California State University, Northridge

PRESS RELEASE

May 7, 1997

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

Astronaut, Olympian Address CSUN Grads

Olympian Anita DeFrantz, astronaut Scott Horowitz and screenwriter Kathy McWorter are among the community leaders scheduled to address Cal State Northridge students when they graduate later this month.

An estimated 6,219 students are candidates to receive their diplomas-approximately 5,304 bachelors and 915 masters in a total of 50 fields-in a series of ceremonies that begin the evening of May 27 with the university's Honors Convocation.

"Commencements are among the sweetest moments of the year for the university, for the graduates, and their spouses and parents and families-all of the people who helped them earn their degrees," said CSUN president Blenda J. Wilson.

"We are proud of our graduates and equally proud of the distinquished alumni who are coming back to campus to serve as commencement speakers. It's a community celebration and all are welcome."

The graduation celebration begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, with the Honors Convocation at the University Club on the southeast corner of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

This year's speaker is Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times. Rosenberg, a veteran Times columnist, also is an adjunct professor in critical studies at CSUN, and an adjunct professor in critical studies and journalism at the University of Southern California.

The formal commencement ceremonies are as follows:

Gini Barrett, regional director of the American Humane Association and a CSUN alumnus, will speak at the College of Business Administration and Economics' commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, on the Oviatt Lawn in the center of the campus.
Barrett, a longtime animal rights activist, joined the Humane Association in January. Prior to that, she was senior vice president of the Alliance of Motion (more) Picture and Television Producers' Public Affairs Coalition.
Geneticist Thomas Kaufman, a Cal State Northridge alum and distinguished professor of biology at Indiana University, Bloomington, will speak at the College of Science and Mathematics' ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on May 28 at the University Club.
Veteran CSUN English professor John Clendenning will present the address for the College of Humanities' commencement ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on May 28 on the Oviatt Lawn.
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences does not have a formal commencement speaker. Instead, the college will honor founding and emeritus faculty and pay tribute to an outstanding alum and graduate.
The ceremony will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 29, on the Oviatt Lawn.
Space shuttle astronaut, and CSUN alum, Scott Horowitz will give the commencement address to the College of Engineering and Computer Science at 11:30 a.m. on May 29 at the University Club.
Horowitz has logged more than 375 miles in space, including recently as co-pilot of the space shuttle Discovery on the second Hubble Space Telescope maintenance mission.
Olympian Anita DeFrantz will address the graduates of the College of Health and Human Development at 4:30 p.m. on May 29 on the Oviatt Lawn.
DeFrantz won an Olympic bronze medal for rowing in 1979 and was part of the 1980 rowing team which did not complete because of the Olympic boycott . She now serves as a member of the U.S. and International Olympic committees and is president of the Amateur Athletic Foundation. She was named one of the 100 most powerful people in sports for five consecutive years by Sporting News.
Screenwriter Kathy McWorter will give the commencement address to the College of Arts, Media, and Communication at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 30, on the Oviatt Lawn.
A few months after graduating from Cal State Northridge, McWorter sold a script for $1 million. Although the script was never produced, she did write the screenplay for "The War," starring Kevin Costner and recently worked on a script for Steven Spielberg.
Ann Lieberman, professor of education at the Teachers College of Columbia University and a CSUN master's graduate, will speak at the College of Education's ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on May 30 at the University Club.