Provost's Message May 2025
CSULB Becomes 1 of 27 Institutions Nationwide to Earn Both R2 and OCU 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. This significant and rare dual designation represents our collective efforts to advance research and serve our students in and out of the classroom.
Office of the President Launches CSULB Awards Central Webpage
The Office of the President launched a new CSULB Awards Central webpage, aptly named Beach Excellence. This centralized awards hub is your one-stop shop for celebrating achievements within the Beach community. From the President’s Awards for Outstanding Faculty to the Employee of the Month and more, Beach Excellence highlights the exceptional contributions of our faculty, staff, and students. Explore the variety of recognitions and join us in honoring the excellence that makes CSULB shine!
Multiple Dates – Commencement Ceremonies
Multiple Dates – Cultural Graduation Celebrations
May 13 – LifeMatters: How to Shake a Bad Mood
May 15 – Managing Anxiety in a Fast-Paced World
May 27 – Make Your Canvas Course Accessible
History Professor Wins Best Book in History by the Society of Midland Authors
Patricia Cleary, Ph.D., Professor of History, was awarded the best book in History by the Society of Midland Authors. Her monograph, Mound City: The Place of the Indigenous Past and Present in St. Louis, was published in June 2024. Please help us congratulate Patricia on this incredible achievement!
University Honors Program Showcases Work at Western Regional Honors Council Conference
On April 4-5, our University Honors Program leaders and students showcased their incredible work at the Western Regional Honors Council conference. Honors student Iliana Guevara presented her poster on social learning theories. Honors Peer Mentor leaders, Vincent Miramontes-Andrade and Emily Jasso, along with UHP Associate Director Dr. Cherell Johnson-Davis, presented "From Disruption to Innovation: Redesigning the Honors Peer Mentor Program for the Future."
Dr. Sandra Pérez, 2024-2025 WRHC President, led the organization's business meeting, gave welcoming remarks for the Scribendi reception, and presented “Upholding a Social Justice Honors Mission: Seeking Foundation, Community, and Campus Partnerships to Reach Collective Goals.”
Scribendi, the WRHC student magazine, received over 300 submissions, and Keanu Hua was awarded for his short story "Spicy."
Congratulations to our incredible UHP students and leaders!
Jazz at the Beach Dominates at the State Level
During the weekend of April 26-27, both of CSULB's top jazz ensembles - Vocal Jazz group Pacific Standard Time and our Concert Jazz Orchestra - won first place at the California Jazz Championships. Both groups received the top scores during both days of competition and were invited to compete in the finals. Both groups also received the top scores in the finals and completely swept the competition!
There were 6 college big bands, 8 college vocal jazz ensembles, 35 high school big bands, 9 high school jazz choirs, and more than 20 small combos competing at the event. This was the 3rd annual California Jazz Championships, held in Folsom, CA. The creator of the festival is Curtis Gaesser, an icon and legend in jazz education here in our state.
Congratulations to Omar Hussein, Recipient of the President Award for Employee of the Year – Student Success!
Omar Hussein, Graduate Writing Specialist also known as “the Writing Guy”, has been awarded the President Award for Employee of the Year – Student Success! This recognition highlights and celebrates Omar’s unwavering dedication and support of CSULB’s graduate students throughout their academic journeys at The Beach and beyond! Omar has been with the Graduate Center since March 2017. If you see him, help the team congratulate him!
View the latest accolades and see how our Academic Affairs faculty members are contributing as experts in the news.
View the latest grants and gifts recipients of our Beach community.
Call for Faculty Participants: ASSET Program Summer 2025
Accelerating Student Success and Equity in Teaching (ASSET) is a peer-facilitated 3-week intensive, hands-on program combining six synchronous Zoom meetings along with asynchronous activities and deliverables. ASSET is unique in that it blends use of the CSU/CSULB student success dashboards and data with the model of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and equity-minded teaching practices. ASSET is for faculty teaching in Spring 2025 and Fall 2025; Graduate Assistants/Teaching Assistants and undergraduates are not eligible. $1,000 stipend upon completion.
Applications due May 16, 2025 for Cohort 5 in Summer 2025. For questions, email ASSET@csulb.edu.
MyBMAC Updates: Coming Summer 2025
The Bob Murphy Access Center’s (BMAC) MyBMAC vendor database will be updated to align BMAC’s student and faculty processes with other universities nationwide by May 26, 2025. BMAC appreciates faculty’s understanding during this summer transition time and remains committed to providing streamlined services and support to students and faculty. The BMAC Support Services team is available to support faculty with any questions regarding the MyBMAC version update at BMAC-Exams@csulb.edu.
Five Long-Time Faculty Members Retire
The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department recently celebrated the retirement of 5 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. Congratulations and happy retirement!
OURS Spring 2025 Newsletter
Check out the Spring 2025 Office of Undergraduate Research Services Newsletter, where we highlight CSULB students in research! This issue includes research scholars and their research experiences, publications, and/or collaborations. Additionally, you will find information on other research programs available to students on campus.
46 Graduate Students Awarded the 2025 Graduate Dean’s List of University Scholars & Artists
Faculty from each college nominate graduate students for the Graduate Dean’s List of University Scholars & Artists. The Graduate Dean’s List recognizes graduate students for their academic achievements, leadership and scholarly or creative activity. This year 46 graduate students across the colleges earned this prestigious award. Join us as we celebrate these students!
Graduate Studies Announces & Celebrates the 2025-2026 Graduate Fellowship Awardees
The Graduate Fellowship (GF) provides financial support ($9,000) to master’s and doctoral students who contribute to the public good in their field of study either via scholarship, research, and creative efforts or via active engagement in programs or activities. Graduate Fellows are nominated by a faculty member and selected by their college.
The 2025-2026 awardees are: Ana Fernadez (Ed.D in Higher Education Leadership), Asia Goodrich Woods (Master of Social Work), Maggie Ogle (MFA in Dance), Ford Ruangprapaikitseree (MA in Political Science), Miwa Tucker (EDS in School Psychology), Olivia Romero (MA in Anthropology), Tais Nunez (MS in Chemistry), Lauren McWilliams (MS in Biochemistry), Carly Hyder (MS in Gerontology), and Richard Medina (MFA in Dance). They will be honored along with the 2024-2025 GF Fellows at the Graduate Fellowship reception on Tuesday, May 5th.
Annie Lin & Anthony Rios Awarded at 39th CSU-Wide Student Research Competition
Cal Poly Humboldt hosted this year’s 39th CSU-wide Student Research Competition where both undergraduate and graduate students presented their research in a 10-minute competition. Five graduate students represented CSULB at the competition: Annie Lin (Psychological Research, MA) – Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences category; Anthony Rios (Biochemistry, MS) – Biological & Agricultural Sciences category; Emily Ramon (Counseling, Student Development in Higher Education, MS) – Education category; Emily Siu (Psychological Research, MA) – Behavioral & Social Sciences category; Aleyna Akkan (Human Experience Design Interactions, MA) – Interdisciplinary category; and Sebastian Carrillo (Mechanical Engineering, MS) – Engineering & Computer Science category.
Annie Lin won first place in the Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences category; taking a one-of-kind trophy created by students at the School of Art at Cal Poly Humboldt. Anthony Rios was awarded Honorable Mention for his flexibility and resilience.
Carpenter Center Celebrates 30 Years
During this anniversary year for the campus, our performing arts center hit a big milestone as well. The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center turned 30 years old and celebrated its birthday with renowned Broadway and Television star Renee Elise Goldsberry headlining a concert that also saw a return to the Carpenter Center stage by Richard Carpenter himself. Richard joined Renee on stage for a beautiful and once-in-a-lifetime collaboration on "Rainy Days and Mondays." Richard played the iconic accompaniment he wrote for The Carpenters while Renee brought her unique and personal musical spin to the beloved classic. It was a glorious celebration of three decades of Carpenter Performing Arts Center's success.
Applied Data Analytics Course for Higher Ed Professionals – Using Real Data for Practical Applications
A new certificate course through the College of Professional and Continuing Education helps students master cutting-edge data analytics tools for their practical use in higher education, with relevant, hands-on lessons to prepare them for real-life university research and student success scenarios.
Through the Applied Data Analytics for Higher Education course, students without a background in advanced mathematics or statistics can gain tools and knowledge for making informed, data-driven decisions in a higher ed setting. It’s one way CSULB is expanding access to new opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students to gain learning and research experience – a university strategic priority. Read more about the course and sign up today.
CSULB Students Take 1st Place at Western Regional Chem-E-Car Competition
CSULB students took 1st place in the American Institute of Chemical Engineering’s Western Regional Chem-E-Car competition. Their design, named Sharkus Electrus, defeated 12 other universities. They will be one of four in the national competition.
Students Explore Coding, Culture, and International Collaboration in Tokyo
The American Language Institute and Study Abroad @ The Beach program at CSULB have been building a growing partnership with Japan's Tokyo Denki University (TDU), resulting in three students attending an annual study abroad workshop last summer. Read about how they explored high-tech drone programming, Japanese language and culture, and international teamwork in an immersive experience at TDU.
School of Nursing Marks 60 Years of Shaping Health
If you've visited a hospital in the Long Beach area over the years, chances are you were cared for by a graduate from Cal State Long Beach's School of Nursing. Since 1965, the School of Nursing has trained hundreds of healthcare professionals who continue to make a significant impact on community health, one patient at a time.
College of Engineering Remains a Powerhouse of Aerospace Education
CSULB’s College of Engineering has long been a leader in aerospace education, boasting one of California's largest programs. Located in the heart of the state's spaceflight industry, the college provides students with hands-on training and abundant career opportunities, thanks to its proximity to major companies like Boeing, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Relativity Space.
2025 Beach Grads Celebrate on Social Media
Commencement ceremonies are around the corner. Check out the Beach graduates celebrating their achievements on social media.
Library Extends Hours & Offers Finals Week Fun Activities
The University Library is offering extended hours for Spring 2025 finals: May 11-15, 7 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Finals Week Fun is back until May 17! Take a break with stress-relieving activities and earn prizes while supplies last.
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