January 15, 2004

• New! Alumni Discounts on ExL Courses
• Ready for Your GMAT, GRE, LSAT or SAT?
• Coming in April! Public Sector Management to Antelope Valley  
• Coming in June! MPA to Santa Barbara
• Insider Lore: What L.A.’s Hottest Chefs Have in Common

Starting with the Spring 2004 semester, CSUN Alumni Association members can receive a 15 percent discount upon registration in any noncredit course advertised in the CSUN Extension catalog (now available on campus) or on the ExL Web site, excluding SAGE and group-contracted programs.  

Alumni registering in person must present their membership cards. For fax, phone and online registration, alums will be asked to fax a copy of their membership cards.

For membership information, call (818) 677-2137 or visit www.csunalumni.com.

Spring is high season for professional examinations, including CBEST, CSET and RICA.* Prepare yourself for high performance with a Test Preparation Services course offered through ExL. (Originated at CSUN, Test Preparation Services holds workshops at all 23 CSU campuses.) Course fees include all study materials and/or textbooks. Students may repeat courses as needed at no additional charge. For details, click here.

* Few other institutions offer test prep workshops geared toward teacher credentialing.

This two-year Bachelor’s degree-completion program for working adults – launched last fall in Santa Barbara – will begin a new cohort in Lancaster in April. All PSM courses are scheduled for weekends and/or evenings and are offered at convenient off-campus sites.

Free informational sessions will be held at the North County Fire Training Facility, Room 66, 42110 6^th Street West, Lancaster (near the new Antonovich Courthouse) at the following times:

            Wednesday, Jan. 21, 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.

            Thursday, Jan. 22, 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.

            Tuesday, Feb. 17, 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.  

For additional information, visit the PSM Web site at www.csun.edu/exl/program/psm or call Pat Lyon at (818) 677-PSMD (7763).

For the first time, CSUN’s Master of Public Administration program will be offered in cohort format – that is, students will proceed through the two-year program as a group. The first cohort-based MPA offering will be launched in Santa Barbara County, with classes starting on June 3.  

Like the Public Sector Management B.A. program (see above), the MPA program is designed for working adults – chiefly public sector and nonprofit employees desiring to increase their administrative and managerial skills and expand their career options. The MPA program has proved so popular that student enrollment has increased by 10 percent in each of the last three years. CSUN offers nearly 50 MPA classes per year on campus and at locations in Burbank, Glendale and Thousand Oaks.  

Free informational sessions on the new cohort-based program have been scheduled at the following Santa Barbara County locations:  

• Employees’ University, 267 Camino del Remedio, Santa Barbara

            Wednesday, Jan. 21, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

            Thursday, Feb. 19, 2 - 3 p.m.

            Click here for driving directions or call (805) 692-1742                     

• Government Center, Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria

             Wednesday, Feb. 19, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

             Click here for driving directions or call (805) 692-1742.           

Can’t attend? Contact Dr. Henrik Minassians at (818) 677-4618 or henrik.minassians@csun.edu for more information.

Can you guess what Drago Celestino (Drago); Evan Kleinman (Angeli); Josie LeBalch (Josie); Mark Peel (Campanile); Mario Perez (Zax); Wolfgang Puck (Granita, Spago); Piero Selvaggio (Valentino); and Joachim Splichal (Pinot Bistro) share – aside from illustrious reputations based on offering ground-breaking regional dining experiences? Answer: Each has hosted an ExL Gourmet Cooking and Wine-Tasting Symposium at one or more of his (or her) signature restaurants.  

Also present at each of these gatherings has been a noted California winemaker who provided wines complementing the chef’s special menus. Vineyards featured in past symposia have included Beaulieu, Benziger, Bonny Doon, DeLoach, Duckhorn, Fess Parker, Fetzer, Fife, Geyser Peak, Grgrich Hills, Kenwood, Mayacamas, Raymond, Robert Mondavi, Scharffenberger, Trefethen, Wild Horse and Zaca Mesa.  

The next Gourmet Cooking and Wine-Tasting Symposium will be held on Saturday, May 8, from noon to 3 p.m. The host is Neal Fraser, chef-partner of Grace Restaurant – among Los Angeles magazine’s “Top 10 New Places” (January 2004). Kent Rosenblum of Rosenblum Cellars, famous for its many versions of Zinfandel, will present the wines. For a full description, click here.

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