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Don W. Kassing Named Interim President for SJSU

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Don W. Kiassing, Interim President, SJSU

(May, 27, 2010) – Don W. Kassing, who retired as president of San Jose State University in 2008, has been appointed as interim president of the university following the departure of Jon Whitmore who was recently named as CEO of ACT, Inc., an international not-for-profit corporation.

Kassing served in various capacities at the campus since 1993, and was named president in 2005 after serving in an interim capacity for a year.

“We are very fortunate that Don and Amy Kassing have agreed to give up their retirement, and come back to San Jose from their home in Phoenix,” said CSU Board Trustee Herbert L. Carter. “Don served San Jose State in an outstanding manner, and the CSU Board of Trustees is extremely grateful and appreciative that he has agreed to serve as interim president.”

CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed said, “Don will be welcomed back to the campus and we know that it will be in the hands of a proven leader with a record of stability and familiarity with the campus, students and community.”

Kassing will assume the interim appointment on August 1, and will serve until a presidential search is completed sometime in 2011. His salary will be set at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in July.

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San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 27,400 students and 3,190 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.

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Spartan Spring Fling

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Spartan Spring Fling

Benefitting the Spartan Foundation

Spartan Gym/Yosh Uchida Hall

Saturday, April 24, 2010

6:00pm

$50/person (net proceeds will fund student-athlete scholarships)

Price includes food, wine & beer, silent auction, Tommy Bahama Fashion Show featuring SJSU celebrities and benefitting the Spartan Foundation

For more information, contact 408-924-1692

Casual island attire…please no high heels!

Event Sponsors

Tommy Bahama Santana Row, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines,

Jason Stephens Winery and Black Diamond Brewing.

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Career Panel and Fair: Entrepreneurial Careers for Social Impact

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

CAREER PANEL and FAIR: Entrepreneurial Careers for Social Impact
Thursday, March 11, 12:30-2:30
Eng 285-287,
San Jose State University
ALUMNI are encouraged to attend

“How do I use my SJSU degree to make a difference and make a living?”
Become a social entrepreneur and innovator for the public!

Take a long lunch, get inspired, and gain practical advice about building a first, second or third career in the growing and exciting field of social entrepreneurship.

Learn from local leading social entrepreneurs about how you can use your education, skills and experience to create social impact and help to build high growth innovative companies that power social change in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Network with socially entrepreneurial companies and nonprofit organizations and get inspired by their missions and results.
Meet the Bay Area’s most entrepreneurial organizations creating change in the fields of public health, nutrition and fitness, criminal justice, business, education and literacy, sustainability, engineering and technology, employment, immigration, and global citizenship and more.
This event is open to all current students, alumni and SJ community members. It is relevant for all schools, degrees and majors.
Join the Facebook fan page: Social Entrepreneurship at San Jose State to get updates on employers who are attending! Questions? Contact Kriti Ashok at Kriti.

Panelists:
Whitney Smith, CEO/Founder, Girls for a Change http://www.girlsforachange.org/
Michael Lombardo, CEO, Reading Partners http://www.readingpartners.org/
Erin Llewellen, VP, School Partnerships, Revolution Foods http://www.revfoods.com
Moderator, Jane Leu, SJSU Social Entrepreneur in Residence and Founder, Upwardly Global http://www.upwardlyglobal.org

Network with leading orgs and companies and learn about internship opportunities, including:

Education Pioneers http://www.educationpioneers.org/ Career
Apple http://www.careerapple.com/
Benetech http://www.benetech.org
Fresh Lifelines for Youth http://www.flyprogram.org/
Playworks http://www.playworksusa.org/
Global Citizen Year http://globalcitizenyear.org/
Springboard Forward http://www.springboardforward.org/
This event is sponsored by the Career Center, Center for Community Learning and Leadership, and Global Leadership Advancement Center.

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Alumnus Jon Iwata to speak at commencement

Monday, March 1st, 2010

IBM Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jon C. Iwata will be San José State’s 2010 commencement speaker. Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 29, in Spartan Stadium. Approximately 7,000 candidates who completed their studies in August 2009, December 2009 and May 2010 will be eligible to participate.

“We are honored Jon Iwata accepted our invitation,” President Jon Whitmore said. “Mr. Iwata’s career exemplifies the contributions our graduates make to our community, the tech industry and the economy. He is also an excellent role model for our students, who come from all walks of life seeking opportunities and pursuing dreams to reach their full potential.”

Iwata leads IBM’s marketing, communications and citizenship organization. This global team is responsible for market insights, demand generation for IBM products and services, communications and corporate affairs, and stewardship of the IBM brand, recognized as one of the most valuable in the world. Iwata and his team led the development of IBM’s “Smarter Planet” strategy, which describes the company’s view of the next era of information technology and its impact on business and society.

Iwata is a member of the IBM Operating Team, responsible for day-to-day marketplace execution, and the IBM Strategy Team, which focuses on long-term issues and opportunities. He is vice chairman of the IBM International Foundation. Iwata reports to IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano.

Iwata joined the communications function of IBM in 1984 at the company’s Almaden Research Center in Silicon Valley. In 1989, he joined IBM corporate headquarters in Armonk, New York. He was appointed vice president of corporate communications in 1995 and senior vice president, communications, in 2002. He assumed his current role on July 1, 2008.

Iwata is a member of the Technology Committee of the Museum of Modern Art, the University of California’s Economic Advisory Group and is a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society. From 2006-2007, he served as chairman of The Seminar, a professional group consisting of chief communications officers. He holds a B.A. from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at SJSU.

Iwata is co-inventor of a U.S. patent for advanced semiconductor lithography technology. — SJSU Public Affairs

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San Jose State has big presence at Cinequest!

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

A whole slew of San Jose State students, faculty members and recent grads are involved in this year’s Cinequest, the world-renowned film festival in its 20th year in downtown San Jose. Though the festival doesn’t begin until Tuesday, February 23, buy your tickets now, and vote via YouTube in the SanDisk Cinequest Phone Flick Contest. The contest features 20 one-minute films made on cell phones, including “Fish Pasta” by SJSU Assistant Professor David Chai. Semifinalists will be screened at Cinequest, where audience members will text in their votes for the overall winner.

SJSU’s participation in Cinequest is the result of flourishing film and animation/illustration programs housed in the Department of TV, Radio, Film and Theatre, and the School of Art and Design, respectively. Spartan Film Studios combines the talents of individual student writer/directors with professionally mentored student production crews, a formula that produced last year’s Cinequest hit “All About Dad.” The animation/illustration has developed a national reputation for talented students, faculty and corporate supporters, including a scholar-in-residence program funded by DreamWorks.

Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz at SJSU Feb. 23

Monday, February 15th, 2010

The Global Leadership Advancement Center and Provost’s Office at San Jose State University are hosting Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. in Morris Dailey Auditorium. Stiglitz will be talking about his latest book, Free Fall.

Stiglitz, professor at Columbia University, is a global thought leader in the field of economics and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and the John Bates Clark Award. A former chief economist at the World Bank and chairman of Clinton’s President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Stiglitz is a well-known critic of free market economics and the management of globalization who argues for the reform of global institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
His book Free Fall explains the current economic crisis and the future global economic order. Stiglitz outlines a way forward, building on ideas he has long championed: restoring the balance between markets and government, addressing the inequalities of the global financial system, and demanding more good ideas – and less ideology – from economists.

The presentation is free and open to the public. An RSVP is appreciated.

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Martin Luther King Celebrations at SJSU

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

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A Commitment to Living the Dream – 2010 January 14, Kick-off: 81st Birthday Celebration Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

All events listed below will take place at the Martin Luther King. Jr. Library in downtown San Jose. MLK Library is a joint project managed by both the City of San Jose and San Jose State University.

Additional Activities around MLK will also take place during African American History Month, Wednesday, February 3 and Saturday, February 6. Get full details on all events by calling 408.808.2183 or going on the internet at http://www.sjlibrary.org/kingceleb.htm

EVENTS:
12:30pm – 1:00pm
Libation Ceremony
Foruth Street Lobby, Ground Floor

1:05pm – 2:oopm
Happy Birthday Dr. King – Cake Ceremony
1) Welcome
Jane Light, Director, San Jose Public Library
Mary Nino, Associate Dean, SJSU
2) Remarks
Jon Whitmore, SJSU President
Judy Chico, Vice-Mayor, City of San Jose (SJSU alumna)
3) Letter from Congressman Honda
Chris Schwarz – Congressional Aide
4) Song – “Amazing Grace”
Jasmin Howard
5) Community Reflections
Reverend Barry Houston, Pat Plant, Ronald William, Sharat Lin, Adriana Garcia, Grant Perryman
6) “Happy Birthday Dr. King”
Johnny Reason
7) Refreshments
Bijan Bakery
Friends of the King Library
Peet’s Coffee and Tea

3:30pm – 4:00pm
Story Time in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Children’s Room, Ground Floor

4:00pm – 5:00pm
Studio 150: Friendship Bracelets
Children’s Room, Ground Floor

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60 students and alumni attend Network Like an Expert

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Stein presents to audience

Professional recruiter and networking extraordinaire, Marica Stein, talked to students about the importance of networking at an event in the Student Union last night. Stein stressed utilizing available tools and opportunities, both online, on sites such as LinkedIn, and in person. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation and a number of them stayed after for individual tips.

This event was sponsored by the SJSU Alumni Association as part of its GOLD (graduates of the last decade series). GOLD events offer a wide range of fun and engaging activities meant to help professionals navigate and thrive in the workplace environment. These events will help you answer questions about life as a professional, plus will provide tools on how to build your social and professional networks. In the spring the Association will host its annual etiquette dinner and a seminar on writing your personal statement.

Visit Marica Stein’s website.
Learn more about Alumni Association activities.

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“Bye-Bye Bin Laden” Filmmakers profiled in the Merc

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Portrait of SJSU creators of first feature animated film "Bye-Bye Bin Laden", student Geoffrey Stone, faculty member David Perry, student Christine Rhee, center, Professor Scott Sublett, student Zachary Knoles (Courtesy Josie Lepe/Mercury News)

Check out the Thursday edition of the Mercury News for a great story on the success of “Bye-Bye Bin Laden” and its SJSU faculty and student creators. When it was released earlier this fall, it was believed to be the first feature-length animated film from an American university.

Cinequest released the film on DVD. Writer Bruce Newman suggests “the center of the college cinema universe may be inching northward.” It’s another feather in the cap for SJSU’s outstanding film program and talented students who have also experienced unprecedented national success at Campus MovieFest competitions.

See the story in the Mercury News.

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SJSU announces application deadline for fall 2010

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

Important information regarding admission for fall 2010 is now available.

Do you know a student who hopes to attend San Jose State University in the fall of 2010? Here is some important information from the University:

San José State began accepting undergraduate applications for fall 2010 on October 1. The deadline for all prospective undergrads, whether they are to be first-time freshmen or upper-division community college transfers, is Monday, November 30, 2009. Please note that due to the state budget crisis, admission criteria has been amended.

All prospective students should pay careful attention to the deadlines throughout the admission process. Get more information about SJSU admission.

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