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Concord Campus Graduates First Class: No Longer Needing to Go to Hayward for Graduation, 168 Students Receive Diplomas From Cal State East Bay

Posted on: Sunday, 4 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Sara Steffens, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Jun. 4--Clad in black caps and gowns and cheered on by a huge crowd of family and friends, 168 students on Saturday become the first to receive diplomas at the Concord campus of Cal State East Bay.

About 2,000 well-wishers gathered to watch the ceremony, held on an outlying athletic field surrounded by rolling hills and aging oaks.

"This is a celebration for all of us," Contra Costa County Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier told the graduates.

"It's the realization of the dream for you and your family, but it's also a celebration for the community as a whole and of the people who wanted this campus to be here."

Peter Wilson, dean of the Concord campus, couldn't resist pulling a camera from his gown to photograph the crowd from the podium.

"I've always wanted to do that," he said.

Since its first commencement in 1961, more than 95,000 students have graduated from Cal State East Bay, formerly known as Cal State Hayward.

But until now, even those who took most or all of their classes in Concord had to travel to the main Hayward campus for commencement.

Norma Rees, president of Cal State East Bay, said this year's graduating class from both campuses mirrors a national shift in the composition of colleges. Perhaps most significantly, a majority are nontraditional students, with the bachelor's degree recipients averaging 31 years old, Rees said.

"Most of you have combined your studies with home, work and community responsibilities," she said.

More than two-thirds of this year's Cal State East Bay graduates are women, 58 percent are people of color, and many speak English "as a second, third or fourth language," Rees said.

State transportation secretary Sunne Wright McPeak, who gave the commencement address, said those demographics underscore the importance of the Concord campus to Contra Costa County.

"It is clearly important to have access to higher education right here at home," she said. "And nothing is more important as an instrument of democracy than education."

McPeak, who was the first in her family to finish college, urged the graduates to find ways to contribute to their community.

"To me, having the opportunity to get a good education carries the responsibility to use it for the betterment of others," she said.

Despite minor organizational hitches that delayed the ceremony's start, many of Saturday's graduates said they were pleased to be able to get their diplomas in Concord, for both symbolic and practical reasons.

"I've taken only two classes in Hayward," said 26-year-old Jason McBurney of Antioch, who received a master's degree in business administration. "I'm a Concord student."

Besides, added his friend and fellow MBA Dave James, commuting to Hayward can take an hour and a half in traffic.

"This is smaller, it's nicer," said James, 30, of Concord.

For Marvin Urroz, the Concord ceremony meant being able to be cheered on by his wife, children and even a grandchild as he received his master's degree in social work.

"My family was able to attend, and we're close to home," said Urroz, 43, of Antioch. "Actually, if this place didn't exist, it would have been impossible for me to get my degree."

Reach Sara Steffens at 925-943-8048 or ssteffens@cctimes.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

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