Cal State Northridge commencement

A record 10,051 students (8,256 of them for bachelor's degrees) are candidates to receive their diplomas in commencement ceremonies beginning tonight at Cal State Northridge.

Among the dignitaries expected at ceremonies this week are acclaimed conductor and alumnus Richard Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hector Tobar of The Times and businessman and alumnus Steven Ow.

Kaufman was a "founding" student of what was then San Fernando Valley State College, but left before finishing his degree to pursue his music career. He finally returned to CSUN in the 1970s and completed his bachelor’s degree in music in 1977. He wrote the music and lyrics for Cal State Northridge’s fight song, "Hail to the Matadors," in 1967.

-- Mary MacVean