February 2020 Issue

Published February 19, 2020

Dr. Angela Locks named to new position

Dr. Angela Locks has been appointed executive director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Academic Affairs, focusing on engagement, equity and developing an inclusion portfolio. Specifically, she will provide leadership for the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence, Status of Women and Sustainability.

Locks is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership department in the College of Education.

History professor lands fellowship

History professor Dr. Patricia Cleary received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for 2020-2021 to work on her next book, Mound City: The Place of the Indian Past and Present in St. Louis (under contract with University of Missouri Press).

Her research focuses on early American history and the intersections of gender and commerce in British America.

Professor appears on Disney reality show

Cal State Long Beach sculpture professor Brittany Ransom will be featured in a new Disney television reality show entitled Shop Class. The competition series features teams of young builders who are tasked with designing, building and testing unique creations.

In each episode, a panel of experts will evaluate and test their work based on design creativity and build functionality.Ransom will be one of the teachers who leads a team through this competition for creative and skilled kids.

The show premieres on the Disney Plus network this month. Ransom’s episode will air sometime next month. You can see her in the trailer at 00:32 giving high fives to her team.

Long Beach Rotary donates to scholarships

The Long Beach Rotary Scholarship Foundation presented a $206,750 check to university officials Feb. 7 during a men’s basketball game at Walter Pyramid. The check represented 134 student scholarships funded by the foundation.

“The Long Beach Rotary Scholarship Foundation has been a proud sponsor of local college scholarships at both CSULB and Long Beach City College for close to 50 years,” said LBRSF Chair Craig Dougherty. “Through the generosity of our Rotarians and careful fiscal forethought, we look forward to continuing to help qualified students in our community for years to come.”

Each year, the LBRSF supports four President’s Scholars and more than 100 traditional scholarship students who receive an annual $1,500 scholarship.

Remembering Dr. William C. Ritz

Dr. William C. Ritz, founder of the Department of Science Education in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics and beloved science educator, died earlier this month. A memorial service will be held Feb. 22, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Los Alamitos.

During his Cal State Long Beach tenure and into retirement, Ritz founded the National Center for Science in Early Childhood. In 1997, he developed the A Head Start on Science (HSOS) curriculum and professional development for teachers of young children. Hundreds of HSOS workshops have been conducted worldwide, training thousands of preschool and primary grade teachers to "encourage a sense of wonder" and provide meaningful science experiences to young learners.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Bethlehem Lutheran Church for the sound system. Ritz was hard of hearing by the end of his life and his family believes this is an appropriate place for donations in his memory.

Have an item for Making Waves? Email it to Janis.Carr@csulb.edu