CampusMemo: May 24, 2004

Volume 51, Number 34 May 24, 2004

CampusMemo's
summer schedule
This is the last CampusMemo edition of the school year. CampusMemo will be published twice during the summer -- Monday, June 14, and Monday, July 12. The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Tuesday of the week preceding publication.

Submit items to pubnews@sfsu.edu.

CampusMemo will return to its weekly publication schedule Monday, August 23.

Summer news: SF State News, SFSU Calendar
Although CampusMemo will only be published twice during the summer, two other campus information sources will be regularly updated.

SF State News [ www.sfsu.edu/~news ] brings you stories about campus programs and people as well as links to mentions of SFSU in the media. Have an idea for a summer-related story? E-mail Public Affairs at pubcom@sfsu.edu.

The SFSU Calendar features on-campus events and exhibits. Planning an on-campus summer event and want to be listed? Click on the Calendar's 'Submit an Event' icon at: www.sfsu.edu/calendar.

ORSP summer requests
Academic year faculty receiving summer salary from grants can submit their requests at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Web site: www.sfsu.edu/~orspwww.

For details, contact Maria Saguisag-Sid at ext. 8-1973 or mcssid@sfsu.edu.

Help plan
Asilomar retreat
The Academic Senate invites faculty and staff to join the planning committee for the 2005 faculty and staff development retreat to be held next January at Asilomar. Ideas for the retreat are also welome. E-mail the Senate office at senate@sfsu.edu.

Sailing courses offered
Recreation and Leisure Studies is offering basic and intermediate 16-hour sailing courses on Lake Merced this summer. Classes are open to ages eight and up.

Fees are $154 for the basic class and $159 for the intermediate class. For a course schedule and details, contact BAYSF at ext. 8-2030.

Tuesday
Honor retiring faculty
Faculty and staff are invited to honor retiring faculty at the annual "Rites of Passage" celebration held from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the University Club.

The event will be hosted by President Robert A. Corrigan, Provost John Gemello, and Vice President J.E. (Penny) Saffold. Faculty are invited to attend either as an emeritus honoree or to congratulate and celebrate with colleagues and friends.

NOTE: Steven J. Evans, professor of kinesiology, was mistakenly not included in the list of retiring faculty published in last week's CampusMemo. He has been awarded emeritus status and will be honored at the ceremony.

Coming Up
Bosnia in words and music
The Poetry Center invites the campus community to an evening of Bosnian music, poetry and fiction at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at the Unitarian Center, 1187 Franklin St. (at Geary) in San Francisco. The event features poet Semezdin Mehmedinovic' (author of the acclaimed work "Sarajevo Blues"), essayist and fiction writer Aleksandar Hemon, poet-translator Ammiel Alcalay and Charming Hostess, a new San Francisco-based vocal group that will perform selections from "Sarajevo Blues" set to music.

Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for students and seniors.

For details, contact the Poetry Center at ext. 8-2227 or poetry@sfsu.edu.

Commencement takes place Saturday
The University's 103rd Commencement takes place Saturday, May 29, in Cox Stadium.

Faculty members participating in the ceremony should line up no later than 12:15 p.m. next to the Student Services building (the north side of the Centennial Village roadway). This will guarantee you a seat on the staging area.

For details, contact Norma Urcuyo-Siani at ext. 8-6141.

The Commencement ceremony will be broadcast live on San Francisco cable channel 27. There will also be a live Webcast. For information on the broadcasts, a list of other on-campus graduation celebrations, profiles of this year's honorees and speakers and more, see the Commencement Web page: www.sfsu.edu/commencement/.

In addition, check the SF State News site [ www.sfsu.edu/news ] this week and next for stories related to Commencement, including profiles of this year's Hood recipients from the colleges, Liberal Studies/Special Majors and Graduate Studies.

Urban Institute director to lead De Anza College
M. Brian Murphy, founder and executive director of the San Francisco Urban Institute and associate professor of political science, was recently named president of De Anza College. His appointment begins July 1.

Murphy joined SFSU in 1988. In addition to leading the Urban Institute since its 1992 inception, he served as director of external affairs for SFSU from 1989 to 1995 and as a senior advisor to the CSU chancellor from 1993 to 1998.

"Brian Murphy has worked successfully with everyone from state policymakers to neighborhood groups to individual students," President Robert A. Corrigan said. "As founding director of the Urban Institute, he has brought the ideal of civic engagement to life in ways that will continue to better San Francisco and San Francisco State University. He is an outstanding choice."

Murphy holds doctoral and master's degrees in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree in political science from Williams College.

He will be the third president of De Anza College which is located in Cupertino and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.

College honors staff members
The College of Science and Engineering recently named Chris Johansson, stockroom manager for Chemistry/Biochemistry, and Michael Fong, stockroom manager for Biology/Center for Biomedical Laboratory Science, as this year's Don Eden Staff Appreciation Award winners. The award comes with a $1,000 cash bonus. Each winner received multiple nominations.

The award was established by Chemistry Professor Don Eden shortly before his death in 2000. Eden loved research and wanted to leave behind a mechanism to show his appreciation for staff members who support faculty research by making significant contributions to the care and maintenance of the College of Science and Engineering's facilities.

New information management systems
SFSU is proud to be a leader in providing state-of-the-art information technology for students, faculty, and staff. Beginning July 1 a new Financial Management System (FMS) and several new modules for the Human Resources Management System will be implemented. Staff from Fiscal Affairs, Human Resources, Budget Management and the Divison of Information Technology together with administrative staff from colleges and departments across campus have devoted countless hours and extensive effort for the last 18 months to deliver this major new system.

FMS replaces SFSU's legacy financial records system (FRS), consisting of three core modules: Purchasing, Accounts Payable and General Ledger. FMS enables all purchase requisitions to be entered online and offers a variety of reporting tools to track the progress of a requisition. The FMS relational database is continually updated with the latest information to ensure accurate payment processing to vendors, employees and students. The new General Ledger module offers flexibility and detail in tracking financial transactions.

The HRMS E-TRAC system, which is currently handling all personnel transactions for staff, will be expanded to include faculty and student employees. In addition, a Web-based time and labor system allows the entry of all time and absence data for students and hourly employees. HRMS also allows for all employment actions, including attendance and labor costs, to be entered online.

Both FMS and HRMS offer comprehensive training programs. To learn more and to sign up for training, visit: www.sfsu.edu/~cms.

Pat Medina -- Running the best
Photo of Pat Medina

The dress shoes beneath the desk in Pat Medina's downtown San Francisco office get little use. On any given day, the director of paralegal studies at SFSU's College of Extended Learning rarely gets a moment to exchange them for the running shoes she wears to and from BART. Her phone rings incessantly, students pop in every few minutes, there is a June graduation and fall class schedule to see to, instructors to reach, and an office move to complete.

Read the full profile of Medina at: www.sfsu.edu/~news/cmemo/spring04/may24people.htm.

May STAR of the Month: Michael Hornbuckle
Photo of Michael Hornbuckle The College of Ethnic Studies computer lab is incredibly busy this time of year, but Michael Hornbuckle, information technology consultant for the College, has things well under control. With his trademark smile and rapid delivery, he instructs students on how to reboot a crashed computer, how to format a Web page for printing or how to save a final essay to a disc. And he continually answers the call for more paper for the printer. Hornbuckle is the May STAR of the Month.

In addition to serving as the manager of the College's small computer lab, Hornbuckle also supports the IT needs of faculty and staff -- acquiring hardware, installing software and troubleshooting problems.

The most rewarding thing he does is "fixing the impossible problems -- finding a solution as quickly as possible," said Hornbuckle. "But a lot of what I do is respond to three main complaints. 1. It won't print. 2. Something is wrong with my e-mail. 3. The attachment won't open."

He is the College's only IT employee so faculty and staff are grateful for his expertise and unflagging energy for tackling problems no matter how big or small.

"Michael can solve any computer-related hardware and software issue as well as just about most instructional technology problems," said Jim Okutsu, associate dean of ethnic studies. "I definitely and unashamedly rely on him to assist me with numerous IT-related problems and he never hesitates to come through. He [performs his duties] with professionalism and an incredibly upbeat demeanor."

Born, raised and educated in San Francisco, Hornbuckle was studying computer science on campus in the early '80s when he decided to take a couple of ethnic studies classes. One course was with Okutsu, who invited him to apply for a student assistant job. Around that time the personal computer revolution came into full swing and the University began an initiative to supply computers for all faculty and departments. Hornbuckle began assisting the college with its IT needs, and after he graduated in 1989, he successfully applied for the position he now holds.

But it's not all high tech for Hornbuckle. He also is a performer and writer with 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, an Asian-American comedy troupe. The group performs about 10 shows a year. Hornbuckle claims that "every comedy group needs a fast talker and that's me." The students in the computer lab would agree.

Nominate a staff STAR: www.sfsu.edu/~news/star/starform.htm

About CampusMemo
CampusMemo provides news, information and on-campus events listings to the faculty and staff of SFSU.

CampusMemo is published weekly during the school year by the Office of Public Affairs. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Contact Public Affairs at the number listed below. Submissions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Tuesday the week preceding publication. Items may be sent via e-mail: pubnews@sfsu.edu, faxed to ext. 8-1498, or sent through campus mail to: CampusMemo, Office of Public Affairs, Lakeview Center 110. Please direct any questions to the e-mail address above, or call ext. 8-1665.

To send events: call ext. 8-1665 or send e-mail to pubnews@sfsu.edu

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Last modified May 24, 2004, by the Office of Public Affairs