College News

College Awarded Grants to Renovate New Property

Mount St. Mary's received two grants this summer for the restoration of the newly acquired property at 745 W. Adams Boulevard. The grants are from the Ahmanson Foundation and The Rose Hills Foundation, both longtime supporters of the College. The Adams property will become a one-stop student support services venue to include the functions of registrar, business office, academic advisement, student financing, admissions and the office of information technology.

New Faces at the Mount

Several key positions were filled at the College over the summer. These include: Stephanie Cubba, special assistant to the president and vice president for institutional advancement; Mary Molle, the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair in Nursing Partnerships in the Community; and Lacey Smith, baccalaureate dean. Be sure to introduce yourself and extend to them a warm, Mount welcome.

Founders Week Activities and Mount Alum Day

This year Alumnae Relations is hosting the inaugural Founders Week leading up to Mount Alum Day (formerly Homecoming), which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 9. Events include: Alumnae Mass, Mount Spirit Day, Mount Treasure Hunt, MSMC Birthday Celebration and Day of Lace — the History of the CSJs, and more. Activities will be held on both campuses. For more information, visit the website or contact Alumnae Relations at 213.477.2767.

Grad Psychology Department Offers New Specializations

Starting in Fall 2010, the graduate psychology department will offer two new specializations in general counseling psychology and mental health administration. Designed for professionals who don’t want to become licensed therapists, both contain counseling psychology core courses. The mental health administration specialization features graduate business classes taught by the Mount’s MBA faculty, and the general psychology program includes coursework in other MSMC graduate programs such as the humanities, education and religious studies. For more information, visit www.msmc.la.edu/gradpsych.

Faculty Members Receive Promotions

The following faculty promotions were announced at the President’s Appreciation Dinner in May: Afsane Arvand – associate professor of biological sciences; Roxanna Balter – assistant professor of nursing; Rosanne Curtis – associate professor of nursing; Michele French – associate professor of business; Laurie Wright Garry – associate professor of religious studies; Keith Gosselin – assistant professor of business; Alan Lee – associate professor of physical therapy; Lia Roberts – associate professor of history and political science; Valerie Teglia – associate professor of physical therapy; and Naola Vershay – assistant professor of nursing.

Two faculty members received tenure: Helen Boutrous, associate professor and chair of history and political science; and Sister Darlene Kawulok, associate professor and chair of the religious studies department.

MSMC Hosts Human Rights Film Festival

The documentary film "A Calling to Care" will be shown at the Chalon Campus in September as part of the Human Rights Film Festival, sponsored by the Film & Social Justice program. The film will be shown on Thursday, Sept. 23, in the Campus Center at 1 p.m. Also in September, the film "Daughters and Sons" will be shown on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 1 pm in the Campus Center.

Staff Members Celebrate Mount Anniversaries

The following staff anniversaries were recognized at the President’s Appreciation Dinner in May:

• 5 Year Anniversary: Marjorie Acevedo, Laura Barajas, Raul Castaneda, Virginia Cons, Brigidann Cooper, Peggie Ehrbar, Romesh Fernando, Valerie Gonzales, Rosemary Salgado Irvine, Amanda Madison, Chinako Miyamoto, Linda Moody, Jeremy Niculescu, Elias Ocegueda, Haig Papelian, Jim Sherman, Paul Trautwein and Marcie Trejos.
• 10 Year Anniversary: Lorena Alvarado, Maureen Bond, Salvador Delgado Conde, Rose Gutierrez, Gabriella Lopez, Veronica Martinez, Nery Mata, Maria Robles, Susan Shapiro, Maria Solano and Lisa Villa.
• 15 Year Anniversary: Marian Arriola and Juana Ruiz.
• 20 Year Anniversary: Laura Amjadi, Patrick Dull, Victor Martinez, Maria Lyons, Francisco Rojas and Juan Villasenor.
• 25 year Anniversary: Joanna Ackerman, Lisa Melou and Andrea Vasquez.
• 30 Year Anniversary: Marta Orellana and Bernadette Robert.

Following the anniversary recognition, two retiring employees were recognized: Joan Egan, office manager at the Chalon Library, for 27 years of service; and Sister Joseph Adele, baccalaureate dean, was recognized for 47 years of service.

Updates & Accolades

Education Professor Co-authors New Book

Robin Gordon, assistant professor of education, co-authored a book, “Philosophy of Education in Historical Perspective,” 3rd edition, published in April by University Press of America.

Language and Culture Chair Presents, Publishes

Montserrat Reguant, chair of the language & culture department, presented “Cervantes’ Don Quijote and Bacon’s The Advancement of Learning:A New Way of Thought” at the Cervantes Symposium: Cultural Encounters in Fresno, Calif., in April. She also co-authored “Un poble, una escola, una revista: Inquietud” with Salomó Marques from the University of Girona in Spain, which was also published in April.

English Department Faculty News

Joan Johnson, English instructor, had her play “Appleblossomtime” performed by the Eclectic Theatre Company in North Hollywood in July. Johnson was one of the finalists in the company’s play writing contest.

Elizabeth Sturgeon, associate professor of English, presented "Common Law Reform in the Renaissance" at the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities’ annual conference at Brown University in Providence in March. She also presented "'Print it for a President': Reforming the Commonwealth of the Law in ‘A Mirror for Magistrates’" at the Shakespeare Association of America’s annual conference in Chicago in April.

Marcos McPeek Villatoro, professor of English and the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair of Writing, premiered his short film “The Women of El Mozote” in March at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. The film features five Salvadoran women who recall the night soldiers killed 1,700 people in their village. Today these women are tour guides to their own massacre, taking visitors from one killing zone to another (part of El Salvador’s Route of Peace tour program). A trailer of the film is available at www.marcosvillatoro.net. Also, Villatoro, a commentator on KCET's "SoCal Connected," was part of the team that won a Los Angeles-Area Emmy Award for the "SoCal Connected" episode "Cannabis Cowboys" in July.

Philosophy Professor Nationally Quoted on Gardening

Gardening is more than a casual hobby for Wanda Teays. The versatile chair of the philosophy department has gained national recognition as an expert on the gardening topic du jour. This spring, Teays appeared in more than 30 newspapers from Detroit to Florida after an interview with an Associated Press reporter. Teays talked about how to cope when leaving behind a beloved garden. Shown here is a photo of a pink angel trumpet from Teays' garden.

Director of Counseling Services Chairs Conference

Susan Salem, director of counseling and psychological services, is currently the chair of the Organization of Counseling Center Directors in Higher Education in California. She also chaired the organization’s spring conference, "Identity and Social Justice: Making Diversity Visible,” in April.

DPT Lecturer Raises Funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma Cure

Katie Rojek, lecturer in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, will compete in the Nation’s Triathlon to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on September 12 in Washington, DC. The money raised will help to find a cure for blood cancers and provide support, education, medication and treatment to those diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma.

Humanities Program Director Chairs Panel

Millie Kidd, professor of English and director of the Master of Arts in Humanities program, chaired a panel on “E.E. Cummings and the Culture of Modernity” at the American Literature Association’s annual conference in San Francisco in May.

Physical Therapy Professor Brings Hope to Haiti

Deborah Diaz, associate professor of physical therapy, joined a team of medical professionals in April on a humanitarian mission to Haiti in the wake of the impoverished nation's devastating earthquake. Diaz joined a 10-person team from SeaCoast Grace Church in Cypress, Calif., for six days in Fond Parisien, Haiti, and provided crucial physical therapy services to earthquake victims.

MSN Program Director Assists at Cherokee Nation Camp

Marsha Sato ’77, director of the Master of Science in Nursing program, spent a week in June working with 100 Cherokee Nation children at the Cherokee Nation Healthy Nation Camp in Oklahoma under the direction of John Lowe, professor of nursing at Florida Atlantic University. As a visiting professor, Sato learned about teaching cultural competency through an immersion experience and was able to share her cultural background with the camp children.

Business Dept. Faculty Member Named Educator of the Year

Anne Rigone, instructor of business administration, received the 2010 Educator of the Year Award in July from INROADS, an organization that develops and places high performing minority students in corporate internships. Nominated by her students, Rigone received the award for the Southwest Region, competing against faculty finalists from the University of Southern California; California State University, Northridge; and Loyola Marymount University.

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