Defense Department Official, Sports Legend Keynote Commencement

Regina E. Dugan, director of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tommy Lasorda will be keynote speakers for Cal State Fullerton’s 2011 Commencement ceremonies May 21 and 22.

Lasorda, who has spent more than 60 years in major league baseball, will step to the podium Saturday, May 21.

Dugan, appointed as the 19th and first female director of DARPA by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates in 2009, will keynote the Sunday, May 22, ceremony and also be awarded an honorary doctorate in science from the California State University.

Both programs begin at 8 a.m. on the sports fields north of Titan Gym.

Baseball Legend

Lasorda, now a special adviser to the chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, enjoys the longest tenure of anyone in the Dodger organization. He began his baseball career in 1954 as a pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager in 1976. He was the team manager for 20 years and during that time, compiled a 1,599-1,439 record, won two World Championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles. Lasorda was named vice president of the organization after retiring as manager in 1996 and became the Dodgers’ general manager in 1998.

He has been honored and recognized around the world. In addition to meeting seven U.S. presidents and having his portrait installed in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, Lasorda served as official ambassador of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 and again in 2009. His uniform number was retired, and the main street entrance of Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., was renamed in his honor. Lasorda also threw out the first pitch in game 7 of the 1997 World Series and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame that same year as the 14th manager and 52nd Dodger to be so honored. He has been enshrined in 17 different halls of fame, including the Chattanooga Professional Baseball, California Sports and Rhode Island Italian American halls of fame.

In 2000, at the age of 73, Lasorda managed the U.S. baseball team to the gold medal in the Sydney Olympic Games. In February 2003, he was honored by Caltech when he became only the second person to ever have an asteroid named for him. His namesake is #6128, otherwise known as Asteroid Lasorda.

DARPA Director

Regina E. Dugan, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Caltech, heads the principle agency within the Department of Defense for research, development and demonstration of high-risk, high-payoff capabilities. DARPA’s mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent technological surprise from harming national security by sponsoring revolutionary, high-payoff research bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their military use. Throughout its 53-year history, DARPA has had achievements ranging from the Internet to stealth, from GPS to micro electro-mechanical systems, and from rockets to advanced prosthetics.

Experienced in counterterrorism and defense against explosive threats, Dugan served as a DARPA program manager from 1996 to 2000. During that period, she directed a $100 million portfolio of programs, including the “Dog’s Nose” program developing sensor technologies that could be used to detect land mines.

Dugan led a counterterrorism task force for the deputy secretary of defense in 1999 and for three years was a special adviser to the Army’s vice chief of staff, completing a ”Quick Reaction Study on Countermine” for Operation Enduring Freedom. The results of the study were briefed to joint senior military leadership and implemented in the field. Her efforts earned her the Bronze de Fleury Medal from the Army Engineer Regiment and the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Award for Exceptional Service and Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Prior to her appointment as DARPA director, Dugan was a businesswoman, inventor and technology developer.

Commencement May 21-22

Universitywide commencement ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. No tickets are needed to attend the main ceremonies, and the public is invited. College and department celebrations and exercises will follow at various campus locations, where tickets are required for guests.

Additional details are available online www.fullerton.edu/commencement.

Cal State Fullerton

A comprehensive, regional university with a global outlook, Cal State Fullerton enrolls 35,000 students and offers 103 degree programs in eight colleges, including a doctorate in education. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the university is fifth in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students and No. 1 in California for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics.

With its main campus in Fullerton and branch campus in Irvine, Cal State Fullerton is the Orange County-based component of the 23-campus California State University, the nation’s largest system of senior higher education.

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Media Contacts:

Pamela McLaren, Public Affairs, 657-278-4852 or pmclaren@fullerton.edu

Paula Selleck, Public Affair, 657-278-4856 or pselleck@fullerton.edu