITOR'S NOTE: For profiles of some of our outstanding students see below or visit our Graduation Media Resources web page.

2007 SDSU Commencement Profiles

The following students will participate as graduates in San Diego State University’s 2007 commencement ceremonies.  To arrange interviews, please contact Gina Speciale, SDSU Marketing & Communications, at (619) 594-4563 (office), (619) 813-3581 (cell) or speciale@mail.sdsu.edu, or Lorena Nava at (619) 594-3952 (office), (619) 309-5179 (cell) or  lnava@mail.sdsu.edu.  Additional student profiles are also available upon request.

• Yassar Arain, 22, B.A. psychology, minors in biology and religious studies.  Arain is a recipient of a 2007-2008 U.S. Student Fulbright grant for research in Egypt.  He will spend next year attending the American University in Cairo as a graduate student in forced migration and refugee studies.  He will also focus on the health status of refugees. Arain received SDSU’s Quest for the Best award for his extensive campus involvement including participation in the Collegiate Union for Health Related Education, Mortar Board, and the Muslim Student Association.  Arain is the first American-born child of his Pakistani family and hopes to one day become a physician and pursue a career in international health. (Hometown: Placentia, CA)

• **Tom Barber, 48, B.A. geography, natural resources and environmental geography emphasis.  Barber’s college career has spanned 30 years, 150 semester credits and several schools worldwide.  He started his studies in 1977, served 20 years of active military service in the U.S. Air Force, helped raise a family of two sons (one of which is a current SDSU student), two step–children and three grandchildren and returned to college in 2005 at SDSU.  Barber will graduate with his bachelor’s degree this May.  (Hometown: East San Diego County)

• Gary Hirsch, 26, B.S. criminal justice administration, minor in international security and conflict resolution.  Hirsch served in the Marine Corps right out of high school from 1998-2004.  During his last three years in the Marines, he worked at HMX-1 (Presidential Helicopter Squadron.)  He was constantly traveling within the country and abroad supporting the Executive Office, but had no idea what the "G-8" and other summits were about. That piqued his curiosity, and after being accepted in SDSU, he soon found about the International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) program.  He has served as president of the ISCOR Student Society, and was one of the first students chosen to be part of the first SDSU class to study abroad in Cyprus.   From a low-income family, Hirsch was the only hearing person in his household.  Thanks to the Marine Corps College Fund, GI Bill, his own personal savings, and part-time job, Hirsch was able to successfully pay for and complete his undergraduate education.  (Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.) 

• **Magdalena Loza-Flores, B.A. music, emphasis in classical guitar performance.  Loza-Flores began her studies at the Conservatory of Music in Tijuana.  A scholarship student in SDSU’s School of Music, Loza-Flores says she spends six to nine hours per day practicing the guitar.  She performs with SDSU’s Presidio Guitar Quartet.  She is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 grade point average.  She will attend graduate school at SDSU this fall. (Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico)

• **Patricia Morales, 41, B.A. psychology. Born into an impoverished family in Tijuana, Mexico where alcoholism and abuse were daily traditions, Patricia Morales escaped her family home at the age of fifteen to marry, only to find herself in a similar situation.  Morales then emigrated from Tijuana in 1984 at the age of 23, leaving her past behind her in search of a better life for herself and her daughter.  Without any grasp on the English language, Morales started taking ESL classes.  Several years later, when her children were in high school, she herself started high school and eventually graduated from San Ysidro Adult School as valedictorian of her class.   After earning her associate’s degree from Southwestern College in 2005, Morales transferred to SDSU.  She will be graduating Summa Cum Laude and plans to come back to get her master’s degree in psychology.   (Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico) 

• Erin Mun, 23, B.S. hospitality and tourism management, emphasis in events and attractions emphasis.  Mun had four job offers in her field before her final semester began.  She finally took a position with the Marriott Renaissance in Washington D.C.   While a student, Mun received a $2,500 scholarship from Hilton Hotels.  Among the other graduates of the HTM program, approximately 80 percent already have jobs secured; and it’s expected that 95 percent will have jobs by graduation.  (Hometown: Orange County, Calif.)

• Ashley Rankin, 21, B.A. interdisciplinary studies (criminal justice, political science, sociology).  Rankin is one of only 25-30 students enrolled in this special major which allows students to tailor a degree program to their specific interests.  Students combine courses from three departments into a coherent program that will allow them to achieve career and academic goals that cannot be met using the conventional major.  As part of her studies, Rankin interned on Capitol Hill as part of a congressional leadership program in association with the Washington Center.  She worked with a representative from Oregon.  Rankin will graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 and will be attending George Washington University Law School in the fall. (Hometown: Dumfries, VA)
• **Jesse Rich-Greer, 25, B.S. international business, CaMexUS triple degree program.  Rich-Greer will receive three degrees this May, one from each country he studied in as part of SDSU’s tri-national, undergraduate international business program.  Rich-Greer studied in Quebec, Canada and Tijuana, Mexico, in addition to SDSU.  He is only the fourth student to graduate from this program, and is the first male as well as the first student who wasn’t bilingual prior to entering the program. (Hometown: Freemont, Calif.)

• Samantha Spilka, 21, B.S. psychology, emphasis Industrial/Organizational psychology.   Spilka believes one person can make a difference.  Within the last year, Spilka instituted a philanthropic program called Pennies for Peace.  Her goal is to raise a total of six hundred thousand pennies ($6000), in order to pay half the cost of a village school in Afghanistan or Pakistan.  The project was inspired by the book “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson, which chronicles his attempt to climb K2 in the Himalayas and how, when he failed, he was rescued by members of a small isolated village in Pakistan and nursed back to health.  He then took it upon himself to help create a school for the village.  Spilka has raised $1,500 towards her goal.  While a student, Spilka did research in India, interned at Harvard and studied at the London School of Economics.  She is graduating Summa Cum Laude and will be attending Columbia University this fall to pursue her master’s degree in organizational psychology.  (Hometown: Agoura Hills, Calif.)
• Jason C. Ward, 22, B.S. criminal justice administration, Distinguished Military Graduate.  Ward leads SDSU’s ROTC Aztec Battalion and will be commissioned as an officer (2nd Lieutenant) in the U.S. Army when he graduates this May.  As a Distinguished Military Graduate, he is in the top 20 percent of ROTC graduates nation-wide.  During his time at SDSU, Ward interned with the San Diego Police Department gang unit, helping clean up the streets around El Cajon of crime, graffiti, etc.  After graduation, Ward will attend Army combat schools, receiving infantry, tank, Scout Leader, airborne (combat jump out of airplanes) and Ranger training. Once complete, Ward will be in charge of 20-30 soldiers and four tanks in combat and is slated to head to Iraq next year.  Ward will not be attending the ceremony at Cox Arena, but will be at the commissioning ceremony on Saturday, May 19 at 5 p.m. at Mt. Soledad.  (Hometown: San Jose, Calif.)

**indicates Spanish speaker
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