President Tomás D. Morales regularly engages with the local community, university partners, legislative representatives and educational leaders worldwide to champion CSUSB and its mission.
Welcome to the fall 2022 CSUSB Magazine. The largest piece of news is that we have publicly kicked off "Our Defining Moment: The Campaign for CSUSB." We are seeking to secure the foundations of Cal State San Bernardino to ensure the university continues to be a vehicle for change for the people of our region and to provide an exceptional experience for future students, one that anticipates immediate needs and leaves room for innovation.
Our $200 million goal is based on four pillars: (1) Increase student success, diversity and experience through scholarships; (2) Attract and retain world-class faculty; (3) Improve and transform the Inland Empire through programs and research; and (4) Capital construction to build innovative facilities, smart classrooms and creative spaces. Please read the cover story for more details of what this campaign will provide for our university.
One of the campaign’s extraordinary seed gifts came from Stan and Ellen Weisser and enabled us to break ground in September on the long-dreamed-of Performing Arts Center (PAC). This new capital project, which will become the beating heart of the College of Arts and Letters once it opens in 2024-25, will contain a new 500-seat theater as well as the renovation of existing classroom and office spaces. When completed, the PAC will be the premier performing arts facility for CSUSB and the Inland Empire.
And, thanks to the state of California, our Palm Desert Campus has received the $79 million necessary for us to begin building the new Student Services Building at PDC. This new facility will be designed for maximal flexibility as the campus continues to grow.
Finally, I am incredibly proud that the Campaign for College Opportunity recognized our campus in 2021 and 2022 as an Equity Champion of Higher Education for Excellence for leading California and working with intentionality to support Black and Latinx students through the associate degree for transfer program.
Please keep reading to see more about these stories along with recent faculty accomplishments and recognitions as well as the achievements of our students. And, because giving back is in the DNA of each and every Coyote (currently enrolled or since graduated), please flag your calendars for Feb. 17-18, 2023, for our annual Coyote Cares Day. If you are in the area, please think about joining us. And, if you are far away, please consider taking that day to volunteer or donate to a community project in your area. As #Coyotes4Life, we know that each of us can make a difference.
Tomás D. Morales
President
CSUSB and California Indian Nations College sign agreement to increase number of Native American transfer students to CSUSB
CSUSB and California Indian Nations College (CINC) in Palm Desert have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase the number of Native American transfer students to the CSUSB campus.
Under the MOU, both institutions will create a college preparation program and develop an enrollment support partnership to increase the number of First Peoples individuals earning bachelor’s degrees.
“As an anchor institution in the Inland Empire, CSUSB is here to serve all our region’s residents in order to build a better future for San Bernardino and Riverside counties,” said President Morales. “We are committed to increasing our outreach and access efforts to the IE’s First Peoples, and this MOU is a tremendous step forward.”
CINC President Celeste R. Townsend said, “This MOU not only solidifies the partnership with CSUSB, but it also strengthens a joint quest to increase the accessibility of educational opportunities through advanced learning that focuses on diversity, inclusion and empowerment for the underserved and misrepresented population.”
CSUSB president shares insights on lifelong learning during Palm Desert Campus podcast
In June, President Morales took to the airwaves to record an episode of the podcast “In Conversation: The Voices of OLLI,” with Emmy-award-winning producer and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) member, Lou Gorfain. During the 20-minute episode, Morales answered numerous questions, ranging from why the OLLI program at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is so vital; the benefits of developing intergenerational relationships between OLLI members (who are age 50 and older) and younger students at the campus; and the importance of creating lifelong learning opportunities for older adults.
“We are a learning organization and OLLI provides an opportunity for individuals and members of the community that have earned their degrees a long time ago, or perhaps never earned a degree but are interested in learning new things, OLLI just provides that vehicle for that to happen. And I’m just so excited. I think OLLI is just a very special program.”
CSUSB president donates artwork created by student to Undocumented Student Success Center
President Morales donated a vibrant artwork created by a CSUSB art student to CSUSB’s Undocumented Student Success Center (USSC) in May. Morales has a tradition of purchasing student artworks and donating them to locations on campus.
Morales purchased a beaded calavera (skull) created by Valeria Vargas during the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration and auction in November 2021, hosted by the university’s Association of Latino Faculty, Staff and Students (ALFSS).
Prior to the event, CSUSB’s Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art invited the campus and community to decorate a calavera, an iconic symbol for the holiday that is celebrated throughout Mexico.
Vargas’ calavera, “Ode to the Inkcap,” is an “ode to growing old, appreciating our elders and ancestors and the beauty of our bodies and minds as we enter a new stage of life.”
Money raised during the calavera auction went to ALFSS student scholarships.
CSUSB hosts roundtable to address water issues brought on by prolonged drought
In September, as the Inland Empire and the state continue to find ways to use and conserve water, CSUSB hosted the Save Our Water Roundtable where regional partnerships and collaboration were highlighted. President Morales welcomed representatives of local and regional water districts, as well Dorene D’Adamo, vice chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, and state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh of Yucaipa, to campus.
“Please know that CSUSB is fully committed to doing our part. Not only to conserving water usage on our San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses, but also to partner with the region and the state to come up with solutions to ensure our state’s resilience for years to come.”
Morales cited campus conservation efforts, including replacing turf with drought-tolerant landscaping, the use of low-flow water fixtures, as well as university resources such as the Water Resources Institute and its affiliation with CSU-WATER, which provides education, research and policy development.
President Morales recognizes work of Sen. Connie Leyva
President Morales spoke at a Campaign for College Opportunity board meeting in October where state Senator Connie Leyva was honored with the Education Champion Award for her contributions to education policy reform.
“She sees education as the solution not only to issues affecting our state currently, but to building a healthy and sustainable future for all California’s residents,” Morales said of Leyva during the event. “The Education Champion Award specifically recognizes Senator Leyva for her contributions to education policy reform. In her service as chair of the California Senate Education Committee, she championed higher education opportunity through her legislative support for various policies to invest in financial aid, empower student voices and streamline access to higher ed.”