More than a year ago, in spring 2008, following campus consultation and the recommendation of the Student Fee Advisory Committee, I approved the implementation of the Campus Quality Fee for California State University, Northridge. The purpose of the fee and the means by which the funds would be managed are fully described at the Campus Quality Fee website, but the main focus of the fee has been to benefit and enhance the learning experience of our students.
A year later, I am pleased to report that the fee has given the University an opportunity to provide programs and services for students that would not have been otherwise possible. The current budget environment has made the availability of these funds especially crucial and timely. Students have expressed appreciation for the enhanced services and opportunities that the Campus Quality Fee has made possible.
A complete list of the Campus Quality Fee allocations for 2008-09 and the current academic year, 2009-10, can be found at the program’s website, but below are a few that particularly have made a difference in the lives of students:
24/7 Library access: This allocation allowed the Oviatt Library to remain open 24 hours during finals week to give students an opportunity to focus on their exams and final projects.
Computer access: Fee money has been made available to upgrade computers in places like the Library and Music Technology Lab.
Wi-Fi access: Last year, funding was provided to enhance wi-fi access in outdoor areas and campus facilities not covered by state funding; this year, funding was allocated to upgrade wireless support in housing.
Academic support services: Allocations have been provided to support peer learning assistants, professional writing support and tutoring services, and a graduate assistant for a technology lab.
Spirit and environment: Funding has been made available for the Matador Spirit Plaza, the USU North Quad Student Gathering Space, and the College Student Facilities Enhancement Project.
The University is committed to offering a high quality of support for students as they progress toward graduation. However, especially in a constrained budget environment like the one we are currently experiencing, it’s difficult to fund every worthwhile project and initiative that would serve to advance this goal. The Campus Quality Fee provides a much needed and flexible supplement for the University’s efforts that directly benefit students.
During the last recent Board of Trustees meeting of the California State University (CSU) on September 22, I had the great pleasure to attend the Trustee dinner honoring the 2009-10 student recipients of the William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. A student recipient is selected from each CSU campus and receives a scholarship award. Recipients are selected for outstanding academic performance, exemplary community service, and significant personal achievements in the face of adversity.
Cal State Northridge’s award recipient this year is Megan Saracini. This extraordinary young woman overcame serious challenges as a young child—including cancer and a home family life that provided little support and nurturing—to become a focused individual who is committed to personal success and serving the community.
As an example of her work, she is a peer counselor in the Counseling Center for Joint Advocates on Disordered Eating on campus, as well as a peer educator in the Counseling Center. She volunteers with Upward Bound, which helps give underprivileged high school students the skills and discipline to succeed in college. Through her leadership as survivorship chair of the Colleges Against Cancer Committee on campus, her club has raised more than $22,000 for the American Cancer Society. She spent spring break helping to rebuild New Orleans. This amazing young woman also identifies 9/11 as another turning point in her life, which occurred just three weeks after she moved to New York City. She spent the next several months after the tragedy volunteering to provide assistance to police, firefighters, and emergency responders.
Amazingly, even with her numerous activities and commitments, and the serious personal obstacles she has had to overcome, she has become a top student at the University! At the reception, Megan told me she loves being at Cal State Northridge—her goal is to become a psychologist specializing in art therapy and to teach on campus.
While Megan is an amazing role model for all of us, her story is also representative of many of our students, who place a value on hard work, the value of education, and the need to give back to the community.
Please join me in congratulating Megan on receiving this distinguished award and for being so exemplary of Cal State Northridge.
On September 25, I joined with many friends and guests—including alumni and past faculty of California State University, Northridge—to celebrate Founders Day at the University Club (now known as the Orange Grove Bistro).
Founders Day is a new annual tradition that began last year as part of the University’s 50th year anniversary celebrations. As noted in my blog last year, Founders Day commemorates the date in 1958 when classes commenced on campus at what was then known as San Fernando Valley State College. It is an opportunity to recognize the University’s past while also building tradition and a sense of pride for Cal State Northridge.
Celebrating Founders Day at the University Club had particular meaning since many of the founding faculty who were present at this year’s event had a hand in building the facility. During the event, we inducted the newest members of the “50 Year Club”—alumni who graduated and faculty and staff who began their service to the University at least 50 years ago.
I’m delighted to have this new tradition that celebrates Cal State Northridge’s history in such a way. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time hearing and sharing stories about the early days of the campus, learning about how much has changed, and looking in anticipation to the future!
The following email reminder has just been distributed to all faculty and staff:
As a reminder, the President’s Annual Convocation address is scheduled for Thursday, August 20th. It begins with the traditional Welcome Back Coffee at 8:30 a.m., followed by the President’s Convocation address at 9 a.m. (The location for the address remains south of the Oviatt Library but has been moved across Cleary Walk to take advantage of the natural shade of the trees–anyone proceeding to the usual site of the address on the Library’s South Lawn will easily spot the new location when they arrive.)
As many of you know, this event traditionally helps kick off the beginning of the new academic year. Given the unprecedented challenges facing Cal State Northridge and higher education in this moment in history, the President looks forward to welcoming faculty and staff to the event, and to the opportunity to speak about the future of the University.
Office of the President
On Wednesday, June 3, Cal State Northridge held its 43rd Annual Staff Service Awards and Excellence Recognition Event. I always look forward to this celebration because it honors the staff of the University: the dedicated employees responsible for the outstanding day-to-day operations of Cal State Northridge who work in support of student learning and of the scholarship and teaching of our faculty.
Regrettably, an important meeting of CSU presidents with the Chancellor related to the state budget situation was called at the last minute that required me to miss this year’s ceremony. Nevertheless, though I could not attend personally, I wish to acknowledge the event and acknowledge the outstanding employees of our University.
The event traditionally honors employees who have reached milestone years of service in five year increments. This year staff who have served at Cal State Northridge for 5 years through 40 years were recognized. (A list of this year’s honored staff may be found here.)
As was mentioned at the event, the cumulative years of service represented by the nearly 300 people honored at the Staff Service Awards ceremony reflects an astounding 4000 years of service. However, it is not the length of service we recognize with these awards, but rather the years of genuine commitment to the mission of the University and to student success. Although each of us has specific tasks and responsibilities at the University, I take great pride in knowing that we are a community that works as a team with a shared focus on student learning and excellence.
The recognition ceremony also honors both individual and team achievement through several Merit Awards, a Team Award, and the Presidential Award, which annually recognizes a single employee for outstanding performance. The Merit Awards are a wonderful reminder of the diversity of important roles that exist at the University. Similarly, the Team Awards—this year’s honorees were the Subtropical Rainforest Team and the Oviatt Library Innovative Millennium Team—serve as wonderful examples of what can be accomplished with teamwork and innovation.
Finally, I am pleased to honor Ms. Estelle Hekkers as the recipient of the 2009 Presidential Award, who also was recognized at the ceremony for 35 years of service. As many people who have worked directly with Ms. Hekkers know (and there are many of us!), she is a “go-to” person at the University with extensive knowledge of University and system policies and a deep reserve of institutional memory. More important than knowing “the rules,” however, she also always knows how to get a job done and always does so with good humor and a positive attitude. She is an outstanding representative of all the men and women who commit themselves every day at the University to the success of students and the advancement of the institution, and well deserving of this award.
While I could not attend this year’s Staff Service Awards and Excellence Recognition Event, I salute everyone who was honored at the event, as well as the continued excellence and commitment of the entire staff at Cal State Northridge. My thanks to Provost Harry Hellenbrand who acted as my stand-in at the ceremony, and to the planning committee that made the celebration another joyous and fun-filled event.
This past weekend, the University held its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards gala. With commencement week now upon us, this memorable event last Saturday evening seemed a fitting time to remember the distinguished accomplishments and contributions of students from prior graduating classes who have contributed to Cal State Northridge’s growing legacy and reputation.
At the banquet, we had the privilege of honoring three very accomplished Cal State Northridge alumni: Mr. Harvey Bookstein, one of the state’s most respected accountants who established the Harvey and Harriet Bookstein Chair in Taxation and the Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation on campus; Dr. Debra Farar, past chair and current member of the Board of Trustees of The California State University, who is known nationally for her leadership on higher education issues; and the Honorary S. James Otero, United States District Judge for the Central District of California.
Each of the honorees spoke with great pride of being Cal State Northridge graduates. They spoke glowingly of their experiences at the University, acknowledging that Cal State Northridge faculty played key roles in preparing them for success after graduation, and that their education gave them the skills, knowledge and opportunity to excel. As we wind down our celebration of the University’s 50th anniversary and 50 years of life-changing opportunity, I know all of us associated with this great institution were proud and moved on Saturday night to hear in a very specific and personal way about how the University had made a difference in the lives of these outstanding individuals. It was a memorable and enjoyable evening, and the Cal State Northridge Alumni Association deserves recognition for a fine, stylish event.
When I look out this week at the many happy faces of this year’s graduating class, I will do so with the knowledge that our students have been given an education that is second to none, and with the pride that they, too, are now distinguished Cal State Northridge alumni. A future Distinguished Alumni Award recipient may even be among this year’s graduates!
As we approach the end of the 2008-09 academic year and prepare to graduate a new class of students, I wish to express my appreciation to our faculty and staff for their continued outstanding work on behalf of the University and its students.
Looking ahead, I hope everyone will find time during the coming summer to enjoy themselves and spend quality time with friends and family. And as I traditionally mention before the summer break, please note that the President’s Annual Convocation to mark the start of the 2009-10 academic year is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, August 20, on the Oviatt Library Lawn. I hope everyone will take a few moments to note the date on your calendars.
While every year is eventful, this year seemed to have more than its share of uncertainty and challenges. The consequences and impact of issues such as the delayed state budget and the worldwide economic crisis, enrollment impaction, the Metrolink crash, wild fires, the arrest of one of our graduate students doing research overseas, concern over the H1N1 flu virus, and other events have affected us as individuals and collectively at the University. Such events are a powerful reminder that we, as a campus community, share a common purpose, and that the ability of the institution to meet such challenges depends on the strength and resiliency of its students, staff and faculty.
Of course, we also had much to be proud of this past year. Most memorably, we celebrated “50 years of life-changing opportunity” during 2008-09. We kicked off this milestone achievement with Founders Day in September and continued the commemoration with several subsequent events, which reached its apex at the wonderful Grand Reunion last month. Although commencement formally marks the end of our 50th year anniversary, I know we begin the next 50 years and beyond with a renewed sense of pride and appreciation for the important role Cal State Northridge plays in the lives of so many people as a regionally focused and nationally recognized institution.
Summer is the traditional time in education for people to re-energize and renew themselves, and to prepare for a new year devoted to helping students achieve their goals and reach their full potential. With this in mind, I wish each of you a productive and personally fulfilling summer.
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CSUN’s Grand Reunion, celebrated this past weekend on Saturday, April 25, with 3,500 people in attendance, was a great success! I was so delighted to see so many people there showing their Matador spirit.
As you can see from the photographs accompanying this blog, enthusiasm and pride for the University and its 50th anniversary were in abundance throughout the afternoon and evening celebrations. Alumni shared fond memories about their days as University students and remembered with delight their affiliations with various departments, programs and activities.
Many alumni came accompanied by several generations of their family, and were joined by a cross-section of the broader campus community, including students (our future alumni), faculty, and staff. The people who took part in the celebrations ranged from members of the founding graduating class—as typified by several gentlemen I spotted like the one in the photo at right wearing with pride their classic Valley State College sweaters—to the very young who entertained the crowd with their spontaneous dancing in front of the main stage. Past student leaders, athletes, Greeks, and students from diverse disciplines and fields all attended.
The event, of course, could not have been a success without the leadership, planning and hard work of a large number of people. I would particularly like to thank the Cal State Northridge Alumni Association, under the leadership of its president, Larry Twersky (’84), for outstanding work in organizing the event. The Alumni President and his Board of Directors were ably supported in this effort by D.G. “Gray” Mounger, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations, and the entire Alumni Relations staff, as well as the broader University Advancement staff, led by Vice President Vance Peterson. They, in turn, were joined by a full complement of staff and students from campus who volunteered their time and energy to ensure that everyone who attended had a good time.
Despite the prediction of clouds and possible showers, it turned out to be a sunny day, and perfect for the entire campus family to join together to celebrate “50 years of life-changing opportunity” and to demonstrate collectively why Cal State Northridge continues to be the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and beyond. It was heartening to see what a profound impact this University has had on so many people. I will remember the day with continued pride for some time.
Congratulations to the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team for winning the Big West Conference Tournament Championship! The win caps an exciting and sometimes turbulent season during which the team also won the conference’s regular season title outright. The tournament championship, of course, also sends the team to the NCAA Division I finals tournament for the second time in the squad’s history.
I had the great pleasure to attend the team’s two games in the Big West tournament, including the championship game. As many who watched know, the game went into overtime, but the team demonstrated the kind of resiliency and determination that has been its hallmark throughout the season to win the game.
As we join together to cheer the team in what is one of the premier athletics events in the country, I think it’s important to remember that the players are not only outstanding competitors, but also Cal State Northridge student athletes who attend classes and work towards degrees. They are to be admired and commended for their hard work and efforts both on the basketball court and in the classroom.
All of us should also take great pride in the attention that these student athletes—along with their coaches and the whole Intercollegiate Athletics program—has brought to Cal State Northridge. Their performance and success reflects on the institution as a whole.
Please join with me in wishing the team great success as it heads into its first round NCAA tournament game against Memphis in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 19. Game time is set for 11:25 a.m. Central Time.
Go Matadors!
Today is Presidents Day. Though the University officially observes the holiday later in the year, I hope all of us will take a moment during the work day to reflect about the importance of this holiday. As you know, Presidents Day marks the February birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, U.S. presidents who rank among the finest leaders produced by our nation.
The presidential election last November and the grave challenges facing the new president underscored how important strong leadership is in such times. People look to our leaders for action as well as hope, inspiration and reassurance when beset with difficulties and uncertainty.
At a time when the nation—as well as the state, our communities and, of course, the University—face serious challenges on several fronts, Presidents Day is a reminder that history teaches us that good leadership, coupled with spirited public action and commitment, are essential to overcoming obstacles and difficulties. Our faculty and staffs’ continued contributions and fine work on behalf of the University honor the principles and values of the individuals we commemorate today, and it is a lesson I hope all of us in the campus community can continue to take to heart in the coming year as we move forward in addressing the challenges before us.
Happy Presidents Day.
