News Roundup

• CSULB 1 of 27 Institutions Nationwide to Earn Dual Carnegie Classification Designations - The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recently announced that CSULB is among 27 institutions nationwide that earned both the Research 2 (R2) and the new Opportunity Colleges and Universities (OCU) Carnegie Classification designations.
   
• CSULB Selected in IIE American Passport Project – CSULB was selected in this year’s “IEE American Passport Project.” CSULB will receive a small grant that will be used to assist students, who are in their first year and eligible for Pell grants, to obtain a U.S. passport. The primary goal is to facilitate international experiences for our students as part of their post-secondary education.

• Animation Showcase in LA Draws a Crowd - Fifteen Animation students from CSULB’s School of Art were selected by a faculty jury to participate in Double Exposure, a prestigious year-end industry showcase presented in collaboration with NewFilmmakers LA.

  This curated screening offered an exclusive first look at original student films – ranging from experimental shorts to character-driven narratives – and was designed to connect emerging talent with professionals across the film and television industries.

  Double Exposure was part of the NewFilmmakers LA Film Festival and featured a 75-minute screening followed by a filmmaker Q&A and a pre-reception mixer attended by industry guests and recruiters from a variety of animation companies and studios including Shadow Machine, ASIFA-Hollywood, Nickelodeon, Rick and Morty, South Park, LAAFF and more.

  Now in its 17th year, CSULB’s Animation program has grown to become one of the largest programs within the School of Art.

• COB Honors & Awards Spring 2025 – The College of Business recently hosted a reception recognizing the honors and awards recipients for the spring 2025 term.

No college updates at this time.

• Professor Shadi Saadeh Advanced to Fellow Grade by American Association of Civil Engineers - Professor Shadi Saadeh has been advanced to the grade of Fellow by the American Association of Civil Engineers. Fellows are recognized not only for their technical excellence and leadership but also for their enduring contributions to the civil engineering profession. It is a prestigious honor held by 3% of ASCE members. 
   
• CS Masters Graduate Shrey Modi Wins 2025 Sunstone Innovation Challenge - Recent CS Masters graduate Shrey Modi won the 2025 Sunstone Innovation Challenge and the $15,000 prize for his startup, Curavoice, an AI-powered voicebot built to help healthcare students and residents strengthen their patient communication skills. His team included Sakhi Patel, a Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at UC Irvine, and was mentored by Raul Vishwarkarma, another recent MS CS graduate of our CS program.  

• Adapted Physical Education Program Hosts Inaugural ‘Camp Abilities’ – CSULB’s Adapted Physical Education (APE) students hosted the first ever Camp Abilities, a youth sports camp for the visually impaired. Earlier this semester, numerous volunteer CSULB students from the APE program and Department of Kinesiology came together to teach visually impaired youth physical activity games. Activities included a tethered run, shot put, hurdles and sprints, tandem biking, goalball and more.
   
• Summer Student Research Assistantships - The Summer Student Research Assistantship (SSRA) awards are designed to encourage student participation in a broad range of scholarly and academic activities, and is open to eligible undergraduates and graduates from all disciplines and academic areas of study. The assistantship provides financial support during the 2025 summer intercession months to undertake full-time research and scholarly activities in collaboration with a CSULB faculty research mentor or principal investigator. This year, three students from the College of Health and Human Services were selected for this opportunity to conduct research with top faculty in their fields.

• CLA Honors Retiring & Leaving Faculty & Administrators - The College of Liberal Arts would like to honor the administrators and faculty members who are leaving or retiring, including Dean Deborah Thien, Mary Caputi, Craig Stone, Stephen Cooper, and Gerry Hanley. Congratulations to all, thank you for your great work!

• Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Celebrates Retirement of Four Long-Time Faculty Members - The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department recently celebrated the retirement of 4 long-time faculty members, Professor Emerita and former Faculty Equity Advisor Dr. Margaret Merryfield, Professor Dr. Kensaku Nakayama, Professor Dr. Marco Lopez, Lecturer Mrs. Nacy Gardner, and Lecturer Mr. Thach Ho.

• Language of Learning Unites International Students in China - Several lucky CSULB students got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to study abroad in China during a two-week, immersive trip in January. Read about how International Training Programs partnered with Shanghai International Studies University – and a very generous CSU alum – to provide a multifaceted learning opportunity that spanned language, history, and culture. 
   
• New Course in Applied Data Analytics for Higher Education Begins on June 9, 2025 - A new self-paced online course is designed for higher ed professionals who want to build their skills by learning how to analyze real college and university datasets. Learners will be able to use the latest coding tools and languages to track the impact of data on student outcomes, then apply this newly gained knowledge in the workplace. The 15-week course is offered in partnership with CSULB's Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA), which is also hosting a free webinar on May 20 at 5 p.m. via Zoom: Building an AI-Powered IRA Assistant Using ChatGPT or GenAI. This session is ideal for higher ed professionals who want to make data analytics insights more accessible across campus. Learn more at cpace.csulb.edu/highereddata.

• By popular demand, the Graduate Writing Retreat returns Summer 2025! – The Graduate Center will host the one-day Graduate Writing Retreat on the second floor of the University Library. This retreat curates the atmosphere, gives the space, and provides the caffeine and food for graduate students to focus on their writing, whether a paper, thesis, project, or dissertation. The Summer 2025 Graduate Writing Retreat takes place on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Registration is required. 
   
• Upcoming GRE Prep Course & LSAT Prep Course keeps the Graduate Center busy over summer! - With the Spring 2025 semester ending, the Graduate Center is gearing up to offer exam prep courses. We host a 4-session LSAT prep course in June, and a 6-session GRE prep course in July. Both courses are taught by Bill Ackerman, who has 20+ years of experience. The prep courses are free to students, eliminating one of the many barriers to apply to graduate programs. Registration for both prep courses will begin the week of May 20th. 
   
• Graduate Studies welcomes newly admitted graduate students at the Virtual Fall 2025 New Graduate Student Orientation - The Graduate Studies Office will welcome newly admitted graduate students across our 104 masters’, 55 credential, and 5 doctoral programs at the annual New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO)! Part of the programming includes learning about graduate program milestones, graduate academic advising, and student success and belonging resources, including the Graduate Center, Bob Murphy Access Center, Career Development Center, Student Orgs, Dream Success Office, Office of Belonging & Inclusion, and Office of Equity & Compliance. Lastly, students get to hear from current graduate students and recent graduate alums on their experience at the Beach! 

• Dean Dill to Present at 2025 Special Libraries Association Conference - Dean Elizabeth Dill will present at the 2025 Special Libraries Association (SLA) Conference in June. Her presentation is titled "Creating Healthier Libraries Through Trauma-Informed Leadership".
   
• Librarian Showcases Leadership Fellows Project at End-of-Year Reception - Along with 18 other fellows, Health Sciences Librarian Michelle M. DeMars, MLIS, recently presented her Fellowship Project at the President’s Reception, which marked the conclusion of the program’s first year. Her project focuses on gathering feedback to inform the creation of The Breakwater, a Faculty Commons and Lounge designed to support faculty research, collaboration, and connection.