President Tomás D. Morales regularly engages with the local community, university partners, legislative representatives and educational leaders worldwide to champion CSUSB and its mission.
Walking across campus recently on my way to a meeting, interacting with students, faculty and staff along the way, I was reminded of the vibrancy felt on campus each spring — it’s a time of excitement and anticipation, heralding a new season of growth and optimism for the future. For many reasons, this spring has been particularly exciting, as you’ll learn in this issue of CSUSB Magazine.
Our cover story profiles longtime CSUSB friends and supporters James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson, who exemplify growth, optimism … and generosity. In December 2021, the Watsons announced a transformational gift of $8.4 million to the College of Education to fund a new center for STEM education; to support Project Impact; to enhance the Watson & Associates Literacy Center’s efforts in the Inland Empire; and to create a Dean’s Endowed Fund to support special projects. In recognition of their generosity, the College of Education will be named the James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education during a ceremony later this fall. This inspirational couple share a unique philanthropic philosophy, and the impact of their many contributions to the vibrancy and culture of our campus will resonate far into the future.
The anticipation and excitement of more than 2,800 graduating students could not be contained during Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 20 and 21, our first live spring commencement since 2019.
A posthumous honorary doctorate in Humane Letters was awarded to Santos Manuel, founding leader of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters was awarded to Paulette Brown-Hinds, ’90, founder of Voice Media Ventures and second-generation publisher of the Black Voice News. Their fascinating stories and contributions to our region’s history serve as an inspiration to us all.
Another highly anticipated spring ritual on the CSUSB campus is the “faculty ambush.” Five faculty members from four colleges received a surprise visit from me during one of their classes in May, and were presented with Outstanding Faculty Awards for their unique contributions in teaching, research, creative activities, scholarly contributions and advising. If you’re an alum, you may even recognize a few of them.
One of our alumni profiles focuses on special ed teacher Tyler Lange, ’15, who returned to Rialto “to contribute to students who look just like me and had similar experiences,” as a way of giving back to his hometown. Through his commitment to revitalizing his community, he is truly changing the course of the future for his students.
And, we were excited to learn that CSUSB was recently ranked No. 6 in the nation among more than 1,500 universities on the 2021 Social Mobility Index, which benchmarks how effectively the university enrolls students from low-income backgrounds and graduates them into good-paying jobs. One of our strategic goals is to ensure that our students are well prepared, beyond the first job, for a lifetime of success, and this ranking provides further testimony to that commitment.
These and the stories that follow reflect just a few of the many reasons it has been an exciting and memorable spring at CSUSB. I hope that, like me, you look forward to the summer months with a renewed sense of anticipation, excitement and optimism.
Tomás D. Morales
President
Palm Desert Campus hosts welcome reception for new College of the Desert president
The Cal State San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus hosted a reception to introduce Martha Garcia, the new superintendent/president of College of the Desert, to the PDC Advancement Board, members of the CSUSB administration and various community partners. President Morales was in attendance to welcome her.
“We are fortunate to have President Garcia as our new partner,” Morales said at the Dec. 14 event. “The College of the Desert and our Palm Desert Campus are vital to the future of the Coachella Valley. We have a shared vision and partnership to provide access to the residents of the Coachella Valley to a high quality and affordable education.”
College of the Desert alumni make up more than 80% of the upper-division students at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, and CSUSB has Associate Degree for Transfer pathways for 26 programs from College of the Desert. These pathways have been critical as CSUSB has expanded programs at its Palm Desert Campus.
Hispanic Outlook features CSUSB president and effort to help students rebound from pandemic
The global pandemic has affected students at every college, disrupting their lives and forcing some of them to drop out in order to earn money to keep their families intact. And that has driven President Morales to take concerted actions to assist his students and help them get back on track. His efforts were highlighted in Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine.
“The global pandemic has exacerbated and intensified existing inequities, which CSUSB has been striving to address,” he said in the article. "Therefore, the primary issues we are grappling with on campus right now come under the heading of COVID-19 impacts.”
The article further focuses on how Morales and his leadership team support students through and beyond the pandemic, and how they promote diversity, scholarships and innovative programs.
READ HISPANIC OUTLOOK ON EDUCATION STORY
CSUSB president speaks at a church service on the importance of higher education for African Americans
A college education is vital to succeed in today’s world, especially for African Americans, in this time of uncertainty, President Morales told members of the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Bernardino on Feb. 27.
Morales, who has been leading CSUSB since 2012, visited the church as part of the California State University’s Super Sunday, when members of the CSU visited more than 100 African American churches throughout California to share their personal stories and experiences, advice and college information with future students and their families on the importance of higher education.
Now in its 17th year, more than a million people have attended Super Sunday, the signature event of the CSU African American Initiative, which seeks to increase the preparation, support, retention and degree attainment of African American students.