CSU Work Force Forum

For immediate release:

CSU and Entertainment Industry Leaders to Examine Challenges of Workforce Preparation at Cal State L.A. This Friday

Los Angeles, CA— California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed has asked leaders of the entertainment industry to meet and discuss the challenges faced by higher education in preparing students for the jobs of the future. The event will take place on Friday, April 29, at Cal State L.A.’s Luckman Intimate Theatre, part of the Luckman Fine Arts Complex.

“A goal of ours is to educate diverse talent and help them on their way to success in the entertainment industry,” Chancellor Reed said. “We look to you for suggestions on how we can better prepare our students for success in the industry and how we can facilitate their transition from college to work.”

Industry decision makers, community leaders and educators will gather for a forum from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., on Friday, April 29 at Cal State L.A. The forum will focus on higher education’s role in producing well-prepared graduates for jobs in the radio, TV, film, entertainment, and digital media industries.

Speakers include Jaleesa Hazzard, executive director of Workplace Hollywood, who will deliver the keynote address.

Barry Gordon, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, and a Cal State L.A. alumnus, will moderate the panel with the following speakers:  Lizzy Moore, West Coast Director, The Recording Academy

Dan Quarnstrom, Creative Director, Rhythm and Hues Studios

Rick Rice, Undersecretary, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency

Kathy Dossett, Director, Human Resources, Walt Disney Company  Gerald Alcantar, Vice President Diversity Development, FOX Entertainment Group

Gavin Koon, International Representative, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.)

Chancellor Charles B. Reed and Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser will speak on behalf of the California State University.

# # #

The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, approximately 400,000 students and 42,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in 1961, it has awarded about 2 million degrees, about 82,000 annually. The CSU is renowned for the quality of its teaching and for the job-ready graduates it produces. Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of the people of California. With its commitment to excellence, diversity and innovation, the CSU is the university system that is working for California. See www.calstate.edu

Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 170,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds--reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Among programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include a noted alternative energy technology initiative; an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, to be housed in the Los Angeles Regional Crime Lab now under construction. www.calstatela.edu