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Volume 53, Number 1   July 18, 2005         

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Announcements
Next CampusMemo Aug. 22
CampusMemo resumes weekly publication Aug. 22. E-mail items by 5 p.m. Tuesday of the week preceding publication to pubnews@sfsu.edu or fax to ext. 8-1498.

Stonestown rentals available
SFSU became the new owner of the Stonestown Apartments on June 15, increasing the campus size by 14 buildings and 24.81 acres. The 697 apartment units and 1,033 parking spaces are immediately adjacent to the campus, at Winston Drive and Buckingham Way in San Francisco.

Units are available to faculty and staff who are employed by SFSU or are joining the University in fall 2005. Apartment tours are available at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. No reservation is necessary for the tours; prospective tenants should meet at 295 Buckingham Way and they will be escorted through the property.

For information on rental applications, contact Mark Goodrich, director of residential property management, at goodrich@sfsu.edu, or Tiffany Mikami, administrative coordinator for residential property management, at tamikami@sfsu.edu, or call (415) 338-1885.

Photos and floor plans are available online at: www.stonestownapartments.com

No residents will be forced to move with the ownership change, but units will be made available to students, faculty and staff as tenants vacate voluntarily.

No taxpayer funds were used for the Stonestown purchase. The $134 million purchase price is being financed by a 30-year CSU systemwide revenue bond issued for the purchase of various properties by CSU campuses. According to Leroy Morishita, vice president for administration and finance, property fees and rents will repay the bond as well as maintain the property.

Changes at Campus Graphics
In support of the environment, Campus Graphics will now print University business stationery (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc.) on New Leaf Everest, an environmentally friendly paper made from 100 percent post-consumer waste. It will phase out the use of 100 percent virgin paper (Strathmore or Classic Crest) over the next three months.

New Leaf Everest has high brightness and excellent opacity and is completely recyclable. SFSU stationery will continue to be printed using soy-based inks.

In other news, SFSU departments will soon be able to order SFSU business cards and stationery online at campusgraphics.sfsubookstore.com through a partnership with UCSF Documents, Media and Mail Services. The new affiliation will enable SFSU departments as well as faculty, staff and students to take advantage of expanded printing and digital services available at University of California, San Francisco.

Contact Lisa Katzman at lkatzman@cls.ucsf.edu to learn more about the changes or about the expanded printing and digital services available to the campus. Campus Graphics is located in the Cesar Chavez Student Center in Room M-110 and can be reached at ext. 8-2434.

New fitness center
Construction is nearing completion on a new campus fitness center in The Village at Centennial Square. The 6,100-square-foot facility will feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment, showers, a spacious interior, and personal training. It is scheduled to open in Building A on Aug. 8.

Members of the campus community may stop by the center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays to sign up for charter membership, available for a limited time. Charter members will receive 50 percent off the center’s registration fee.

The new facility is part of the residence package provided to students who live in campus housing. A limited number of memberships are available on a first-come, first-served basis to faculty, staff and other students.

Hours of the new center are expected to be: 6 a.m. - 10 p.m., Monday - Thursday; 6 a.m. - 6 p.m., Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday; and noon - 10 p.m., Sunday. Hours are subject to change.

For more information, contact fitness center manager John Penacerrada at John.penacerrada@clubone.com or call (415) 452-1010 for more information. The facility is managed by the SFSU Foundation.

Look out for SFSU Magazine
The summer issue of SFSU Magazine is scheduled to arrive in campus departments and offices during the last week of July. In the cover story alumna Annette Bening discusses how her former instructors influenced her acting career. Inside, readers will also discover how SFSU plans to spend two recent multi-million dollar donations -- including the largest alumni gift in University history. Alumnus Paul Ash explains why he feeds 50,000 hungry San Franciscans every day and Marcy Page, another alumna, shares why she screamed at the top of her lungs on Oscar night. Follow a student underneath Tomales Bay and learn about a professor working to reform the police force of an entire Caribbean nation.

The staff welcomes feedback, story ideas and suggestions. For more information contact Adrianne Bee at: abee@sfsu.edu

SFSU Magazine is also available online: www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumag

K-8 textbook review
Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a review of history and social science instructional materials to be used in grades K-8 statewide. The materials can be found at the Learning Resources Display Center in room 337 of Burk Hall. Based on the reviews and comments, the materials -- textbooks, CDs, videos and workbooks -- will be adopted by the California Department of Education.

The center's summer hours are 1 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For details or to set up an off-hours appointment, contact Karen Lam at kcml@sfsu.edu or ext. 5-3491.

Student worker job fair
Offices and departments are invited to recruit qualified students to fill their on-campus student employment positions by participating in the part-time job fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, on Centennial Walkway.

The free event is sponsored by the Career Center, Student Affairs and the Student Financial Aid Office. To reserve a space, contact Edwin Critchlow at ecritchl@sfsu.edu or ext. 8-1764 by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug.19. Departments are also reminded to post job vacancies on MonsterTRAK to meet EEO/AA guidelines.

Spare the Air
In order to encourage commuters to reduce the amount of pollution from car exhaust on bad air quality days, Bay Area transit is again running the Spare the Air program through Oct. 14. Look for announcements of Spare the Air days -- public transit commutes are free for the first five Spare the Air weekdays of the summer.

For details, visit: www.sparetheair.org

SF State News home

News
Lee Blitch named vp for advancement
Photo of Lee BlitchLee Blitch, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, will join SFSU as its vice president for university advancement on Sept. 1. Responsible for advancing SFSU's external image and maintaining relationships with key University constituencies, he will lead University development, public affairs and publications, alumni relations, special events, and government and community relations.

Blitch, who will report directly to President Robert A. Corrigan and serve on the president's cabinet, has replaced James R. Collier, who retired late last year.

"Lee Blitch is a true leader in the San Francisco community, and well positioned to further advance the University's profile and contributions. His fundraising, marketing and relationship-building expertise will be tremendous assets to San Francisco State University as we build toward the future," Corrigan said.

A graduate of University of Florida, Blitch began his career with Southern Bell, where he established the Bell System's first marketing division and was involved in developing the phone center concept and the nation's first phone center.

Prior to joining the Chamber in March 2001, Blitch was employed by AT&T for 37 years. He was AT&T's region vice president for consumer marketing in the Western and Pacific regions. Previously, he held various positions at the company including director of product management, director of marketing and advertising and manager of national sales.

"This is an excellent opportunity for me to use skills acquired over a long career and intensive community experience to help link this outstanding 30,000-student university to the city, business community and its alumni," Blitch said.

Active in community service, Blitch serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee and the boards of the San Francisco Historical Society, American Chamber of Commerce Executives, National Center for Educational Accountability, Just for the Kids California, SF Works, World Affairs Council, School Alliance Foundation, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee for the Mayor.

Blitch and his wife, Sandy, have two children. His daughter, Susan, is an attorney in Monterey and his son, Scott, is a graduate student majoring in microbiology at University of California, Berkeley.


Creative Arts dean to lead art school at Temple
Photo of Keith MorrisonDean Keith Morrison said goodbye to his colleagues in the College of Creative Arts last month, as he accepted the position of dean at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Elkins Park, Pa., effective July 1. Morrison joined SFSU in 1994 after serving as dean of academic affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute.

A search will be held to replace Morrison. Wan-Lee Cheng, College of Creative Arts associate dean, has been appointed acting dean.

In a lengthy farewell letter to faculty, staff and students, Morrison noted some of the College of Creative Arts' top accomplishments during his tenure. They include: restructured academic departments, modified curricula, the handling of the 2004 budget crisis, collaborative projects between departments within and outside of the College, international projects, and well-received performances and art exhibitions.

Morrison is also proud of the many students who won prestigious national and international awards in every department of the College -- which he believes is a credit to the faculty.

"The Morrison legacy will be in the fine faculty he helped to bring to the College," President Robert A. Corrigan said.

In Morrison's farewell letter, he thanked his colleagues and students for their work, dedication and accomplishments throughout his tenure.

"The experience of knowing you and working with you is a gift I shall take with me and shall always treasure," he wrote.

Morrison's paintings and prints have been featured in many publications and exhibited across the United States and abroad. He was selected to represent Jamaica at the 2001 Venice Biennale. A book about Morrison's art and art criticism, "Keith Morrison" by historian Renee Ater, was published in March by Pomegranate Press.


Dean of undergraduate studies news
History Professor Robert Cherny will serve a two-year appointment as acting dean of undergraduate studies, effective July 25.

He replaces Daniel Buttlaire, who will return to the faculty in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. A search will be held to replace Buttlaire.


Veteran political strategist to lead government relations
Photo of Sam RodriguezSam Rodriguez has been named senior director of government and community relations. The appointment was effective June 1. Rodriguez has held a variety of leadership roles in state and federal government agencies as well as political campaigns and organizations.

In his new position, Rodriguez is charged with generating support for the University and its interests by working with the SFSU community, the CSU system, and national, state and local governmental entities on projects and initiatives of mutual benefit. He is also responsible for building relationships with constituent groups, assisting community leaders in gaining access to SFSU's resources, coordinating the University's response to political and policy issues, and advising administrators and faculty on strategies to facilitate constructive dialogue with public officials.

"Sam Rodriguez's knowledge and extensive experience as well as his insights into the workings of government and politics will prove to be invaluable for San Francisco State University and the communities we serve," said Don Scoble, interim vice president for university advancement. "His energy and drive will be great assets to the University."

Rodriguez was most recently political director for the California Democratic Party.

A Sacramento resident and New York City native, Rodriguez holds a bachelor's degree in government and politics from University of Texas, Dallas.

Rodriguez replaces Christine Treadway, who joined University of California, Berkeley, as director of state governmental relations.


JAVA award served up to SFSU
Faculty and students from the Romberg Tiburon Center and the SFSU Computer Science, Geosciences and Electrical Engineering departments won a Duke's Choice award at Sun Microsystems' annual JavaOne conference in San Francisco on June 28. NetBEAMS (Networked Bay Environmental Assessment Monitoring Systems), a sensor-based system to monitor and transmit environmental data via cellular phone to other wireless networks, was developed in an unique collaboration between SFSU, Sun Microsystems and Agilent Technologies. The award, named after the JAVA mascot, recognizes innovation and the exceptional use of the Java programming language and networking platforms.

Leading the SFSU team were Arno Puder, assistant professor of computer science; Toby Garfield, associate professor of geosciences; and Todor Cooklev, assistant professor of engineering. NetBEAMS will collect data for the Coastal Observation Research and Education program, a statewide effort to monitor the California coastline. Learn more at: www.NetBEAMS.org


In memoriam: Henry Clay Lindgren
Henry Clay Lindgren, professor emeritus of psychology, died June 12 of heart failure at his San Francisco home. He was 91.

Lindgren joined the SF State faculty in 1947 and retired in 1984. He served as director of the counseling center on campus from 1947 to 1949.

Lindgren wrote more than 50 journal articles and 30 books. His books include "Meaning: An Antidote to Anxiety" in 1956, "An Introduction to Social Psychology" in 1969, and "Great Expectations: The Psychology of Money" in 1980.

"He was a great raconteur, and he was just fun," said Rose Grabstein, a longtime friend of Lindgren and a former consultant for the Frank V. de Bellis Collection in the J. Paul Leonard Library. "He enjoyed traveling, and he knew a lot about where he went."

Lindgren, a Sacramento native who grew up in Hawaii, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Germanic languages from Stanford University. After completing his doctorate in education from Stanford, he served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy in World War II.

Lindgren was renowned for his large collection of antique bronze and silver coins. His interest in rare coins was sparked during a stint as a Fulbright lecturer at University of Rome, Italy, in 1956-57. He wrote several books on his collection and lectured in several countries. He donated more than 1,000 coins from his collection to SFSU's Classics Department and Museum Studies Program.

Lindgren is survived by his sisters, Patricia Kurts of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and Catherine McCracken of Escondido; brother William Lindgren of Rolla, Mo.; daughter Loretta Lindgren Voorhees of Chico; and two grandchildren.

Memorial donations can be made to Kaiser Permanente Hospice Services, 4131 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94118; or to the American Numismatic Society, 96 Fulton St., New York, NY 10038.


In memoriam: Graham Wilson
Graham Cunningham Wilson, professor emeritus of English, died June 22 of heart failure at his San Francisco home. He was 89.

Wilson served as chair of the English Department from 1973 to 1981. He retired in 1985.

A native of Pittsburgh, Wilson moved with his family to Boise, Idaho, as an infant. He moved to a boarding house in Denver after age 12, separate from his family. He went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature from University of Colorado.

During World War II, Wilson served as a communications officer for the Navy on the USS Tattnall, a destroyer converted to a high-speed transport ship. Near the end of the war, he returned to the United States to teach naval tactics at Stanford University, where he later earned a doctorate in Renaissance literature and taught freshman English classes.

His wife Lois Mayfield Wilson joined SF State’s English faculty in 1949, one year after they married. Wilson was not hired at that time only due to anti-nepotism laws, Mayfield Wilson said. He taught at San Jose State for nearly a decade instead and served as English Department chair his final year. He joined SF State in 1967, immediately after the anti-nepotism laws were abolished, she added.

Wilson also taught American literature and linguistics in Greece, Norway, England and Italy as a Fulbright scholar, and enjoyed visiting professorships at University of Hawaii, Oregon State and Southern Oregon State.

Wilson is survived by his wife -- a professor emerita who retired from SF State in 2000 -- as well as his sister Suzanne Field of Bennington, Vt., and daughter Erin Wilson and grandson Liam Wilson Mackenzie of New York City and Providence, R.I.

At Wilson's request, no memorial services will be held.


STAR of the Month

July STAR of the Month: Tony Chan
Photo of Tony ChanTony Chan, manager of the College of Business computer lab, has no problem relating to the almost 20 students employed by the lab -- he used to be one of them.

Chan worked in the lab for three years as a student assistant. In 1998, when the manager position was posted, he successfully applied for it.

He said that his background helps because he can honestly tell students: "I know what you guys are going through -- I went through the same thing."

Chan said the turnover of student workers is both the saddest and best part of his job.

"It's refreshing meeting and helping new people," he said.

With 150 computer stations, the College's computer lab is one of the largest open labs on campus. During the academic year it operates from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and during limited hours Saturday and Sunday.

"Tony is well-rounded," said John Palme, business computing czar. "He works well with both people and machines. His easy-going style and strong commitment to service help him in supervising the main computer lab and managing the student assistants. At the same time his strong technical skills and depth of knowledge of computers make him the person we often turn to when we have a problem one of us can't solve. And he is the type of person who doesn't just want a solution but also wants to know what went wrong."

In addition to managing student workers, Chan makes sure that the lab's computers and other equipment are working, handles user complaints and keeps supplies stocked. He also provides some techincal support to college faculty and staff.

Chan earned a bachelor of science from SFSU with a double major in computer information systems and office systems. He lives in San Francisco's Bay Point neighborhood and is an avid viewer of film and television.

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 & Publications. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Contact Public Affairs & Publications 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 & Publications, Lakeview Center 110. Please direct any questions to the e-mail address above, or call ext. 8-1665.

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Last modified July 18, 2005, by the Office of Public Affairs & Publications