Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
carmen.chandler@csun.edu

KABC's Dallas Raines to Teach at CSUN

University officials said they are excited about the relationship.

"It's wonderful to have someone of Mr. Raines' caliber and experience contributing to the learning environment at our university," said I-Shou Wang, chair of the Department of Geography. "He has a lot to give our students."

Raines, who has a bachelor's degree in broadcast meteorology from Florida State University, said he is looking forward to his new job.

"The main thing that attracted me is that CSUN has excellent geography and geo sciences departments," Raines said. "With meteorology and climatology, it's very difficult to find a university with those departments. Besides, Northridge is just a great institution."

Raines will be teaching "Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences and Weather and Climate" every Tuesday and Thursday morning. More than 30 students have already signed up for the class.

Raines said his mother was thrilled when he called her in Georgia and told her he would be teaching at Cal State Northridge.

"I said 'Guess what Mom, I'm going to be teaching at a university,'" Raines said. "She said 'That's just what you should be doing. Now are you going to quit that TV stuff?'"

Raines said she was disappointed to learn he was still keeping his job at KABC.

"She put a lot of work into sending me off to school, and she wanted me to do something a little more prestigious than television," he said. "The thing is, television is more lucrative but I don't know if it's any more rewarding. The combination is going to be perfect for me. I am really looking forward to teaching."

While he's at Northridge, Raines said he is also going to work on his master's degree in meteorology with a specialization in climate.