A number of people associated with San José State, including a group of our journalism students, attended the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20. Below we share some of their observations and reflections.
From Tower Foundation Board Member Les Francis,'65: I have lived in Washington, DC long enough to have celebrated, survived, witnessed or endured nine presidential inaugurations -- Jimmy Carter (1977), Ronald Reagan (1981 and 1985), George H.W. Bush (1989), Bill Clinton (1993 and 1997), George W. Bush (2001 and 2005), and now Barack Obama.
January 20, 1977 was at once brilliantly sunny and bitterly cold, with snow and ice on the ground and temperatures in the single digits. Regardless, I was thrilled to be in the audience, seeing my preferred candidate, on whose successful campaign I had worked, being sworn in as the nation's 39th President. At the time, I had no idea that just two months later I would be working for President Carter, with an office in the West Wing.
Four years later, I left town on January 19 to spend the night at an inn near Annapolis, MD. I just could not bear the thought of being in the U.S. Capitol as the opposition celebrated the advent of Ronald Reagan's presidency. After all, I had worked in the Carter administration for the better part of three years, eventually with the title of deputy chief of staff in the White House. I moved to the reelection campaign in late 1979, and was a senior member of the team that lost 44 states to Reagan on November 4, 1980.
To say I was a bit grumpy as the victor's inauguration approached would be an understatement. I didn't feel a whole lot better when we said our farewells to President and Mrs. Carter at Andrews Air Force base an hour or so after Reagan took the oath of office.
After two terms of Reagan and one of "Bush 41," I was delighted to attend all of the festivities associated with Bill Clinton's 1993 swearing-in. That election cycle (1991/92) had seen me once again engaged in partisan political battle as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. We retained our party's majority in Congress that year, and helped elect a Democratic president; we were more than ready to celebrate once again.
On January 20, 1997 we were in the crowd on the Capitol grounds for Clinton's second inauguration, but as I recall the occasion, the mood was much less buoyant than four years before, more akin to a kind of "obligatory happiness."
We watched the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations of George W. Bush on TV from the comfort of our home. And although I have never developed, let alone expressed, the severe animus toward Bush 43 that most of my Democratic friends feel, neither have I felt an urge to celebrate his time in office -- to put it mildly.
But the inauguration of Barack Obama was different from all the others.
First of all, it was preceded by the very best presidential campaign anyone in my generation has ever seen, bar none.
Second, it came at a time of enormous difficulty and challenge -- on the international front and here at home.
Third, to state the obvious, the historic significance of America electing its first African American president cannot be overstated. It is simply wonderful and amazing; there is no other way to describe it.
Fourth, I believe Barack Obama is a very special guy -- he's smart, cool, disciplined, charming and tough.
So, early in the morning of January 20th, Shari, my wife, and I braved the crowds and the cold (temperatures in the teens), and took our seats on the lawn on the west front of the U.S. Capitol. We were surrounded by tens of thousands of very pleased and deeply hopeful fellow citizens. And, then, as we turned around and looked west -- toward the Washington Monument and beyond to the Lincoln Memorial -- we were awed by the sight: two million people bundled against the cold, standing shoulder to shoulder, waving small American flags, cheering, clapping, singing.
The ceremony was dignified, as one would expect, and the new president's inaugural address was, again as we've come to expect from him, extraordinarily well-crafted and well-delivered. Aretha Franklin's rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" was breath-taking. The Marine Corps band -- "the President's own," as it is called -- was wonderful, and "Hail to the Chief" has seldom sounded better.
But it was the sight of the crowd -- the huge and happy crowd -- that I will remember most vividly. I am so grateful that we were there, to both witness and participate in that historic moment.
Ten San José State journalism students became part of history when they embarked on a nearly two-week journey through the South, where they toured Civil Rights landmarks and interviewed people connected to the events that changed the course of the nation. Their trip marked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 80th birthday, the 44th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the inauguration of the country's first black president. Under the direction of professors Michael Cheers and Bob Rucker, the students shared their experiences with the university community and beyond via their blog.
From the blog of Student Nick Dovedot: At 1:45 on the morning of the inauguration, I rolled out of bed. … and by 2:15 am all of us were packed and on our way to the Branch Ave. Subway Station that would take us to Washington D.C. … This was an experience of a lifetime and there I was with the rest of the group, about to live and breathe history.
Around 4:30 am we arrived at the subway station in D.C., which also became our entrance to the inauguration. Huge crowds were already cheering and chanting "Obama" and "change." It was phenomenal! Never have I seen so many people congregated together for any event, and who were completely wide-awake and passionate, especially hours before the sun rose. My skin tingled with the excitement and jubilation that I shared with the roughly four million people there to witness (the inauguration).
The clock struck 8 and the fence was finally opened. We crossed the street with a mass of people, as thousands of army personnel and police officers from around the nation looked on. I began to tear up watching President Obama give his speech because I was so moved by the change he represents, and because he has excited and inspired the youth of this country, me included.
From Journalism Professor Bob Rucker: Our SJSU Inauguration trip was designed to open the eyes of our diverse student body and those of high school and community groups throughout the Bay Area. With CNN and other national news coverage, our effort has inspired a nation to remember and face some tough lessons as we embrace and celebrate a monumental political change.
SJSU's journalism school students went searching for answers in the Civil Rights movement and inadvertently were first to answer the call for more public service by President Obama. In his Inaugural Address he said "America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity," and "we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass."
We rediscovered that hopeful message at the root of the Civil Rights movement. The new occupants of the White House today are proof the unthinkable and the impossible can really happen for everyone in America if we all work to make it so.
From U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, '68 Biological Sciences and Spanish, '74 MA Education: "As we celebrate the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, the country is aglow with new energy, hope and vision. Barack Obama promises much-needed change -- and none too soon. Our fellow Americans need us, perhaps more than ever before, given our economic crisis and our country's "growing unequal." Obama already challenged us with the responsibility to do what we can for our communities and fellow citizens. In 1965, President Kennedy's call to service led me to build schools in El Salvador. Now, though my hair is gray, I am inspired again, this time by Obama's call for universal voluntary public service."
Will Rainford, '95 Social Work, associate professor in the School of Social Work at Boise State University, was named 2008 Idaho Social Worker of the Year by the Idaho chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He also received the 2008 Larry Selland Humanitarian Award and the United Vision for Idaho Grassroots Organizer of the Year. He has worked with the Interfaith Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and lobbied on behalf of Catholic Charities of Idaho.
B. Kumaravadivelu, SJSU professor of applied linguistics, won the Modern Language Association of America's 28th annual Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize for his book, Cultural Globalization and Language Education, published by Yale University Press. The prize is awarded annually for an outstanding work in the fields of language, culture, literacy, or literature with strong application to the teaching of languages other than English.
San José State University students were well represented at Campus MovieFest, the world's largest student film festival, with six movies advancing to the Western Regional Grand Finale last November. Then SJSU's "Hungry" won the award for best picture, while "Tighter Than You" got the top award for comedy. The event showcased more than 70 short movies selected from thousands of entries from around the West Coast.
The Western Region included schools such as: Stanford, UCLA, USC, CSU-East Bay and Seattle University. The winning films from the Western Regional will compete in the finals of the national competition in Los Angeles in June.
San José State received national recognition for its community outreach and partnership programs from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The foundation has long classified colleges and universities based on their missions. The foundation recently added a new classification, community engagement, and SJSU is one of just 195 colleges and universities nationwide on the list.
To win the distinction, San José State's Center for Community Learning and Leadership showcased 15 outstanding partnerships between the university and local non-profits. In this compilation, student participation ranged from tutoring older immigrants in ESL and helping them prepare for the citizenship exam, to providing cost-effective recycling information services to local businesses and residents. Some multi-level collaborations were also highlighted, including CommUniverCity San José, in which the university, the city of San José and the community work together on projects that focus on community health, education and neighborhood environment.
Charles Bullock, former dean of the College of Health and Human Services at the University of Nevada, Reno, has been appointed dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. Bullock succeeds interim dean Barbara Conry, who has returned to her role as associate dean.
At Nevada, Bullock was also a professor and department chair in the School of Public Health. Before that, he served at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he conceived and directed a nationally recognized research center and served as chair of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. Bullock earned his bachelor's degree in religion at Chapel Hill. He holds a master's degree in recreation administration and a doctorate in leisure studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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