Provost Message - December 7, 2016

CSULB Once Again Receives Most CSU Applications

CSULB received 93,110 applications from both freshmen and transfer applicants for fall 2017 – the most within the CSU.

We received applications from 62,548 freshmen and 30,562 transfer students during the application period, October 1 through November 30. This includes domestic and international applications. The number of applications we received is up 2 percent from last year and 11.4 percent from Fall 2014.

Students continue to be attracted to The Beach for many reasons, among them are our diversity, outstanding academic programs, numerous opportunities to conduct research alongside exceptional faculty, and our beautiful campus located in a vibrant, thriving city.

Thank you for helping to make CSULB one of the most popular campuses in California and the nation.

New Chairs’ Advisory Council Created

An advisory council made up of nine department chairs representing each of the colleges has been created to enhance communication and workflow between administrators and department chairs.

The Chairs’ Advisory Council (CAC) grew out of the Provost’s Task Force on Chair Roles and Responsibilities, which convened in Spring 2015 and completed its work in Spring 2016. The Task Force was charged with reviewing current and future chair roles and responsibilities with an eye toward recommendations to support the critical role chairs play on campus.

During its year-long work, the committee created and distributed a survey to chairs, analyzed the results, and created a comprehensive final report that included several recommendations, including improving communication and workflow. This new committee is the primary vehicle to make that happen.

Chairs’ Advisory Council members will be liaisons between various groups, facilitating discussions, serving as a sounding board for potential polices, and providing feedback on chair issues and other items. I hope that you will take the time to reach out to them and share any suggestions you may have related to department chair matters.

Ethnic Studies Survey

Please provide your input on the Advancement of Ethnic Studies in the CSU reportresident Conoley wrote to you about this summer./p>

Please share your feedback via this survey.

Your input is vital as we strive toward Inclusive Excellence at Cal State Long Beach. Thank you in advance for your engagement with our efforts to be a campus that supports student, faculty, and staff success.

In the News

CSULB is listed among the top 10 colleges in the West for diversity in The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.

Research by several faculty members appeared in recent news stories:

• Dr. Chris Lowe (Biological Sciences) talks about the importance of offshore rigs for ocean animals in the Los Angeles Magazine article, “Happy Fish Are Fueling a Battle to Preserve Offshore Rigs as Artificial Reefs.”

• Dr. Christine Jocoy (Geography) hopes her research on Long Beach’s East 7th Street Neighborhood will shed new light on its economic and demographic development in the early 20th century.

• Tannaz Mirchi, a lecturer in Psychology and a human factors engineer, looks at challenges for air traffic controllers who are “learning to trust the computer systems keeping America in the air.”

Use Microsoft OneDrive for Business to Store and Share Files and Data

CSULB has partnered with Microsoft to offer OneDrive for Business free of charge to CSULB faculty and staff.OneDrive for Business is a cloud-based file and data service for storing, sharing, and synchronizing files and data. Files saved and stored on OneDrive for Business can be updated and shared from any device including smart phones and tablets on Apple, Android, and Microsoft operating systems.

Each CSULB faculty and staff member may store up to one terabyte of files and data in the OneDrive for Business account. Additionally, under the terms and conditions of our Microsoft license agreement, OneDrive for Business complies with FERPA, HIPPA, FISMA, and Homeland Security Export Control regulations. (The free consumer versions of Dropbox and BOX do not comply with these requirements.)

CSULB faculty and staff can access OneDrive for Business using either their @csulb.edu email address or employee ID and BeachID password.More information about using OneDrive for Business can be found on the campus support page.If you need assistance or have questions, please contact the Technology Help Desk (562.985.4959 or helpdesk@csulb.edu).

Library Hours: Open 24/7

The University Library is open continuously through Friday, December 16 at 5 p.m. Learn more.

This is the last Weekly Message for 2016. Messages will resume in January.