Provost's Message - December 18, 2020

December 18th, 2020

Message From Provost Jersky

Dear Campus Community,

Students, staff, and faculty
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to reflect back on some highlights since last January. At the beginning of the year, we celebrated our newly annouced increase in graduation rates. Back then, we were thrilled with our 28% freshman 4-year graduation rate, now we stand at 34% for 2019, up from 16% in 2015. This remarkable increase reveals how our campus remains committed to student success for all. I remain appreciative of the collective work our campus engaged in to achieve this goal.

Students at campus
As the year continued, we celebrated the record number of students applying to our university. As much as it illustrates the success of our faculty, staff, and administrators, it does remind us that we need to continue to look for ways to expand access for all.

Students at graduation ceremony
We highlighted some students who were graduating and released news reflecting how our campus topped several ‘best of’ lists.  As we turned the corner towards graduation, we cheered on our 8,812 graduates at nine ceremonies in over four days.

Convocation
In August, we came back as a campus at Convocation to kick off the launch of Beach 2030 outcomes of our mission, vision, values and strategic priorities of CSULB. This recalibrated theme enables our campus to invest in the top priorities identified by the campus community and stake holders.

Smorgasport event
We also welcomed the largest incoming freshman and transfer cohort, 12,094 new students, this Fall 2019. This new class represented our ability to scale up to meet the increased demand for a highly-valued degree.

Beach pantry
I am thankful for the celebrations, learning opportunities and growth we have experienced on our campus.  This I know was based on everyone’s dedication and commitment to student success. We are moving in the right direction. I look forward to the upcoming semester.

As always, I hope you have a wonderful winter break.

See you in the New Year, 

Brian Jersky
Provost and Senior Vice President

Go Beach sign

 

News

Academic Affairs News

Grants and Gifts

Megan Kline Crockett. Arts Education Exposure. Carpenter Performing Arts Center. COTA. California Arts Council. $16,200. (June 2019 - May 2020)

Thomas O'Brien. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Workforce 2030. CITT. CPIE. ICF via National Academy of Sciences. $24,965. (July 2019 - May 2020)

Isabella Lanza. Tobacco Regulatory Science Investigating the Intersections of Products with Diverse Populations. Human Development. CLA. USC via NIH. $48,932. (September 2019 - August 2020)

Ehsan Barjasteh. Thermo-oxidative aging of High Temperature Composites. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. COE. Boeing. $153,425. (October 2019 - April 2021)

Roger Lo. New Frontiers of Mechatronics Education for Mobility, Energy, and Product Engineering. Chemical Engineering. COE. Wayne State University. $44,753. (October 2019 - September 2020)

Bita Ghafoori. Trauma focused services: A School based approach. Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling. CED. Long Beach Unified School District. $70,000. (July 2019 - June 2020)

Mara Bird. Comprando Sano y Rico. Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training. CHHS. UnidosUS. $85,000. (October 2019 - November 2020)

Hamid Rahai. California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC). COE Administration. COE. SJSU Research Foundation via State of California. $300,000. (October 2019 - September 2020)

Christine Whitcraft. Environmental and Biological Data Collection to Support Construction of Ammunition Pier and Turning Basin in Anaheim Bay, Seal Beach, CA. Biological Sciences. CNSM. UCLA via DOD Navy. $167,702. (September 2019 - September 2024)

In Memorium 

Emeritus faculty Roger A. Acey passed away. He taught in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 

Emeritus Faculty Lus Hauth passed away Saturday, December 7th. He was a Carillon Society Awardee for his transformational donations to the university and his unwavering support of CSULB. 

 

The next Provost’s Message will be published on Wednesday, January 15th. Items for the upcoming message should be submitted by Friday, January 10th, to aa-communication@csulb.edu.