Zoe Lance

Cal Poly Pomona is converting to semesters and had a dedicated webspace for Semester Conversion information. When I took on the role of managing the student communication strategy for Semester Conversion, the website needed a refresh. I proposed and executed an extensive redesign in several weeks. I use the university's Cascade content management system to create and maintain content.

Prior to Student Success Central, Cal Poly Pomona did not have a central website or location for students to easily find an academic calendar, advising resources, self-service links and other academic-related resources. I proposed and created Student Success Central in response to this problem. I use Cal Poly Pomona's Cascade content management system to create and maintain this website.

Ask the students involved in CSUCI’s chapter of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) why they joined the organization, and they’ll tell you that the decision was easy. It gives them a network of peers who are all interested in the deep satisfaction of becoming a medical professional.

Katherine Crook ’19 runs her life by the triple-win method.
“I like everything I do to have multiple reasons to do it and help multiple people,” the senior Communication student said. “If we’re not winning on three sides, I want something better.”
Crook ascribes to this when she’s working on a sorority philanthropy project, cleaning up her local beach or giving advice to her peers on how to run a successful student organization.

When Karina Hinojosa ’18 attended her first Cal State Student Association meeting in October 2016, so much of what she already felt about student leadership crystallized for her. She met like-minded peers from both CSUCI and other CSU campuses who also were serious about working hard to improve student experience.

If you ask Jeff Green what determines a person’s success, The Trade Desk founder and CEO will tell you that it’s all about two things: grit and perseverance. “I would never bet against the students of CSUCI because they have these two qualities,” he said. “I hire more alumni from CSUCI than any other university that we recruit from.”

Inside SURF, the Living-Learning Community of Undergraduate Research
Whether they are uncovering a treasure trove of political ephemera, doing fieldwork to help the National Park Service or presenting at regional research conferences, one thing is apparent about the students in CSUCI’s Student Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) program — their curiosity knows no bounds.

To help its students graduate career-ready, CSUCI is developing a four-year program that allows a student to receive both a bachelor’s degree and credential in four years instead of five — an approach that more universities across the state are taking to combat the shortage. A $250,000 grant from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has made this possible for CSUCI.

CSUCI has welcomed 19 new tenure track faculty members to its University communitythis year. This year’s class includes faculty joining us from Hawaii to New York, as well as those with strong connections to Southern California, Ventura County and the CSU system.

While the California State University International Program (CSUIP) helps students engage in yearlong study abroad opportunities, it also gives CSU faculty a career-enhancing experience as International Resident Directors. Three of CSUCI’s faculty — Irina D. Costache, Antonio Jiménez Jiménez and Luda Popenhagen — have participated in this highly competitive program that sources professors from the CSU’s 23 campuses and places them in programs across the world.

After more than 30 years working in continuing education, Gary Berg has retired as CSUCI’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Extended University. In the roles he held since 2002, he spearheaded establishing the University’s self-supported academic programs.

Ask Virgil H. Adams III what it means to be a faculty member, and he will tell you that it means being in the life-changing business. “I believe in the ideal of placing the students at the center of the educational experience,” he said. “We have a collective mission to help our students become productive citizens, and that’s where my heart and soul is: helping students to move forward.”

CSUCI's Multicultural Dream Center
For the students that frequent the Multicultural Dream Center (MDC), it’s more than a center and lounge area. When you walk past the center’s new location in the Bell Tower building, you’ll see students actively work in groups to complete homework and projects. You’ll watch them engage in workshops on how to manage their money and time. And you’ll hear them in deep, meaningful conversation about social justice issues.

A few months after he arrived at CSUCI, Geoffrey Chase walked into the hallway of the Bell Tower building to find two students looking for a faculty member’s office. In helping them find their way, Chase struck up a conversation with them about their majors and what they wanted to do after college.
“The energy they exuded about what they were studying and what careers they wanted to pursue was incredible,” he said. “I’m very impressed with CSUCI students’ commitments to their own education. They’re excited about what they’re doing, and they’re willing to work hard.”

If you ask Tania Garcia how she envisions the future of Camarillo, she’ll tell you that it should be a utopia for entrepreneurship — a hub where small business owners thrive, companies put down deep roots and everyone is civically engaged.