January 2006 Alumni Association News
1. NEW YEAR'S WISHES
The SJSU Alumni Association wishes you and your loved ones the best in 2006.
We hope this will be a year of prosperity, good health, and personal growth for
all of our 180,000+ Spartans in the world.
2. RECENT GRADS NAMED TO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The San José State University Alumni Association has named recent graduates
Rachel Greathouse and Cory Roebuck to its board of directors. Click on New BOD
Members to read more.
Events and Programs
3. LAS VEGAS AREA ALUMNI EVENT
Alumnus and former Spartan footballer Chris Hill has partnered with the
Alumni Association to offer a wonderful night of reconnecting, remembering, and
rejoicing at the  Dust
Gallery in Las Vegas, NV. All those who RSVP in advance will receive two
drink coupons and a chance to win Spartan logo items.
WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2006, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Dust Gallery,
1221 S. Main Street Las Vegas, NV 89104, 702-880-3878
RSVP: Click on Vegas alumni event, or contact Paul Richardson at 408-924-6527
or via email.
4. SPARTAN FOOTBALL SIGNING CELEBRATION
 Spartan football fans are invited to a National Letter of
Intent Signing Day Celebration on Wednesday, February 1st at the downtown Sonoma
Chicken Coop restaurant. Head Coach Dick Tomey and staff will elaborate on the
newcomers and show video highlights of each young man. The Signing Day
Celebration begins at 5:00 pm and precedes the Spartan Men’s basketball game vs.
Boise State at 7:00 pm at the Event Center on the SJSU campus.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 1, 2006; 5:00pm – 7:00pm
WHERE: Sonoma Chicken
Coop, 31 Market Street, San José, CA 95113; 408-287-4098
Click on Spartan Signings for additional information.
5. ALUMNI NIGHT AT FREY NORRIS GALLERY IN SAN FRANCISCO
Alumna Beth Lemke has partnered with the Alumni Association to offer a
wonderful night of reconnecting, remembering, and rejoicing at Frey Norris Gallery in San
Francisco. All those who RSVP in advance receive two drink coupons and a chance
to win Spartan logo items.
When: Thursday, February 16, 2006
Where: Frey Norris Gallery
Register:
Click on Frey Norris alumni evening, or contact Paul Richardson at
408-924-6527 or via email.
6. ALUMNI TRAVEL PROGRAM TO CHINA INFORMATIONAL SESSION
 Open to all SJSU alumni and friends, this information
session will review the Alumni Association's planned trip to China in October
2006. Renowned China historian E. Bruce Reynolds will lead this adventure to a
variety of locations throughout China. Light appetizers and wine will be served.
When: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Where: SJSU Alumni
Offices, 84 W. Santa Clara Street
Register: Click on China travel evening, or contact Paul Richardson at
408-924-6527 or via email.
7. FIFTH ANNUAL SPARTANS IN THE DESERT
Whether you are local to Palm Desert or just want an excuse for fun in the
desert sun, you'll enjoy joining fellow Spartans for this annual alumni reunion.
Alumna Connie  Lurie, along with a host committee, has created an
action-packed weekend of dining, golf, and shopping. Friday night includes a
no-host reception and dinner. Saturday includes the opportunity for a golf
clinic and round of golf, as well as a chance to stop by the Saturday markets in
Palm Desert. Save the date now!
When: Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, 2006
Where: Palm Desert,
CA
Register: Click on Desert alumni event, or contact Paul Richardson at 408-924-6527
or via email.
Alumni on the Move
8. ALUMNA NAMED TO TOP POST AT BART
 Carole Ward Allen, ’65 BA Art, ’73 MFA, pictured at left,
was unanimously elected president of the BART Board of Directors on December 15.
From 1990 to 1992, Ward Allen served as president of the Oakland Board of Port
Commissioners, where she was responsible for overseeing the development of
maritime facilities, an international airport, commercial real estate holdings
and more than 44,000 jobs. She was first elected to the BART Board of Directors
in 1998, representing the 4th BART District, which includes the City of Alameda
and portions of Oakland. In addition to her SJSU degrees, she has studied
politics and art in Nigeria, Ghana, and at the University of Nairobi in
Kenya.
9. ALUMNUS HEADS POLICE TRAINING IN IRAQ
Louis Cobarruviaz, ’70 Sociology, who served as San José’s chief of police
from 1991 to 1998, now commands the U.S. contingent of police advisors in Iraq.
The police advisors team is a component of the Multinational Security Transition
Command, responsible for training and equipping 135,000 Iraqi police.
Previously, Cobarruviaz led the U.S. Department of Justice program to train and
equip El Salvador’s 18,000-member national police force, and for that service
received the Order of José Matias Delgado, El Salvador’s highest civilian honor.
A native of Fremont, he served in the U.S. Army with the 101st Airborne Division
before beginning his 33-year career in law enforcement.
10. ALUMNA INDUCTED TO VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME
Alumna Patti Barrett, an NCAA volleyball veteran, recently received two of
the highest honors awarded by the Professional Association of Volleyball
Officials: PAVO’s 2005 Honor Award and induction into the organization’s Hall of
Fame. The Honor Award is based on the recipient’s contribution to volleyball in
the areas of officiating, training, rating, teaching, playing, coaching,
research and writing. Barrett has officiated at 25 national championships and
served as referee in the championship match 10 times. She also coached
volleyball at Purdue University and at Southwest Texas State University. Where
did Barrett learn to love volleyball? On the beaches of Southern California and
at SJSU.
11. ALUMNUS NAMED ASSISTANT VICE CHANCELLOR, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER 
Alumnus Robb Drury, who earned his MA at SJSU, has been promoted to the
position of the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Chief
Operations Officer for the division of University Advancement at UC Riverside.
In this new role, Robb will play an integral part in the coordination of major
projects related to the division and the campus, including promoting best
practices in security, safety, employee relations, communications and resource
management.
Share Your News with Fellow Spartans
Do you have news you would like to tell your fellow Spartans? Email us so that we can
include it in a future issue!
SJSU LEGACY STORY
11. ALUMNA REFLECTS ON FAMILY CONNECTIONS
 E-news recently discovered that Beth Colbert, current
director of Development Research in SJSU’s Office of Development and Alumni
Relations, isn’t the only one in her family with an SJSU diploma. Her mom,
Bonnie Colbert, ’80 Behavioral Science, led the pack, after many years of
attending colleges part-time while raising her children. Daughter Beth followed
in mom’s footsteps, choosing SJSU "because it was affordable and I could live at
home (in Gilroy)," she says. Beth received her bachelor’s in radio/TV
broadcasting in 1986, spent a year "trying to decide what I wanted to be when I
grew up," then returned to graduate school, first at CSU Fullerton. "But I only
lasted a semester in Southern California," she says, before transferring back to
SJSU. In 1989, she completed a master’s degree in mass communications and wrote
her thesis on soap operas.
Meanwhile, younger brother Robert Colbert, ’89, pictured with his big sis at
left, finished high school and arrived on campus to study molecular biology. Now
a physician who specializes in internal medicine, Robert lives in Seattle with
his wife and son.
"One of my favorite memories," Beth says, "is Robert and I graduating on the
same day—he with his BS and me with my MS—and we did the graduation ceremony
together. My mom didn't go through her commencement, and always sort of
regretted it. I think she got a huge kick out of seeing both of us get our
degrees together. I think we all chose SJSU because of its proximity and the
economical cost to attend but, practical aspects aside, we all got an excellent
education here."
Tell Your Own Legacy Story
Do you have an SJSU story you would like to share with other Spartans? Email and let us
know!
Member Benefits Spotlight
12. SJSU ALUMNI SAVE ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES
Nowadays, keeping yourself up-to-date in your field is more important than
ever. SJSU Alumni Association members receive a discount on courses and seminars
offered by the Silicon Valley Executive Business Program, a unique peer-to-peer
learning program that explores business from the perspective of a CEO. Alumni
members receive a generous $1,000 discount on tuition. For more information,
please call 408-519-1272 and identify yourself as a SJSU Alumni Association
member.
You can also improve job skills, prepare for a promotion and explore new
careers with SJSU's highly regarded Professional Development Certificate
Programs. Alumni members receive a 10% discount on tuition. Click on SJSU Professional
Development to learn more.
Campus News
13. SUNDANCE FESTIVAL SCREENS SJSU STUDENTS’ WORK
SJSU Animation students' work will be shown at the prestigious Sundance Film
Festival in Park City, Utah, this month. Their animated film, "Fumi and the Bad
Luck Foot," was among only 70 films chosen for screening out of 4,300 entries in
the short films category. David Chai, a lecturer in the animation/illustration
department at SJSU, wrote the script, directed and funded the effort himself
with about $2,500. Over 55 days this summer, 20 students and alumni worked on
the seven-minute film.
14. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION EARNS HIGH MARKS
The College of Education has been accredited under the performance-oriented
standards of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
According to the NCATE, this accreditation is a high mark of distinction that
has been awarded to only 614 colleges of education throughout the country. These
institutions produce more than two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates
annually. NCATE's rigid standards require that accredited institutions have the
following: partnerships with preschool-12 schools that enable college students
to develop the skills necessary to help students learn; an understanding of how
to work with diverse student populations; faculty who model effective teaching
practices; and the necessary resources to prepare candidates to meet new
standards, including information technology. Dean Susan Meyers says, "We chose
to undergo the more stringent national accreditation process because the
prestigious accreditation by NCATE is a stamp of approval for SJSU's College of
Education and its commitment to producing quality educators for our nation's
children." For more on NCATE, click on http://www.ncate.org.
Spartan Sports Ticker
15. FOUR SPARTANS NAMED TO ALL-STAR GAMES
 Four San José State University football players, who recently completed
their eligibility, and head coach Dick Tomey are participating in 2006 all-star
games on Saturday, January 21. Safety Josh Powell is the Spartans’
representative in the East-West Shrine Game being played for the first time in
San Antonio, Texas’ Alamodome. Powell is one of three safeties on the West team.
ESPN2 provides live play-by-play television coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m.
(PST). Defensive lineman Kinji Green, wide receiver Rufus Skillern, linebacker
Ezekiel Staples and head coach Dick Tomey are in Honolulu for the 2006 Hula
Bowl. Coach Tomey is one of three assistant coaches on the West team directed by
Washington’s Tyrone Willingham. ESPN is televising the Hula Bowl starting at
4:00 p.m. (PST). Click on All-Star Spartans to read more.
17. SPARTAN WOMEN HOPE TO EXTEND WINNING STREAK TO FIVE
The Spartan women aim to continue their four-game win-streak this week,
taking on Boise State and Idaho at home in WAC action. See this week's complete
release for more information by clicking on Spartans vs. Idaho .
18. SPARTAN GYMNASTS FINISH 3RD AT STANFORD--RENAE WAS RIGHT ON THE
MONEY
 The San José State women’s gymnastics team finished third
Sunday afternoon at Stanford with a 190.575. Freshman Renae Moneymaker, pictured
at left, finished fourth in the all-around with a 38.050. This was the first
time Moneymaker had competed in an all-around in her collegiate career. She was
the Spartans’ top finisher on the floor with a 9.425. Moneymaker's best scores
of the day came on the vault and beam with a 9.575 on each. She scored 9.475 on
the bars.
"Today was really fun and high-energy," said Moneymaker. "Beam
was one of my best events today because I have had problems with it during the
week. It was good to be able to help my team in scoring on all four events. I
felt ready to compete in the all-around." For more details, click on Spartan Gymastics.
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