College of Humanities Newsletter, Volume 9, Issue 2

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From the desk of Humanities Dean Elizabeth A. Say

Elizabeth A. Say, Ph.D.Elizabeth A. Say, Ph.D.
CSUN Alum 1981

The spring semester is a busy time on a university campus and CSUN is certainly no exception, having graduated over 10,000 students in the class of 2015. In this issue you can read about one of our many extraordinary graduates—the College of Humanities 2014-15 Dean’s Scholar, Alan Malfavon. I know you’ll share my admiration for the accomplishments of this impressive young man. This past spring was particularly momentous due to several changes—some anticipated and some unexpected. Perhaps the most significant of these is the decision by our provost, Dr. Harold Hellenbrand, to step down from his position and return to the faculty. While we are all saddened to lose his leadership in Academic Affairs, we in the College of Humanities are thrilled that he will be joining the faculty of the English department! The university has recently announced its new provost, Dr. Yi Li, who is coming to us from Wright State University in Ohio. You can read about Dr. Li on the CSUN website. I look forward to working under his leadership. Speaking of campus-wide change, you may have noticed that this edition of our newsletter has a slightly different look; CSUN is rolling out a new branding campaign that will retain the hallmarks of our heritage while refreshing our look. Meanwhile, I have taken on additional responsibilities with the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences that promise to keep me very busy for the next couple of years! Finally, as always, our spring/summer newsletter includes the popular annual feature on our new faculty members. You can rest assured that the future of the college is very bright with these talented teachers and scholars having joined our ranks. ◊

It's All in the Family

Courtesy of Kenneth Eade ’77 

Ken and Joyce EadePhoto courtesy of Joyce (Eade) Loftin '77

College of Humanities alum Kenneth Eade ’77 (liberal studies) has the rare distinction of having attended and graduated CSUN right alongside his mother. Joyce Eade, who became a mother at an early age, decided to go back to school and pursue a career as her sons Kenneth and John approached adulthood. Joyce and Kenneth both majored in liberal studies and even took some of the same classes together. “It was a lot of fun and kept us very close,” Kenneth says. “Needless to say, we had no generation gap at all. We even graduated together on the same day.”

After CSUN, Kenneth continued to Southwestern Law School and practiced law before becoming a writer of legal and political thrillers. He and his wife, fine-art photographer Valentina Eade, now live in the South of France and advocate for environmental concerns. Meanwhile, Joyce went on to coordinate the Community Services program at Pierce College—and married Tim Loftin, who graduated CSUN in 1978. Way to keep it in the Matador family! ◊