The Year of the Alumni Salutes the Contributions of All CSLA Alumni

When you graduated, you thought that would be it. You went on with your life, got a job, or went to grad school; maybe, got married or raised a family. . . But now you've been gone a while and the good memories keep coming back: the professors who challenged you to grow and think and change; the coffee and laughs in the cafeteria; the hours writing that final paper. . . . Frustrating? Sometimes. But even those frustrating hours spent searching for a parking spot are now just a symbol of the sacrifices you made to make your dreams come true. And it was worth it - because you and your family were worth it. You worked and you sweated and you studied and you dreamed. And your dreams carried you forward.

That's why the California State University Board of Trustees has named 1996 as the Year of the Alumni - as a tribute to the individuals who dreamed, and dared to chase their dreams. "Pride in Belonging" is the Year of the Alumni theme - pride in belonging to the largest institution of senior higher education in the world - pride in belonging to an assembly of two million individuals, the most powerful, dynamic and well-educated constituency of any single group in this nation.

Our alumni stretch around the globe, and whatever their field - from engineering to teaching, art to accounting - CSU alumni are making world-class contributions. It has been estimated that 10 percent of the workforce in California have attended a CSU. Did you know that the CSU produces 50 percent more business graduates, and more computer scientists and engineers, than all other California universities and colleges combined? Did you know that nearly one-third of the lawmakers in Sacramento are CSU alumni, and two-thirds of the state's K-12 teachers were educated at the CSU? Whether they are creating new technology, starting new businesses, or educating our children - they have one thing in common - alumni are contributing tremendously to the economic welfare and the future of California.

Every CSU campus has chosen one distinguished alumnus/a as a representative on the Year of the Alumni Honorary Committee. The Cal State L.A. alumni representative is Jaime Escalante, '73, '77, '82, the famed educator whose success at Garfield High School was immortalized in the movie Stand and Deliver by fellow CSLA student Edward James Olmos. Other CSU alumni on the honorary committee include actress Annette Bening from San Francisco State, Joe Morgan, baseball Hall-of-Famer from Cal State Hayward, shuttle commander "Hoot" Gibson from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Donald Beall, President and CEO, Rockwell International Corp., from San Jose State.

The Year of the Alumni is your time to come back and discover what Cal State L.A. still has to offer you. Join old friends and meet new ones, through the Cal State L.A. Alumni Association, at one of the many Year of the Alumni events planned in 1996. Get involved - become an Alumni Association volunteer - attend a new student orientation luncheon or serve as a networking contact for one of our students. Call the Alumni Relations Office at (323) 343-4980 for more information.

Join us at one of these Cal State L.A. 1996 Year of the Alumni programs:
First Alumni Art Exhibition: January 8 - February 9
Alumni Night at the Luckman, Alumni Exhibition Reception & Anderson Quartet Concert: January 13
Homecoming: Alumni/Athletics Reunion Reception - February 3
Disneyland Private Party: February 9
Sacramento Alumni Reception: March 4
23rd Annual Alumni Awards Ceremony: March 19
Washington D.C. Alumni Reception: April 11
Recent Alumni Happy Hour: April 12
Honors Convocation Reception for Students and Alumni: April 26
48th Commencement Exercises: June 8